- A Wellington family bought a five-bedroom home in St Heliers for nearly $10m.
- Agent Paul Neshausen said the property attracted local interest and highlighted Auckland’s distinct market.
- A nearby heritage home on Lammermoor Drive also sold, emphasising demand for quality homes.
A Wellington family shelled out almost eight figures for a five-bedroom architectural stunner in Auckland’s St Heliers.
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Barfoot & Thompson prestige agent Paul Neshausen told OneRoof he closed the deal for the house on Benbow Street earlier this month.
He declined to reveal the exact sale price but said it was close to the RV of $10 million – and more than the $8.9m the vendors paid in 2024.
“We started with an offer in the first week. That property was always popular; it started with a hiss and a roar,” he said.
Barfoot & Thompson listing agent Paul Neshausen says the house at Benbow Street, in Auckland’s St Heliers, was “the closest I’ve seen to the perfect home”. Photo / Supplied
The house boasts a design by Swann Railley Architects. Photo / Supplied
The swimming pool screams luxury, but so do other fittings and finishes in the trophy home. Photo / Supplied
“When that offer did not come to fruition, we had a constant supply of interested parties. It came to a point where I thought we might have a multi-offer.”
Neshausen, who launched the listing in April this year, noted that all the serious buyers were locals, despite “decent” interest from America.
The buyers, who wish to remain private, were moving from Wellington, and had looked at several other properties in that price bracket for their family, he said.
“This property just worked for them. It was perfect, big enough to accommodate their family.”
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Neshausen said it was a perfect example of what separated a $10m Auckland home from a $5m one – something that wasn’t lost on the new owners. “They knew the price of property in Auckland differs to that in Wellington. The lifestyle’s also different in St Heliers,” he said.
He also explained that no one was overpaying at the top of the market.
“People are doing their homework; they know their values. There is no way they would pay $18m for a $10m property,” he said.
“Everyone has personal wealth advisors, they have valuers, they have networks of experts they fall back on just to ensure they’re making sensible decisions.”
Neshausen: “That property was always popular; it started with a hiss and a roar.” Photo / Fiona Goodall
The Benbow Street property is a concrete, glass and steel house designed by Swann Railley Architects. It has a swimming pool, multiple living rooms and entertainment spaces, and plenty of garaging, along with the spectacular sea views.
When OneRoof toured the home in April, Neshausen said it was “the closest I’ve seen to the perfect home”.
He is currently looking for homes of similar quality for the five buyers who missed out on Benbow. He said some of the house-hunters he encountered at the upper end of the market wanted contemporary, while others preferred renovated historic homes.
“Even if it is the perfect street and address that you have always wanted, but it is not quite the right genre of home, then you’re going to wait.”
Bayleys agents Gary and Andrew Wallace recently sold a prestige home on Lammermoor Drive, in St Heliers. The property has an RV of over $8m. Photo / Supplied
On neighbouring Lammermoor Drive, Bayleys agents Gary and Andrew Wallace sold one of the suburb’s most recognisable heritage buildings.
The four-bedroom home has an RV of just over $8m, but the agents declined to reveal what the buyers, a local family, had paid.
“It shows if you put up a quality home [for sale] it finds its value. It sold to people wanting to move into the area for the location and the beach,” he said.
When the property went on the market, Gary Wallace told OneRoof that selling it was a full-circle moment for him.
“I used to deliver the Auckland Star when I was 12 years old and did Grampian and Lammermoor [roads], I used to cycle past and think, ‘This is my most favourite house I have ever seen’,” he said.
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