- Bayleys agent Sam Wallace is selling a renovated four-bedroom villa at 15 Wapiti Avenue, Epsom.
- The property, upgraded by Van Veenendaal Rosnell Langley Architecture, features luxury finishes and a refurbished pool.
- Wallace notes buyers are seeking high-standard homes, with many needing to sell their properties first.
Good-looking properties, like the one Bayleys agent Sam Wallace is selling at 15 Wapiti Avenue, in Auckland's Epsom, bring out the buyers “almost like a swarm of bees”.
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Wallace has, with his parents Gary and Vicki and brother Andrew, racked up some chunky sales in the last six months, including several in the $8m-plus bracket.
Getting deals over the line has required effort, but helping the agents has been the quality of homes they are bringing to market.
The four-bedroom bay villa at 15 Wapiti Avenue, Epsom, has been attracting the type of buyers Wallace has been seeing a lot in the current market: those who want a flawlessly renovated home and have no appetite to take on a project.
Architects Van Veenendaal Rosnell Langley Architecture and interior designer Jessica Lo, rearranged the rear of the house for the luxury kitchen, scullery and living areas. Photo / Supplied
The rear kitchen and living room, before the renovation. Photo / Supplied
The renovated villa features a grand updated parlour. Photo / Supplied
Wallace's vendors had bought the property in 2022, paying just over $5m for a dated but functional home, and spent the next three years turning it into the delight it is now. The renovation, he said, was a bit more than “a kiss and a cuddle”.
“It was their house to live in for a long time, so they were happy to pour a lot of themselves into it," he told OneRoof. "The property is very hard to fault.
"If you look at the market as a whole, the homes that are doing really well are the ones that have been finished to a very high standard."
The upgrade by Van Veenendaal Rosnell Langley Architecture and interior designer Jessica Lo rearranged the rear of the house to create a luxury kitchen, laundry, and scullery. The area is finished in American oak and leathered natural stone quartzite, with a customised French Lacanche double oven and hand-finished brass hood also grabbing attention.
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There are two luxury bathrooms, a formal parlour with its original tile fireplace, and four large bedrooms, all opening off the classic villa hallway. The owners refurbished the rear deck and swimming pool, but they did not go ahead with plans to add a guest studio above the garage. They were, said Wallace, selling to downsize now that their kids had left home.
"The house has always been as pretty as a picture from the street. It has got that gorgeous traditional rose garden entry, this really beautiful positioning,” he said.
The Wallaces recently sold another immaculately finished property, this time on Coombes Road, in Remuera, for just over $6m. It was viewed by over 100 groups and attracted nine registered bidders at the auction.
The house opens to a refurbished deck and pool area. Photo / Supplied
The rear of the house before. Photo / Supplied
The master bedroom opens off the grand villa hallway. Photo / Supplied
In “flying” markets, buyers were making quick decisions and were prepared to compromise, but in this market they were more choosy and took their time.
“They all go to the really pretty ones and then if that sells then they'll go to the next ones.”
Another challenge is that many buyers have to sell first. "Often people are having to get rid of an asset. They are not jumping straight in."
Deals were typically about joining the dots, building relationships between buyers and sellers. “Buyers say ‘we're not quite ready; we’ve got our property to sell.’ Then we end up selling off market and matching things. It was much more about brokerage.”
- 15 Wapiti Avenue, in Epsom, Auckland, goes to auction on June 3
