Radio star Jay-Jay Feeney has sold her Auckland apartment to one of her neighbours.
The broadcaster told OneRoof that she had her offer within two weeks of listing her two-bedroom property at the end of September for just under $1.2 million.
She said the buyer was another apartment owner in the block at 59 France Street South, Eden Terrace.
“She really wanted the carparks. They are valuable real estate,” she said.
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“In the block, everyone is always asking to buy or rent carparks. I could have probably sold the carparks by themselves.”
Feeney did not disclose the sale price, but said it was less than she had hoped for, so she may have to pause the renovation of her next home.
She told OneRoof that she had mixed feelings about leaving her home of six years: “I’m excited about doing something new and freshening up, because I've been stale for six years.
“My place is so nice, I’m really going to miss the view and everything. But then the new place is going to be amazing when it is all tidied up.”
Feeney's two-bedroom apartment at 415/59 France Street South boasts an industrial finish. Photo / Supplied
The bedrooms have views of the Sky Tower and Auckland’s city skyline. Photo / Supplied
Feeney had been realistic about selling her apartment in the midst of a cooling housing market, but she understood a couple of other apartments in the block had also sold in recent weeks.
“It’s a fantastic block; it’s really well managed. So people start [here] and then just trade around in the building," she said.
“I think I did really well in this market. I had another offer two days after we signed, which is frustrating, but you can’t think about that. It was pretty cool to get something.”
OneRoof spoke to Feeney last month while she was busy packing up her apartment, which was listed with Nigel King of Uptown Apartments. She had told her fans on Instagram at the time that she had already made an offer on a new place.
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Pointing to boxes piled around the living room and bedrooms ahead of the home-stagers arriving, she told her fans: “I’m packing up to move house; I’m feeling a bit ragged. All my cupboards are still full, and my office is still full.”
King's listing highlighted the apartment's luxury features. “For the discerning buyer looking for that little bit extra, look no further. [This apartment] at the multi-award-winning 59 France is a carefully crafted work of art with bags of character and style in abundance.
“The next purchase has already been made, so this apartment needs to be sold. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity; get in for a viewing now.”
The apartment has views of Auckland CBD and the Sky Tower, and boasts an industrial finish “with exposed services, concrete ceiling and concrete feature wall working in perfect harmony with oak timber flooring”.
The designer kitchen comes with an “integrated cooktop, oven and dishwasher, Liebherr fridge freezer, plus an abundance of cupboard space, as well as bespoke designer Caesarstone dining table/breakfast bar with additional cupboards and feature lighting above”.
Feeney said last month that the decision to price the property below what she paid for it in 2018 was deliberate.
Feeney with her partner Minou last year. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Feeney made her name on the airwaves with fellow breakfast hosts Dom Harvey, left, and Mike Peru. Photo / Sarah Ivey
“Because this market is so terrible, I’m going to lose money on the apartment, so we thought, let’s put a price on it and see what happens. People don’t have to guess; they can go, ‘Can I afford it – yes or no?’.”
She added: “I’m not a greedy person. I’ll see where the cards fall and take what happens in life.”
Feeney said she and boyfriend Minou (“he’s like Madonna, he just has one name”) would miss the views, adding that the apartment was in a “really great spot”.
Feeney said that she has snapped up a dated apartment on Victoria Street, less than a block from the podcast studios she runs with former husband Dom Harvey. That deal goes unconditional in October, so she needed to move quickly.
“I love living there, at the top of Queen Street, behind K Road, that’s not really my hood. I’m definitely more of a Ponsonby-Herne Bay-side person,” she told OneRoof.
“It’s a block that I’ve wanted to live in all along, and one came up for sale. I love the space and the location.
“There have been lots of ups and downs with this one, but I’ve managed to get finance to hold me over.”
She said her new place was a deceased estate and in need of renovation.
Feeney announced in 2024 that she was taking a step back from her radio career to focus on herself and re-energise.
“Some people will be shocked by this, and others will be happy,” she said at the time.
“I just feel really tired. I feel like I don’t have many creative ideas left. It’s a terrifying idea to give up the only thing I have known my whole life.”
Feeney kicked off her radio career at 17 when she joined MediaWorks’ Energy FM in New Plymouth.
She moved to Hamilton in 1994 to host the drive show at The Breeze, yet joined The Edge four months later, shortly after it first aired.
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