A luxury Wellington townhouse with an intriguing past has sold for an undisclosed amount.
The three-storey Georgian-style home on Oriental Parade has stunning views across the bay and had a 2021 RV of $4.665 million.
Agents told OneRoof that the sale price was confidential but it was listed as looking for buyer interest above $4.5m.
Amy Allen, from Lowe & Co, said there had multiple offers on the property, adding that there was a mix of buyers looking for properties at the top end of the market in Wellington, including people from the city fringe wanting a foothold in the more central areas.
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The house was rumoured to have undergone an eight-figure renovation pre-2017, when it was picked up in a mortgagee sale for $3m.
Lowe & Co founder Craig Lowe, who marketed the property with colleague Elise Boulieris, told OneRoof in January that the house was unlike anything he had seen in his 23 years in the business.
“We don’t know how much was spent on it exactly. There were rumours of maybe $10m or $11m but we don’t have evidence of that,” he said, adding that the cost to do the work might even be more than today’s oft quoted new-build prices of at least $20,000 per square metre for a luxury house.
He said the finish was on a scale rarely seen in the city, with the townhouse boasting immaculate hand-crafted French polished joinery in the kitchen, panelled reception rooms, entry hall and stairs, and bedrooms, along with marble bathrooms, inlaid tile floors and a luxury kitchen complete with a custom La Cornue French cooker, large island and butler’s pantry.
When the property first went on the market as a mortgagee sale in 2016, it was described as a "rare Wellington treasure".
The townhouse is one of several luxury homes that have attracted a lot of buyer interest. Photo / Supplied
The marble kitchen includes a dining room and a hand-made French La Cornue cooker. Photo / supplied
Lowe said the property also offered two living rooms, two dining rooms, a ground floor media/games room behind the double garage, and a secret room which could be used for storage or security for documents.
Underpinning the renovation, which took three years some 15 years ago, is a sophisticated air conditioning system, high-tech security and a lift for future-proofing. While the lifts and air systems make the house attractive for downsizers, Lowe said the large terraces on the back of the building made it equally appealing to families.
“The attention to detail and the position – it’s the best position in the bay, facing the city and sunsets.”
Agents say the house has one of the best city and sunset views on Oriental Parade. Photo / supplied
The sale price may fall short of Oriental Bay's record of $5.31m last year for the Parisian-style apartment sold by Wellington art collector Chris Parkin in April 2022.
That’s $1m more than what the couple paid for it two years earlier, but still more than $1m shy of the capital's highest sale price so far - $6.5m for a Kelburn mansion that has been bulldozed to make way for 11 luxury townhouses.
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