The Spanish Mission gem at 26 Morella Rd, Mosman has just exchanged for $19m+

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Who says the Mosman prestige market is patchy? Lendlease’s CFO Simon Dixon and his wife Diana have just sold their glamorous Spanish Mission home in 15 days and it had a $19m-$20m price guide.

Geoff Smith of Ray White Lower North Shore hadn’t even set the auction date for the prestigious six-bed property at 26 Morella Rd, complete with guest house and 1672sqm of land.

He wouldn’t be drawn on the price or the purchaser, but with such a short time on market you would have to assume the money man from Lendlease got what he was looking for and sold at the top end of the guide – or even beyond.

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The agents hadn’t even set the auction date.

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The property was this week’s Mosman Daily House of the Week.

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It’s on 1672sqm of land.

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According to PropTrack, Mosman houses take on average 59 days to sell so the grand home in Morella Rd sold in a quarter of that time.

The Dixons bought 26 Morella Rd in May 2021 for $15.25m and changed the terracotta façade to white as well as getting DA approved plans by Luigi Rosselli.

The six-bedroom house holds the street record for Morella Rd and is one of the highest sales in Mosman this year.

The highest was $30m in March, for 46 The Grove in March when ZRL Capital director Enquan Zheng paid cash for the home of former pet food company boss David Grant and his wife, Lerida.

Dream views, landscaping by Peter Fudge and a beautiful swimming pool.

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The family room has three statement arched windows.

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Many of the home’s period features remain.

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The only Mosman home to break the $20m barrier this year is the late Jean Wilmot’s waterfront home in Burton St, which traded for $20.2m in September.

The suburb record remains $33m for a house in Stanley Ave which changed hands in March 2022.

Originally designed by AE Stafford almost a century ago, the Morella Rd property previously belonged to Fred and Maria Messara, relatives of John Messara, the Arrowfield Stud founder.

With landscaping by Peter Fudge, the home on a private road is orientated to capture Sydney Harbour taking in Clifton Gardens to Chowder Bay, and across to the Eastern Suburbs.

The kitchen and casual family dining.

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The beachside enclave is above Clifton Gardens Reserve.

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Beyond the traditional entry, the grand foyer features a 6m ceiling and a statement staircase with wrought iron railings leading to an upper level mezzanine balcony.

Many of the property’s period details remain intact, like romantic archways, textured stucco walls and Juliet balconies.

There are spacious formal rooms, including a central living room with a large fireplace and a banquet-style dining room framed by a picture window showcasing the harbour.

Both rooms open to a covered alfresco space and out to a vast sandstone courtyard.

For more casual entertaining the family room has three statement arched windows, also profiling the postcard backdrop.

The beachside enclave is above Clifton Gardens Reserve, jetty and the Chowder Bay waterfront café culture.