A new Spring listing is set to put Finder co-founder Fred Schebesta’s record purchase of ‘Crypto Castle’ in South Coogee three years ago in the shade.
The records have been tumbling in the eastern suburbs hotspot ever since the unique Bunya Rd cliff-top mansion sold for $16.85m to the boss of the comparison website via Sotheby’s gun James Ball in 2021.
Two residences at 2-4 Bunya fetched $19m in March; the home of late Wallabies winger Alan Cardy at 1A Seaside Pde fetched $18.25m and 56 Cuzco St achieved $17.15m in March.
Now Ball has listed 17-19 Seaside Pde with a $16m guide, though it could potentially surpass several of those big sales.
“We’ve already got good interest at the price guide,” says Ball, but we’re just up to the second open,” he said.
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“Fred’s is more unique, but this is probably more traditional.”
Described as a “an absolute oceanfront triump with awe-inspiring views”, records show it’s owned by Lihua Ian, who bought it for $4.8m in 2008.
“It was bought as a shell, because the builder who was building it went bankrupt,” says Ball.
The current vendors completed the project and the four-level residence, with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a four garage offers every conceivable luxury and has 180 degree views with a 15.6m frontage.
On an 854sqm double block and with a whopping 700sqm of internal space, the concrete and steel home is wrapped in a series of terraces, with an internal courtyard, multiple living areas, a self-contained apartment ideal for inter-generational living and an infinity-edge pool, sauna, outdoor kitchen and lift access to all levels.
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Ball says the top-end market in South Coogee remains strong this spring.
“The money is moving further south, with people coming from Bronte and Bondi buying in Coogee and South Coogee,” says Ball.
“We sold 16 properties in August, so there’s still some depth to the market.”
But Ball says there are opportunities at the $3m-$5m levels.
“We’ve got a bit more stock and there were more buyers transacting a month ago … a lot of people who wanted to have now bought, so there’s less urgency in the market.”
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