Kiwi author and gardener Rose Thodey has sold her villa in Auckland's Freemans Bay for just over $6 million – more than $3m above its CV.
Thodey bought the five-bedroom character home on Wood Street in the mid-1980s for $342,000, so today’s sale will see her walk away with a 1669% return on her investment.
The auction was brought forward after Thodey accepted a pre-auction offer of $5.5m, but another 17 bids pushed the final price to $6.05m.
The listing agent, Bayleys' Edward Pack, told OneRoof houses this special only came along every few years. “The views across the city and stunning gardens are nothing short of extraordinary,” he said.
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Thodey, whose books on gardening have made her a household name, told OneRoof before the sale that she had many fond memories of the house.
“I went into labour with our third child the night before we were due to move in – 34 and a half years ago,” she said.
She said she had just moved from Wellington with her late husband Chris and two children and the house reminded them of the capital’s harbourside villas.
Understandably, the garden is what she'll miss most. The country style complements the style of the house, with neatly clipped hedges juxtaposed with more "loose" plantings.
English in feel, it has been cleverly adapted to include more sub-tropical plants, which thrive perfectly in Auckland’s temperate climate.
Rose Thodey found solace tending her country-style garden following the death of her husband 20 years ago. Photo / Supplied
“I will miss my big garden, of course, and the fantastic city and harbour views but it feels like the right time to move on,” she said.
Renovated villas in neighbouring Grey Lynn are also fetching big money.
In last week’s auctions, a three-bedroom villa with a double-storey addition marketed by Pack on Millais Street sold for $4.35m. Five bidders pushed the price to $500,000 over its $3.8m pre-auction offer.
“From the moment it went on the market, there was incredible interest. These impeccable renovations don’t come up very often,” Pack said.
Last week a renovated villa on Millais Street, Grey Lynn, sold at auction for $4.35m. Photo / Supplied
“It had a full rebuild five years ago, it wasn’t the conventional villa. The very clever owners really maxed out on every square inch of space, it was very spacious and attracted a wider range of buyers.”
Smart buyers could do the renovation math, comparing the fully finished property with the $2.525m paid in late August for a crumbling, original-condition deceased estate just a few doors down on the same street.
In Herne Bay, NZ Sotheby’s International Realty agent Pene Milne sold a smartly renovated mid-century home on Saratoga Street for $4.65m. The four-bedroom, 268sqm house sat on a 639sqm section part of an exclusive cul-de-sac known for its mid-century homes.
A rare waterfront apartment on Hamilton Road, Herne Bay fetched $5.46m at auction this week. Photo / Supplied
Milne, who made last year’s biggest residential sale of $24m for the Westmere waterfront home formerly owned by Shrek director Andrew Adamson, and is currently marketing the Pacifica super penthouse in the city for $42.8m, said she had expected the house to sit at this price range.
“It’s a very clear market price. With a major renovation, a 16m pool – twice the size of most around here – there was a lot of bang for the buck. You just don’t find such beautiful, light-filled houses,” she said.
“I could have sold three more of these, there were three bidders who missed out.”
Milne, like other top-end agents, said there is “virtually nothing” on the market for family buyers looking for more space for teens, and plenty of storage and garaging.
A mid-century house on Saratoga Street, Herne Bay, sold last week for $4.65m. Photo / Supplied
“The villa-dollar – people looking only for villas – is looking at $4m for Grey Lynn, but it has to be premium with a pool, storage, garaging. Then people downsize to apartments.”
One of the few in Herne Bay sold at auction this week.
On Herne Bay’s waterfront, Bayleys agent Robyn Clark marketed a spacious ground floor apartment in the tightly-held Westpoint, Hamilton Road, a striking 1980s enclave of just 12 hexagonal apartments with pool, manicured lawns and its own private beach access. The three-bedroom, 188sqm apartment sold under the hammer for $5.46m, a considerable bump from when it last sold in 2002 for $1.33m.
- Additional reporting by Louise Richardson
