A mansion that once belonged to Team New Zealand chief Grant Dalton has sold for $20 million – $2.5m above CV.
The listing agent for the five-bedroom trophy home on Victoria Avenue, in Auckland’s Remuera, told OneRoof that she had found a buyer in March but that the sale had only settled this week.
The $20m sale price is New Zealand’s second highest this year.
The vendors put the former embassy on the market in April last year – almost a year and a half after they bought it for $19.75m.
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New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Karen Moore told OneRoof that she was unable to reveal details of the deal but said the property had attracted strong interest during its 10 months on the market.
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“It was all new buyers looking this time, a mix of locals and overseas people who had residency,” she said. “They had a very specific shopping list: big piece of land, privacy, the address on Victoria Avenue. The tennis court was a big drawcard and the gym.”
Jonathan Sissons, managing director at NZ Sotheby’s Remuera office, said the grand villa had street presence.
“It was originally built as a grand home, it had the grand proportions, the lovely entrance where you’re greeted by a big solid staircase,” he said.
The powder room features a vibrant designer wallpaper by Christian Lacroix and stone counter tops. Photo / Supplied
More designer fabrics and light fixtures that complement the stained glass windows appear in the re-decorated living room. Photo / Supplied
Moore said the house had been well cared for and its new owners wanted to keep the property’s style intact and enjoy it with their young family.
The vendors had decided to sell so soon after purchasing the house because they were heading overseas for business.
Known as Hobson House, the house was built in the early 1900s and had been a diplomatic residence and the headquarters of the US Naval High Command during WWII.
Dalton and his wife bought the house in 2004 for $4.8m and sold it to rich-lister property developer Culum Manson and his wife Kirstin for $16.55m in 2018.
The Mansons engaged Kiwi architect Christian Anderson to give the mansion a complete makeover, which included an updated kitchen and scullery, new bathrooms, full air-conditioning, a ground floor gym and sauna, games and television room, studies, a media room and nanny suite.
Grant Dalton sold the Remuera home in 2018 for $16.55m. Photo / Michael Craig
Moore told OneRoof last year that the vendors had added their own touches to the home, including coloured Venetian-style crystal chandeliers, designer wallpapers and curtains by Christian Lacroix, a pink-walled office and a vibrant library and rumpus room on the ground floor.
NZ Sotheby’s Remuera office has achieved the top two sales so far this year. Sissons’ brother Paul sold an Italianate-style mansion on Paritai Drive, in neighbouring Orakei, for $21.84m in March.
Moore and Paul are also marketing a five-bedroom mansion at 298 Remuera Road with a CV of $25.5m, and Paul and Nico Zhang are bringing a modern mansion at 92 Paritai Drive to tender on December 12.
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