A multi-million-dollar home owned by self-titled queen of property Nikki Connors has been listed as a mortgagee sale.
The two-bedroom apartment in Auckland’s upmarket Orakei was listed for sale with Barfoot & Thompson at the start of the month and is set to be auctioned on June 26.
However, there is a disagreement over the sale.
Connors told OneRoof today she had signed a sale and purchase agreement with a buyer last week for $2.25 million, but the mortgagee, a major bank, had refused to remove the advertising for the sale. The due diligence period for the buyer ended today, she said.
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Connors told OneRoof she still lived at the property and that it had gone to mortgagee sale because of issues with another trustee.
Documents show that at the start of the month, Connors was still named as the property’s owner along with a trustee company.
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“It’s been a really, really difficult time. The property has been sold, it’s been sold to a well-known company and this is something that I’ve been wanting to do for the last year. I finally got that sorted and I can move on now, which is a huge relief to me,” Connors said.
She said the property was listed as a mortgagee sale because she couldn’t do anything until the other trustee on the title was removed. “It’s just because I couldn’t do anything until the trustee was removed. I’m now the sole trustee and I’m going ahead and doing what I was wanting to do 12 months ago,” she said.
“Here’s the thing, when we told the [bank] this and we sent them all of the documentation, they refused to halt the advertising.
“I sent the info to the [bank] two weeks ago to say this is what is now happening and now I can make decisions on behalf of the trust and we have this purchaser and they know who the purchaser is and their ability to purchase the property. And they still refused and it’s been sold at valuation, which is $2.25m. Why would they want to impact on that?”
Nikki Connors is New Zealand's self-titled queen of property. She is facing an asset-freezing order. Photo / Supplied
Connors told OneRoof she was looking forward to a new creative project. “I’ve got one in mind where I love doing the creative side of it ... and putting my own stamp on things, and so that’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. So now the good news is that I can.”
When contacted for comment, the mortgagee said it was unable to comment. "Without a customer giving us permission to talk about their relationship, we are simply unable to discuss anything relating to our relationship with the customer."
Connors had previously tried to sell the property at 204/27 Grace Street. A OneRoof report from November 2022 quotes her as saying: “Another of my properties ready for sale. I love adding value and flexing my creative muscles at the same time.”
A picture of Connors could also be seen in one of the listing photos from November 2022.
BusinessDesk reported last week that Connors was facing an asset-freezing order, after she gave up her bid for name suppression in the case.
According to the report, the asset freeze relates to a $250,000 loan Connors had arranged in February last year from Anthony Tosswill’s Smart Living Ltd.
After interest payments were not made when they became due in March and the principal wasn’t repaid in July, Smart Living applied for a without notice freezing order against Connors, her Primrose Trust and Metropolis Real Estate, which is in liquidation.
When Justice Robert Osborne granted the order on December 14 last year, he noted there was evidence Connors may have a “lavish lifestyle”.
A picture of Connors can be seen on the hallway table in one of the 2022 listing photos for the property. Photo / Supplied
According to the judgment, Connors told a journalist in May she was looking at buying a second home in France, “where she usually spends time each year”.
“The prospect of a significant dissipation of assets is real,” the judge said in his ruling.
The Barfoot & Thompson listing for 204/27 Grace Street doesn’t show any photos of the property’s interior and cites descriptive information contained in a “past rental advertisement” for a neighbouring apartment, which it says is identical.
OneRoof has reached out to listing agents Philip Davis and Ari Tidyman for comment.
The property has been listed with several agencies since 2022 and was last with Harcourts agent Julie Davies. Under Davies, the apartment was advertised as going to auction on December 13, 2023. On December 14, the property was listed with a fixed price of $2.2m and then $2.3m.
The listing with Davies was withdrawn at the start of May.
The OneRoof article from November 2022 said the apartment was located in the stylish Satori apartment block on Grace Street, overlooking the bush reserve of Kakakorowha Reserve and Hobson Bay.
OneRoof records show a title transfer in November 2020 for $1.995m, and a 2021 CV of $2.15m.
According to the listing at the time, the 116sqm apartment had been refurbished to a high standard.
“The spectacular interior was specifically designed after the ‘off the plans’ were completed giving it a superb luxury feel and a definite boutique finish,” the listing ad said.
Connors highlighted the listing of the apartment in two posts on Facebook in November 2022. In one post, she referred to the apartment as “another of my special projects” and that she loved “increasing the value of the properties I purchase”.
Connors describes herself as an author, mentor, property guru, media personality, and financial adviser. Her Facebook page is titled "Nikki Connors Property Queen". She says for 15 years her company Propellor Property Investments has helped many Kiwis become millionaires. Propellor largely sells new build residential properties to investors, after providing them with financial and investment advice. Connors offers free workshops to potential investors and has several upcoming events planned.
- 204/27 Grace Street, Orakei, Auckland, goes to auction on June 26
