Title Deeds
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday March 29, 2003
The stylish Thomas Hamel retreat at Killcare is for sale. The international designer has apparently spotted another building opportunity nearby, so the Manly View Road residence has been placed on the market through Sothebys agent Jane Ashton in conjunction with Central Coast Prestige Properties agent Tim Eaton. It's a case of South Pacific meets New York. Occupying an elevated position, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom house has views in two directions, back towards Sydney from the sandstone front balcony and over to Hardys Bay from the full-length hardwood terrace at the rear. The property, refurbished in 2000, has a self-contained flat downstairs. The succulent garden has irrigated watering systems with a resident peacock that comes and goes of its choosing. The Anglo-Indian furniture was mostly from Martyn Cook. It has a $1.5 million asking price.
Barrister Tim McKenzie and wife Edwina Hollingdale secured a record price when their Lilyfield residence sold at auction last weekend. The free-standing Victorian house, on an elevated, 535sqm block in Gladstone Street, fetched $1.176 million. With the family now off to a bigger home in the inner west, more than $1.15 million had been tipped by its McGrath agent, Dyana Breen. It last traded at $294,000 in 1993. The suburb's record had stood at $965,000 on Cecily Street. As so often is the case, the $1 million barrier is set to be breached yet again at Lilyfield this weekend when Di Jones agent Jennifer Aaron auctions Blandford on The Boulevarde.
IT entrepreneur Bryan Johnston and his wife, Deborah, have sold Kelven, their 1885 Gordon residence through Asset Realty PRDnationwide agent Nick Lahm. The Park Avenue house fetched $2.215 million from a local barrister after reaching a top bid of $2.2 million at auction. The Johnstons, who have bought John and Suzanne Dougall's Palm Beach weekender, are set to buy in Killara.
Last traded in 1963, the Balmoral clifftop residence of the Poate family has been sold within days of its listing. Its Richardson & Wrench Mosman agents, Stephen Patrick and Hunta Biddulph, are understood to have secured about $10 million for the 1850sqm Burran Avenue property, with the English buyer introduced by Elders agent Paul Gotch.
After 46 years retired civil engineer Jim Robson-Scott sold his Whale Beach residence midweek for a bullish $4.8 million. The present brick house was built in 1981 after the 900sqm Whale Beach Road dune frontage block, overlooking The Wedge surf spot, had been bought by Robson-Scott for a record #1700 in 1957. The property sold through L.J.Hooker Palm Beach agent Michael King to the Wong family from Sydney's North Shore after exceeding its $4.1 million reserve.
Citigroup futures head Damian Kelly and wife Claire have their Mosman residence up for sale. The Balinese-style Wolger Road house is tipped to fetch more than $1.7 million through L.J.Hooker agent Mary-Jane Hamer at its April 16 auction.
UNSW digital media lecturer John Colette has placed his Surry Hills apartment on the market. It is a 1920s bond store which was converted into residential apartments by Allen Jack & Cottier three years ago. More than $450,000 is tipped for the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Bellevue Street unit at its April 12 auction through Spencer & Servi.
With the sounds of Santana wafting over from the SCG as their musical backdrop, solicitors Glenn Eggleton and Jane Foster are celebrating the sale of their charming, single-storey Centennial Park residence, Lochinvar, through Bradfield & Prichard agent Maureen Brett. The four-bedroom, Edwardian-era Lang Road residence, renovated by Andre Porebski, had been passed in at auction at $4.45 million, but presumably sold for slightly more. It had traded at $1.18 million in 1995.
RetireInvest founder John Blewitt and his wife, Rana, have sold their McLeod Street, Mosman Bay, waterfront mansion. L.J.Hooker selling agent Geoff Smith had been quoting more than $5.5 million. The Blewitts bought the property for $2.05 million in 1994 from the mortgagees, Westpac. Blewitt founded the financial group Le Fort Capital Corporation, well-known for its subsidiary, the RetireInvest financial planning network. Mercantile Mutual Holdings succeeded in its 1995 takeover with Blewitt's holding worth more than $17 million.
Production manager Clancy McDowell has her Ashdown, Elizabeth Bay, apartment on the market through Di Jones agents Sally Colless and Gary Sands. The one-bedroom Elizabeth Bay Road residence is expected to fetch more than $375,000 at auction on April 16. McDowell has moved to Broome, where she is working for Goolarri Media Enterprises.
Venture capitalist Richard Osborne and wife Caroline have quickly sold their Chinamans Beach residence through L.J. Hooker agent Geoff Smith. The imposing two-storey house, standing on 860sqm in Cyprian Street, had been expected to fetch more than $5 million, which was indeed the case for the Peter Ashworth-built property, bought for $2.5 million in April 1997.
Dentist Patrick Kline and wife Rosemary have snappily sold their Howard Tanner-designed McMahons Point residence for about $2.7 million through Ray White Neutral Bay agent Kingsley Yates. Standing on 282sqm on Blues Point Road, the property previously traded at $555,550 in 1991, with the enduring renovations undertaken immediately.
International media consultant Anton Gruzman and wife Gilly have their 1920s Vaucluse residence on the market for April 10 auction through Blacket & Glasgow. The five-bedroom Hopetoun Avenue property last traded in 1982 for $380,000. More than $2.7 million is tipped.
It's been musical chairs on Hopetoun Avenue, Vaucluse, recently. Jon McGuigan, who has done design work for Mambo and Rossignol, and his partner, Amanda Zsebik, daughter of the late J.D.Lewis of Concrete Constructions, are in the process of swapping homes. They bought on Hopetoun Avenue for $4.52 million. Now their 1000sqm property, hidden at the end of a long driveway in the same avenue and nestled in lush tropical gardens, has been listed through Ray White Double Bay agents Lillian and Andy Kroonenberg. The Dawson Brown-designed residence is going to auction on April 12.
Most of the Shipmates, Collaroy Beach, unit owners were hanging over their balconies when a first-floor apartment went to auction last weekend through Libra Collaroy agents Ardi Melikian and Kristy Stuart. One of just four with the large balcony, it last traded at $464,00 in 1997 when bought by Peter Loxton. The two-bedroom 1964 unit came onto the market at about $750,000. Some 47 bids later with the three bidders urged on by auctioneer Mark Roberts it sold for $899,000.
You Know Who You Are ... Which Double Bay-based couple, having sold out of Palm Beach, drove to Nowra thinking it would be the place for their next splash, but decided it was too far? Which North Shore car dealer has finally secured his Mosman residence? At $5 million he won't get a tennis court, but will he be content with the six-car garaging?
© 2003 Sydney Morning Herald
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