A grand Auckland home built in the 1900s for the American consul and largely hidden from street view has sold at CV for $6.9 million.
Ray White agent Nick Lyus, who marketed the six-bedroom home on Liverpool Street, in Epsom, with colleague Heather Walton, told OneRoof that the property had been snapped up within 24 days of hitting the market in May. However, due to a long settlement period, details of sale were only made public this week.
Confidentiality clauses prevent Lyus from talking about the buyers, but he said interest was high in the immaculately updated property.
“We had some people looking at running luxury accommodation, other people who were just really into entertaining and food," he said.
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He added: “It is a record for non-double grammar zone Epsom, but it shows that for the right property, people will come,” he said, adding that many of the buyers who were looking back in May, some with budgets up to $10m, have still not found a place.
“And now we’re hearing that locals want to buy a place quickly, before the foreign buyers start to come back in if National get back in.
“People will inevitably want to come to New Zealand, it’s a safe place, everyone’s bolt hole. We see buyers who want to buy in that triangle of Auckland, Omaha and Queenstown.”
The formal dining room at the Liverpool Street, Epsom, house is big enough for a 22-seat dining table and grand piano. Photo / Supplied
The huge entertainers’ kitchen was added by the current owners. Photo / Supplied
Unlike many grand homes in Auckland, this one is hidden from view behind a high rock wall and grand gates. Records are sparse on how long the consul lived in the mansion, but the huge formal dining room – it comfortably fits a 22-seat dining table and a grand piano – and a formal living room, dubbed “the gentlemen’s room”, suggest a lifestyle of serious diplomatic entertaining.
“We think the house was designed in America, because all the formal rooms face south, not north. That gives us views all the way across to Manukau, the airport,” the vendor told OneRoof in May.
He told OneRoof that the previous owner had restored the house to its former glory about 15 years ago, but was caught out by the GFC and was forced to sell.
The vendor, who scooped up the house for a bargain $2.65m, continued the restoration work, landscaping property with retaining walls, a grand stone staircase and a sweeping circular driveway.
To the house, he added a large new family kitchen which included a scullery, casual dining room and glamorous bar.
The house also features a formal “gentleman’s” dining room and the latest project was a 1200-bottle winebar in the basement, complete with Eurocave conditioning units and Paris-style tiles, which can be viewed through the glass floors of the entry lobby above.
The house also boasts a guest suite on the main floor, five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a kitchenette upstairs, while the lower ground floor includes an office/rumpus room and a huge parking garage.
Lyus said: “There is nothing comparable, it’s a unique statement. There are not enough properties like this."
The house was designed in the northern hemisphere, so has south-facing porches to get views of Manukau and beyond. Photo / Supplied
The wine cellar holds 1200 bottles of wine, and has French wood floor tiles. Photo / Supplied
The formal living room has been decorated as a gentlemen’s room. Photo / Supplied
The master bedroom has views to One Tree Hill. Photo / Supplied
The family room opens out to the lawns and covered dining terrace. Photo / Supplied
Lawns for cricket and an outdoor dining area were upgraded by the current owners. Photo / Supplied
