A luxury home built by former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick has sold for more than $10 million.
The five-bedroom house at Arney Crescent, in Remuera, broke sales records for the year after being snapped up by a local family “looking for something special”.
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Ray White Epsom agent Ross Hawkins, who brokered the deal, told OneRoof he could not disclose the exact price but it was "more than $2 million above the CV of $8.4 million”.
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“It’s a record price for Remuera this year,” he said.
The previous record-holder for Remuera - a 1960s house at nearby 197A Arney Road - fetched $8 million at auction at the end of May.
The house was built by Fitzpatrick in the early 2000s for his family using renowned Auckland architect Daniel Marshall. He sold it soon after, with Marshall staying on to carry out further renovations commissioned by subsequent owners.
His remodels included floor to ceiling glass walls, a wine cave and a gym.
Hawkins told OneRoof that there was huge demand for quality homes at the top end of the market.
The house at Arney Crescent was completely refurbished by Daniel Marshall Architects. Photo / Supplied
“There is a captive audience of buyers in the $10 million-plus bracket. There are now three or four unsatisfied purchasers who have missed out and have $10 million-plus to spend,” Hawkins said
He said there was a shortage of listings in the luxury market, with home-owners reluctant to list their properties without having somewhere to move to first.
Hawkins said that buyers in his database were looking for the “right thing [and] I tapped on their shoulder.” While he had enquiries from ex-pats, the buyers were a local family looking for “something special”.
“These houses are few and far between.”
The purchase of the Fitzpatrick house at Arney Crescent comes amid a flurry of high-profile sales in Auckland post Covid-19.
The house is oriented around courtyards and the pool, with extensive views over Remuera to the harbour and beyond. Photo / Supplied
Bindi Norwell, chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, said in the last 12 months, 31 properties had sold in Remuera for more than $5 million.
“We’re continuing to see high levels of interest at the top end of the market,” she said.
“With interest rates at historic lows, a shortage of listings and the increase in the number of Kiwis return home to New Zealand we expect the level of interest to be at an all-time high in the coming months.”
Sean Fitzpatrick, right, with Richie McCaw in 2011. Fitzpatrick built the house in the mid-2000s. Photo / Getty Images
The highest sale price this year is reported to be for a waterfront home in Westmere formerly owned by Kiwi film director Andrew Adamson. The Herald on Sunday reported that former All Black Ali Williams and Zuru Toys co-founder Anna Mowbray paid $23 million for the house.
Other luxury homes still on the market in Remuera – and could possibly still claim the record - include a five-bedroom Edwardian-era property owned by Kiwi rich-lister at 95 Victoria Avenue and a five-bedroom modern house at 57 Portland Road owned by former Saatchi and Saatchi boss Kevin Roberts.
This 1960s house at 147A Arney Road, in Remuera, sold well above its council valuation of $5.6 million. Photo / Supplied
As eye-watering as $10 million may seem to most Kiwis, it’s a fraction of what luxury homes sell for across the ditch.
A waterfront mansion with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House sold last month for A$95 million (NZ$103 million).
Hawkins said: “We are very undervalued compared to Australia. What’s happening there is going to rub off here - this is a much more attractive place to live.”
“In the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, agents are telling me that waterfront properties that would have gone for A$15 million have all of a sudden surged up to $20 million.
“It makes us look cheap.”
Hawkins said that he was getting increasing interest in another big property, Pakatoa Island, which is on the market for $40 million.
“Forty million dollars used to seem expensive, but not so much now. The time is right to turn it into something like what it was. If you can’t go travelling overseas, you can get your own Pacific island, right on our coast.”
