Title Deeds

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday October 25, 2008

Jonathan Chancellor

Villa vistas

Vido, the 1872 Greenwich villa built for the solicitor R.H.M. Foster, has been listed for November 6 auction. Awaiting renovation, the historic four-bedroom residence has changed hands only once before, in the mid-1930s when bought by public servant Gordon Akeroyd. The St Lawrence Street residence - described as symmetrical Victorian picturesque style - has extensive cedar joinery, including three fireplaces. It has three upstairs bedrooms but there's only a glimpse from a dormer window of the Harbour Bridge, although the vista could be improved with a sympathetic extension. Carmen Mearns from LJ Hooker Lane Cove expects more than $2.1 million for the intact villa on 1384 sq m.

Howard's man quits Pymble

Canberra PricewaterhouseCoopers director Grahame Morris, the long-time confidant of former prime minister John Howard, has sold his Pymble house, Camellia Grove. It was listed for May auction with $890,000 hopes but sold more recently through McGrath agent James Eyden for $835,000, having been available for rent in the interim at $850 a week. On 1596 sq m of level lawns with landscaped gardens, it was bought with his wife, Bronwyn, for $515,000 in 1998. Morris now runs PwC's office of federal government services.

Furness views, Lisa Ho lists

Fashion designer Lisa Ho and her husband, Philip Smouha, have officially listed Carrara, their Bellevue Hill abode, through LJ Hooker Double Bay agent Bill Malouf. The house, one of just four on Rose Bay Avenue, last sold for $10.23 million in 2002 when bought from medical industry entrepreneur Richard Opara. The six-bedroom, five-bathroom mansion had been bought for $8.15 million by Opara in 2001 from the stockbroker Rene Rivkin. Hugh Jackman's wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, inspected the expansive 2415-square-metre property in August when agents had $25 million-plus hopes. Furness apparently inspected the property accompanied by Janne Sutcliffe, from Change Of Address, who has been a buyer's agent since 1993. They were shown through the property by McGrath agents James Dack and Ben Collier.

Coals to Coffs Harbour

Big-time horse-breeding identity Nathan Tinkler, whose fortune from coal mining was put at $441 million by the recent BRW Young Rich List, has emerged as the $8.75 million buyer of the 1.8-hectare Coffs Harbour beachfront property, Noorinya. It was bought along with the two adjoining houses listed at $1.75 million and $1.65 million through Barry Booth of LJ Hooker Coffs Harbour. Jaybe Ammons, the Microsoft pioneer, and his wife, Shelly, spent about $2.75 million on the site amalgamation, including a $1.85 million purchase from hospital industry operator Paul Ramsay in 1999. Tinkler - a former mining electrician and the richest Australian under 40 - has spent $36 million on property in the past year including the $4.3 million Merewether house of Andrew Johns.

Mitchell kisses Sydney goodbye

Author Susan Mitchell and her partner, Mary Beasley who was the first commissioner for equal opportunity in Australia in the 1970s, have moved back to Adelaide after 11 years in Sydney. They have listed their Rex, Potts Point apartment. With loggia and terrace, the Macleay Street third-floor apartment looks towards Fitzroy Gardens. It has one bedroom, a study and a car space. Its adjoining living and dining rooms come with extensive library shelves. It has been listed with $700,000-plus hopes for October 29 auction through Di Grundy from Di Jones Real Estate. Mitchell's return to Adelaide has been to teach masterclasses in creative writing at Flinders University. Her book, Kiss My Assets, reputedly on latter-day feminism, is due for release next year.

Bookallil sells out to FBI

Simon Bookallil, the director of Spin Communications, and his wife, stylist Kirsten, have sold their Darlinghurst investment unit before auction for $635,000. In the art-deco Beaufort Court block, the two-bedroom Forbes Street unit had been tipped to fetch more than $600,000 by its selling agent, Ivan Bresic at BresicWhitney. It has been bought by Georgie McMaster from FBI Recruitment.

Toni collects

Sam Mostyn, the head of culture and reputation at insurance company IAG, and barrister Simeon Beckett have spent $1.61 million on a Broughton Vale retreat. It was bought from actor Toni Collette who listed it with $1.8 million hopes. The 10-hectare rainforest property with a five-bedroom house, then built from recycled materials, cost $860,000 in 2002. With high clerestory windows, the South Coast house was designed with passive-solar principles. There was also a detached music studio built by Collette's husband, musician Dave Galafassi. The mountain-top property has filtered views towards Seven Mile Beach.

Do the numbers at Balmoral

Don Green, accountancy partner at Ernest & Young, and his wife, Vanessa, have listed their Balmoral residence. David Wolski, now at Wolski Coppin Architecture, designed the house four years ago for the 620 sq m block with views across Middle Harbour through the Heads. More than $9 million is tipped by Geoff Smith of LJ Hooker Mosman, with offers due by November 20. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom Stanley Avenue house has a home office and self-contained accommodation. Merriwa, an 1880 mansion on 1400 sq m, was the avenue's most recent sale, fetching $10.5 million in September last year.

You Know Who You Are...

Who paid a record $5.9 million for a Gordons Bay, Coogee, waterfront last weekend? On a 768 sq m parcel, the two-storey family house last traded at $3.4 million in 2002.

Who has spent $10 million-plus on a Balmoral Slopes residential dwelling site through Ray White agent Kingsley Yates?

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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