A luxury, ground-floor Auckland apartment has sold for $8.2 million - a sign that high-end buyers are looking for standout architecture, according to the agent who brokered the deal.
Barfoot and Thompson's Paul Neshausen, who specialises in luxury properties in the city’s eastern bays, said the sale of the three-bedroom apartment in the striking Sonata apartment block on Devore Street, Saint Heliers, showed that savvy buyers were demanding more than just cookie-cutter style.
The five-apartment Sonata, which was completed last year by Reside Projects, was designed by Architect Buchan, one of the consortium of architects behind the sculptured design for the proposed Te Tōangaroa stadium precinct, in downtown Auckland.
“People are saying ‘I’m done with the same old squares that look like a hospital block’,” Neshausen said.
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“Look at the trends worldwide. I’m just back from Dubai, and all the apartments there have real architectural design," he said.
“They’re leading, bleeding edge. The hotel buildings there, they stand out."
The $8.2m sale was completed in conjunction with Ray White Epsom agent Ross Hawkins.
Neshausen said the curved building was already considered a landmark in the upmarket seaside neighbourhood, and that was what drew the buyer.
“It’s so architecturally advanced, it is an icon. Buyers want something safe, with a timeless design.
“By safe, we mean not just personal safety [of security systems] but also investment protection. Some of the other apartment blocks, if you needed to re-sell would you get your money back? You’ll have to wait for a while.”
The Sonata’s designers, Architects Buchan, are involved in the proposed new Auckland development Quay Park, Te Tōangaroa. Photo / Supplied
Inside, the three-bedroom ground floor apartment boasted an Italian Poliform kitchen and bedroom closets, Gaggenau appliances and lighting from top-end retailer ECC. Finishes included white limestone walls, natural stone and aged timber while the three-car garage included provision for EV charging. The apartment came with a 182sqm garden courtyard.
Neshausen said just one more apartment remained in the block on level 2, which will be marketed later this month. He expects that sale price to beat the $8.2m price because it is larger, with a second living area and scullery.
The top price for an apartment in the block was $10.5m, paid in October 2022. That apartment was on level three. The higher penthouse and sub-penthouse floors were sold in private deals with the developers early on, the agent said, for $5.4m and $7.1m respectively.
The interiors of the garden-floor Sonata apartment features luxury kitchens and closets by Italian brand Poliform and lighting by ECC. Photo / Supplied
Two upper floor apartments in a nearby development on Saint Heliers Bay Road fetched $9.1m and $8.9m last year. Development of the project had been taken over by experienced developers Peter and Judy Jones after an earlier developer’s plans stalled.
None of these sales reached the top apartment sale price for the year: more than $10m for an eighth-floor apartment on Remuera Road. That two-storey 340sqm property came with a remarkable 12-car garage.
These prices may be beaten by a handful of boutique apartment developments that are slated for 2024 and 2025 completion.
Luxury off-the-plan penthouse apartments in Parnell’s One Saint Stephens are asking $8.25m and $15.25m, while the Elysian, a 16-apartment project on Balfour Road, Parnell, is asking $11.695m for its penthouse.
Also in Parnell, York House, a 33-unit development on York Street, is offering a “collection” of eight penthouses on the two upper floors which go up to $9.275m for a 234sqm residence with 130sqm of deck and garaging for four cars.
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