The mid-century waterfront Auckland home once owned by one of New Zealand’s first celebrity sailors has sold.
The three-bedroom home on Harbour View Road, in Point Chevalier, which had been in the same family for more than 50 years, sold for $4.3 million this month after three months on the market.
It had been built in the 1960s for Kiwi sailing legend James Davern, whose boat Fidelis made yachting history when it won the Sydney to Hobart race in 1966.
Ray White agent Lawrence von Sturmer, who marketed the property on a 1118sqm site with colleague Jo de Beer, said the $4.3m sale was the top price this year for the suburb.
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The all-time suburb price record is still held by a large clifftop estate, which sold to Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi and pop star Rita Ora for $10.5m a year ago.
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Other waterfront places on the highly sought-after street have reached higher numbers. Two years ago, the neighbouring house which had been completely renovated sold for $5.25m while in the past year, other houses, some of them not directly on the water, sold for between $2.25m and $4.175m.
Von Sturmer told OneRoof that the well-maintained mid-century property, which has a CV of $5.2m, received four offers since it went on the market in May. After its set sale date of June 5 passed, the property was priced at $4.395m. However, he said several interested buyers faced challenges settling on the deal.
“Some people were looking at options for extending or developing, but when they did their due diligence they needed geo-tech reports on things like cliff stability and water levels rising.
The home was originally built in the 1960s for sailing champ James Davern. Photo / Supplied
The decks were crafted of marine-grade timber by the original yachtie owner. Photo / Supplied
“It was just after the stories had come out about coastal inundation, where Point Chev is right in the middle the maps [from NIWA and Auckland Council],” he said.
The agent said that interest in the rare waterfront property was huge, with 65 groups of buyers looking through, some with budgets as high as $8m. He said buyers with bigger budgets were looking for a waterfront location but planning on a large-scale renovation project.
The eventual buyers were fans of the house as it is.
“The buyers were from Ponsonby, and they liked the history, the views and the location - they pounced on it. They like the architectural style and plan to enjoy that to start with,” von Sturmer said, adding that the four offers on the property had considerable variation as buyers juggled deposits and settlement times.
The downstairs rumpus room opens to the lawn and beach. Photo / Supplied
The new owners plan to keep many of the mid-century features, the agent says. Photo / Supplied
He said the owner Jean Russell, who bought the house with her late husband Bill in 1972, loved the home right on the water, with its private boat ramp.
“After such a long period of ownership, it was difficult to let it go, but the time was right. It was time for someone else to enjoy it,” von Sturmer said.
The house had been built to Davern’s meticulous construction standards; its decks were made from marine-grade timber, a boat ramp and boat house were included in the architecture, and the home was positioned right on the foreshore. “Many a day was spent out fishing on the glorious Waitematā Harbour and beyond into the Gulf,” Jean told OneRoof when the house went on the market in May.
“Over the years we’ve launched various boats from the boat ramp in the backyard, from a little tinny to a 14-foot dinghy. One day Bill, even brought his 24-foot Clipper in on the full tide, loaded it onto the trailer, and tied it up on the ramp overnight for an early start the following day.”
She added: “We loved sharing our little slice of paradise with our friends, family, nieces and nephews and all of their families. At the right time of year, we always waited in anticipation for dolphins to enter the bay; on rare occasions, orcas would even come close to shore to hunt for sting rays.”
As well as water views, the open-plan house had views across the Waitematā Harbour to the Waitakere Ranges from the upstairs living spaces. The ground floor had a large recreation room with a bar area that opened straight onto the beach and there was a boat house as well as plenty of parking in the carport.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Auckland
- additional reporting Erin Reilly
