- A Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home in Remuera snapped up by an Auckland family.
- The four-bedroom property features extensive grounds, a pool and a tennis court.
- The sale price hasn’t been disclosed but the property had a list price of $13.25m.
A mid-century home with a look inspired by the work of legendary US architect Frank Lloyd Wright has sold for what is tipped to be one of 2024’s highest sale prices.
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The four-bedroom luxury spread, which sits on just over 4600sqm of park-like grounds in the heart of Auckland’s Remuera, was snapped up by an Auckland family in November after just over two months on the market with UP agents Peter and Myles Cleave.
The agents declined to say if the property sold at the advertised price of $13.25 million, but a sale at that level, while almost $3m short of CV, would easily make it the third biggest this year.
Peter Cleave told OneRoof the style of the Waiata Avenue property was rare in Remuera because so many of the homes in the pricey suburb were either villas and bungalows from the early 20th century or new builds.
The property sits on more than 4600sqm of park-like grounds. Photo / Supplied
It was also rare to find a Remuera home with so much land.
Cleave didn’t know the name of the architect – only that he was British – but did say the inspiration for the build came from Lloyd Wright.
He said the house was “pretty special” and that the architecture of the 1960s and 1970s had become “cool” again.
This property had a tennis court and a lovely aspect facing north, plus it backed on to the Waiata Reserve, which was special in its own right.
There had been steady, qualified interest in the property rather than huge numbers, he said.
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Buyers at this level often had particular desires and a vision of what they wanted and if they could not find it they were not generally in an urgent rush to buy.
“I think if you fit their criteria and fit it well, then you will make a sale. If it doesn’t quite do that, you probably won’t talk them into it.”
He said buyers had responded to the environment as much as the house. “It’s like an oasis, really, once you’re on the property; the gardens, the lawns, and the setting,” he told OneRoof.
“You’re very elevated and facing north, you look down over Waiata Reserve, as well. It’s almost like you’re living in 20 acres.
Sailor Grant Dalton’s former home on Victoria Avenue, in Remuera, Auckland, was snapped up in March this year for $20m. Photo / Supplied
An Italian-style mansion on Paritai Drive, in Auckland’s Orakei, sold for $21.84m in March. Photo / Supplied
“It’s just a lovely, peaceful environment, really, and I think that’s what drove the interest and then on top of that you had a very substantial home. Although it was an older home it had been upgraded and modernised in a lot of areas and it provided a huge amount of house and lifestyle.”
The home had a central atrium opening into expansive living spaces, a billiard room, swimming pool, spa, sauna, gym, a floodlit tennis court, and a triple-car garage and motor court.
OneRoof featured the house in 2020 when it was last for sale, quoting the previous agent as saying that the house had transported visitors to a different place and time.
“From the moment you open the front door you’re greeted with volume and space. The Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture is the star of the show with its interior atrium, wooden wall panelling and lofty ceilings. It’s an absolute gem of international stature, right here in Remuera.”
For sale: Paul Henry and Diane Foreman’s six-bedroom house at 33 Arney Crescent, in Remuera, is one of New Zealand’s most prestigious homes. Photo / Supplied
OneRoof analysis of settled sales data this year shows 10 sales at $10m and above.
The top two sales were the work of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agents Paul and Jonathon Sissons and Karen Moore. Jonathon and Paul sold an Italianate mansion on Paritai Drive, in Auckland’s Orakei, for $21.84m, while Paul and Karen sold Grant Dalton’s former home on Victoria Avenue, in Remuera, for $20m.
The next highest settled sale is $12.8m, achieved at auction at the start of the year for an Arts and Crafts villa on Orakei Road, in Remuera.
If the Cleaves’ Waiata Avenue sold at its advertised price it would take the number three spot. However, OneRoof understands the top 10 could be shaken up by a clutch of Queenstown sales. NZ Sotheby’s managing director Mark Harris said he had sold two homes for more than $20m each.
There are a handful of mansions currently on the market in Auckland that could fetch more than $20m, including the Remuera home of Traitors NZ presenter Paul Henry and his entrepreneur wife Diane Foreman.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Remuera
