Comedian Jeremy Corbett sold his “forever” home at auction today for $4.5 million - just below its RV of $4.75m.
Corbett and his wife Megan put their five-bedroom brick house in Auckland’s Epsom on the market last month after bringing forward plans to downsize to a smaller home.
Bidding on the property at the Bayleys auction room kicked off at $3.9m, although the auctioneer would have preferred an opening bid to start with a four.
Another bid took it to $4m then the property passed in for negotiations. After half an hour, the property came back to the floor and sold for $4.5m.
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When Corbett and wife Megan bought their home on Sharpe Road, Epsom, in 2014 it was love at first sight - and still is. Photo / Supplied
Three’s news show The Project with Corbett, Jesse Mulligan and Kanoa Lloyd was cancelled by Warner Bros Discovery in 2023, the start of a dismal couple of years in news media. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys agent Lorraine Young, who marketed the property, told OneRoof the Corbetts were "absolutely chuffed" at the sale.
"The buyers were a local family, and they're absolutely delighted. They fell in love with its street presence when they used to drive past on their school pick-ups, and now they own it.
"It's been an absolute privilege, and [the property] drew a lot of interest. We had 60 groups through and were lucky to attract such genuine buyers."
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Corbett told OneRoof last month that the decision to sell the house had come much sooner than he had hoped.
“We would stay here if there wasn’t the need to downsize. It’s something we imagined doing maybe when the girls finished school, but events have overtaken us, so we’ve had to move plans forward,” he said.
“It’s just lifestyle change – looking at my industry, my age and all that stuff and saying, ‘Hey, we’d like to have a bit more leisure time’.”
Corbett and Megan bought the house a decade ago, for just over $3m. It had been “love at first sight” and “breaking up” with the home had been hard for the family.
The house includes a 10m swimming pool and a poolhouse. Photo / Supplied
The study features Corbett’s collection of guitars. He still plays in his university band called Dosage B. Photo / Supplied
“It’s a bit sad [but] at the same time it’s a funny one, not really wanting to sell but sort of having to. We’re looking for something a little bit smaller, a little bit more manageable that will give us more time to go away with the girls on holiday.”
Corbett, whose new series of 7 Days just started, said he was in a better position than most in his industry. “I’m very fortunate that I’m one of the few people in the media industry that’s still gainfully employed,” he told OneRoof.
“It’s bloody stupid, isn’t it? People say, ‘Not only does 7 Days still run, but you’re still hosting it’. I say I’m no longer considered cast, I’m part of the set. So, there’s no threat of me being disposed of.”
The couple love the staircase and grand entrance. Photo / Supplied
The formal sitting room. Photo / Supplied
Corbett faced the harsh reality of the TV business when Three’s parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, axed The Project, the current affairs show he co-hosted with Jesse Mulligan and Kanoa Lloyd.
Corbett told OneRoof the house wasn’t what he expected he'd be buying when he and Megan found it a decade ago. They had just sold their renovated house in neighbouring Mount Eden, and the two-storey Arts and Crafts-style home did not tick any of the sensible things on their list.
“We walked into this place and threw our list with all the things that we wanted out. We both fell in love with it,” he said.
“It was just out of our reach - we really had to stretch to make it. It’s a stupid way to buy a house, but we had such a great vibe and it turned out to be true. I do love the house and the grandeur of it. It’s lovely to come home to.”
The comedian said his favourite spot was his wood-panelled study, which he uses for writing and play-time. The classic guitars hanging on the walls, from Fender and Gibson, do get a workout. Little known fact: the comedian still plays in a band known as Dosage B.
“We’re definitely not a cool band. We played covers and a few originals, and the drummer is still a big fan of getting us together. We just play like three songs,” he said.
“I’m better at buying guitars than I am at playing them.”
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