A beachfront spot that has been in the hands of the same family for 90 years has sold for a breathtaking $10.1 million, OneRoof can reveal.
The near 1000sqm section that sits at the southern end of Takapuna Beach, on Auckland’s North Shore, is a rarity, as it is one of only a handful of absolute waterfront properties to have hit the open market in the suburb.
The Ewen Street property boasts a modern three-bedroom coastal home that was built in 2008 by Smedley Design and Geoff Davies Builders, a far cry from the modest cottage that was there when the vendor’s parents picked up the site in the 1930s.
“This one was passed down through family since they bought the original cottage 90 years ago,” said Aaron Reid, the New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent who brokered the deal in March.
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Reid said the 300sqm home that replaced the cottage has two living rooms, a gym, with a lawn sloping down to the beach and a boatshed.
The property, which was listed at the end of last year, had attracted interest from the US, the UK, Singapore and Dubai, although the eventual buyer came across the Harbour Bridge from the city.
“I have quite a large database of people who want beachfront. Some already have a beachfront place but want something different. One hundred per cent that’s all they want to see,” Reid said.
Reid said that some buyers have budgets of $15m to $25m, but very specific requirements – starting with a house that needs no updating, a rare find on Takapuna where few new houses have been built in the last decade.
There are only a handful of properties that come on the market on Takapuna Beach, where buyers are very particular about which stretch of beach they want. Photo / Supplied
The 15-year-old, three-bedroom home on the beach replaced an original cottage which had close-up views of the beach and Rangitoto. Photo / Supplied
“It must be Takapuna, it can’t be Milford or Cheltenham Beach. And I love Cheltenham, I live there myself, but they won’t go past Hauraki Road into Devonport.
“Some people want the sandy beach end, some people prefer the rocks because it’s more private, plus there are a number of apartments and townhouses. Some people want to be close to the restaurants and amenities, some want a bigger place, some want smaller.”
Reid estimates there would be only 30 or so houses that fit his buyers’ very specific criteria on Takapuna beach – and that’s not counting estates where current rich-lister owners have combined two or three properties along the beach into single holdings.
Buyers could be in luck as a neighbouring property was listed last week at 28 Ewen Street, Takapuna. The six-bedroom Lawrence Sumich-designed house is on the market for the first time in 15 years, said listing agent Robert and Richard Milne, of Premium Real Estate.
The Ewen Street house has direct access to the beach, and sea views from most of the principal rooms. Photo / Supplied
28 Ewen Street is on the market with expressions of interest closing December 14. It has a CV of $15.5m. Photo / Supplied
The house has had a substantial external renovation, the agents said, and includes a basement garage with a car turntable, a media room, games room or library, and space to convert into a home gym. The property, which has a CV of $15.15m, is being sold by expressions of interest closing December 14.
Bayleys agent Victoria Bidwell has been marketing a striking modern four-bedroom house on the walkway between Takapuna and Milford at 22 O’Neills Avenue for the past year. The Simon Carnachan-designed 420sqm curved home built in 1985, is well-known to walkers, although modern tinted glass keeps the occupants private.
It has been on and off the market for several years, and was put back on the market two years ago after a 20-month long refurbishment. It now comes with a new Poggenpohl kitchen and an elevator. It has a CV of $9.6m, but at one point was asking for nearly $13m.
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