1. Alison Coopes Continues to Mock the English Language with Latest Darling Point Listing

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    At some point in time, Alison Coopes agency decided that instead of providing concrete listing details (such as the size, location, age, or price of a home), it would dance around the facts with verbose and grammatically incorrect writing to paint some impressionistic painting of a home’s truth. This trend continued today with a listing in Darling Point that’s presumably a house.

    “Minutes to the city and miles from what you think that means,” Alison Coopes [We’ll give you this very meta phrase, Alison.]

    It comes from a time when double bedroom meant the size of two bedrooms [“double bedroom” never meant that], ceilings were twice a man’s height and growing old was done gracefully [Really? You’re going to pull this shit on us?].
    This updated turn of the century home has 4 double bedrooms (& 4 bthrms) [just spell it out: “And. Four. Bathrooms.” You spell everything else out for us, why stop now?], soaring decorative ceilings and grace like Kelly [Oh, similes…the low hanging fruit of rhetorical devices.]. The tiered courtyard gardens will make you dream you’re living under a Tuscan sun. A conservatory sunroom/family room makes the most of their privacy and beauty [Singular or plural? Make up your mind.]. 
    Huge,[sic] linked living and dining rooms wear elegant French door and plasterwork ceiling accessories [This isn’t a complete sentence]. The parquetry has had a recent facelift. The carpets are brand new. The kitchen and bathrooms are obligingly (and appealingly) 2012 [Obliglingly? So you’re saying the kitchens and bathrooms were willing to do favors 2012?].
    The master, with its bay window-lined sitting room and own sheltered balcony, is the size of an urban apt [C’mon. Spell it out, Alison.]. Its jewel is [a] dramatically dark chocolate, marble fireplace [So you’re saying it’s black.]. 
    The second (huge has already been mentioned [that hasn’t stopped you before]) bedroom extends to its own courtyard-like entertaining balcony.
    The attic is a vast play/media room in which the children (or teens) could be lost for hours [Thank God, those kids have none of the grace of Kelly].
    The garage is double, with two lock-up doors [Is this a sign of dyslexia? What does this MEAN?]. 
    Think urban (CBD is an 8 min drive), then think something so much better [Wait, so what am I supposed to be thinking about now? We’re so confused.]. 

    So there you go. If you want to learn more about this property, such as its location, price, or any legitimate fact not sugar-coated in a Year 10’s creative writing, we suggest you walk the streets of Darling Point until you find that home that confuses you, being minutes to the city but miles from what you think it means.

    The “listing”: Darling Point?

    Three more listing photos below. Don’t inundate us or anything.

    UPDATE: H/T to Radical Terrace reader GulfPic who lead us to the expired listing of this property from its 2006 sale through Ray White. That agency even supplied an address (41 Darling Point Road). It traded for $3.6m back then. Old listing photos below.

    UPDATE #2: Thankfully Ballard agent Bill Bridges is co-listing 41 Darling Point Road and provides ample photos and a floor plan here (or click below). Enjoy!

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  2. AIA 2012 Architecture Awards Nominees

    The AIA 2012 “Residential Architecture - Houses” shortlist of nominees is up for public viewing. All of the nominees are stellar, but the Smee Schoff House by Sam Crawford Architects (pictured both above and below) struck the Radical Terrace as the most liveable of the nominees. 

    Also of note is the “Heritage Shortlist” for the AIA 2012 Awards. Some impressive work was churned out by the Smart Design Studio and Circa Morris-Nunn; however Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners’ restoration of the Darling Point mansion “Swifts” has somehow rendered the icon even less relevant.

  3. Edwardian on Etham Avenue, Darling Point Wants $8m+

    The Etham Estate’s subdivision, c1901. Subject property is labelled “30”.

    Etham Avenue is one of the last bastions of single family villas in the now apartment-dominated suburb of Darling Point. It wasn’t always this way. The Etham Estate, an elegant Victorian Italianate mansion resting on over 40 harbourfront acres, was subdivided in 1900. The infill development of the parcels spanned several decades and were significantly smaller than its neighbouring mansions, including ‘Winslow’, ‘Swifts’, ‘Ascham’, ‘Prudhoe’, ‘Carthona’, and ‘Lindsay’. Thus it comes as a slight surprise that listing agent for 3 Etham Avenue Sally Hampshire claims that “this freestanding residence was originally one of the grand Edwardian mansions gracing sought after Darling Point” when in fact it was more Darling Point starter home than imposing Edwardian mansion. Nonetheless, the rarity of single family homes in Darling Point today provides the home with more significance now than it ever had before.



    Etham Mansion, c1880s, pre-subdivision (above); 3 Etham Avenue highlighted in red in a 1943 aerial showcases the diminutive nature of the property amongst its mansion neigbhours (below).

    Until World War II, the suburb was undeniably Sydney’s most desirable location to own an estate home. As the suburb increased its density in the mid-century, many of Darling Point’s ageing residents simply relocated into the apartment blocks that replaced the single family landscape, leaving wealthy, younger families to move further East into Bellevue Hill and Vaucluse, thus leading to Darling Point’s contemporary reputation for having a sizeable geriatric community. 

    But all of this is a digression away from the featured listing: 3 Etham Avenue. The 4-bedroom Edwardian home sits on a large corner block on the leafy and picturesque road. It was purchased for $5mil in April 2008 (after selling for $4.225m in July 2007). Within a year, the owners submitted a development application to the Woollahra Council outlining a $200k renovation that included “alterations and additions to existing dwelling house including new carport and swimming pool and replacement of existing timber fence with brick fence” by Vienna Design. That price seems small for the renovations and was likely an understatement for tax purposes. However, if it was indeed a simple $200k renovation, then today’s pricing expectations of $8m+ seems quite high. Then again, the pricing is coming on the heels of the November 2009 sale of neighbour 2 Etham Avenue which sold in a post-renovated state for $7.8m; that home, mind you, is quite a bit smaller than today’s featured property. So maybe $8mil isn’t such a far cry after all. It should be noted that the Radical Terrace totally digs the hardwood flooring in 3 Etham Avenue.

    Click below for more photos and listing information.

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  4. Radical Roundup: New & Notable This Week

    VICTORIA

    MT ELIZA - Lorien, Mt Eliza’s clifftop property that aims to set the bar for mid-1990s modern architecture (and fails miserably) now comes with an official asking price after fluffing around the listings for 2 months with “expressions of interest” not yielding the desired results. $7.5m is the price; James Crowder and Deb Ketting-Olivier of James Crowder Community Real Estate are the listing agents; 2 Tintagel Court is the address; and here’s the listing. 

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    MOONEE PONDS - Well this may re-set the Moonee Ponds/Essendon market. A well-located but otherwise thoroughly average fixer-upper hit the market for $2mil. 13 Athol Street is listed through Joel Reynolds and Noel Kenny of Brad Teal Real Estate.

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    COLLINGWOOD - A substantial mixed-use warehouse conversion hit the market for $2.6m this week. The interiors are in fine commercial condition, but would require some tweaks if the structure is to be converted to pure residential use. It’s situated in a quirky laneway refurbishment in a convenient south Collingwood location. Anthony Gallichio and James Weir of Leasing Melbourne and Anderson Residential have the listing: 7/21 Northumberland Street, Collingwood

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    SOUTH AUSTRALIA

    MEDINDIE - It looks like we have a property loser in the blue-chip Adelaide suburb of Medindie. The Neo-Georgian 49 Dutton Terrace last sold only one year ago for $2.35m, making it one of the 10 most expensive sales for the suburb. Now, listing agent Richard Hayward of Bernard Booth is asking $2.1m. Dutton Terrace, alongside Robe Terrace and The Avenue, is one of Medindie’s most expensive streets. The listing: 49 Dutton Terrace, Medindie

    UPDATE: According to reader ‘Edwardian’: “In respect of 49 Dutton Terrace Medindie, it was the neighbour who purchased the property for $2.35m when the property was on land of 1,238sqm. They hived off the backyard to make a tennis court for their neighbouring property and have put 49 Dutton Terrace Medindie back on the market for $2.1m now sited on only 659sqm. Should be on the market for some time yet.”

    Thanks for the scoop! I guess it’s not a property loser but a case of tennis tetris!

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    NEW SOUTH WALES

    BYRON BAY - The going rate for a 796sqm block of land across the street from the sand in Byron Bay? $7.5m! That’s $9,400/sqm. Yikes. Byron Bay Property Sales has the listing: 23 Marine Parade, Byron Bay

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    DARLING POINT - 9 Sutherland Crescent, a long-term listing that’s floated around the market for quite sometime with ambiguous price hopes, now comes with a price tag: $10m. The four-bedroom 1930s Streamline Moderne/Art Deco harbourfront has epic renovation potential (thanks to a functional floor plan) and sits on a large and desirable 1,087sqm chunk of land. On the downside? The entrance from the street is neither level nor easy. It last traded for $2.5m in the early 90s. Brad Pillinger of Pillinger has the listing: 9 Sutherland Crescent, Darling Point

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    DRUMMOYNE - A block of five 2-bedroom apartments on the Drummoyne waterfront listed for “over $5.75m”. That’s about $1.15m for each apartment. A big price for this not-quite-Inner West suburb. The only past rental we could dig up online is a $595/week rental back in 2010. That yield doesn’t bode well for the price agent Sarah Tanner of McGrath Inner West has placed on the property. Then again, the price takes into consideration the potential this property provides: a waterfront pool, mini tennis court, and direct access to a sandy beach; all rare features on the Sydney waterfront. The listing: 70A St Georges Crescent, Drummoyne

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    SURRY HILLS - The 15th floor penthouse of the Ivy apartment block on Bourke Street off Taylor Square listed this week with $5m+ expectations. The two-floor, 3-bedroom abode comes with stunning views in most directions and 2 valuable car spots. The Radical Terrace can not confirm the off-the-plan sales price for the home, but it appears renovations occurred on the interior. Matt Towner of Unique Estates has the listing: 1501/417 Bourke St, Surry Hills

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    COOGEE - Di Jones has branched out from its usual market dominance of Paddington/Woollahra to score this Coogee trophy listing. Resting pretty on the far eastern end of Allison Road, the renovated home has dead-on views looking over Coogee beach to the south and east. The home at 349 Alison Road was acquired in Jan 2010 for $1.845m, then completely rebuilt. It’s now listed with $6m+ expectations. If that price is achieved when the property goes to auction, it will be flirting with the most expensive sales in Coogee (but likely falling short of what the Radical Terrace believes is the current record holder: 1 Major St which sold for $6.9m in late 2010). Lorraine Crawford and Andrew Stewart have the listing: 349 Alison Road, Coogee

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  5. Development Breakdown in Darling Point

    Back in March 2006, two neigbhouring inter-war homes-turned-flats on Darling Point’s western slope at 3 and 5 Loftus Road sold to developers Strada Group for a combined $8.5m ($5.1m for #3; $3.4m for #5). Within months of closing, development applications were submitted to Woollahra Council for “proposed demolition of the existing two dwelling houses and construction of a residential flat building containing four dwellings” with a construction cost of $6.35m.  A full two years later (yes, 24 months), the MPRDG-designed plans were finally approved by the Woollahra Council and the arduous construction process began. The triangular-shaped double lot was a challenge. Significant retaining walls were utilised to support the bulky four-unit apartment block to go up; furthermore, the master planning was a challenge (that seems to have been executed well) due to a drastic change in elevation at the street level (Loftus Road drops about 10 metres over the course of the lot lines). 

    For all that fun, it seems that Strada is ready to earn its dough back. The first of the four full-floor apartments has hit the open market and the price is $8m+ for Unit 2. Unit 2, mind you, lacks the garden and pool of the ground floor unit and the cachet of the top floor penthouse unit, both of which will likely garner a higher price. Overall, Strada is hoping to make a clean profit. If all four apartments sell for, say, $8m, the $32m proceeds will service the overall cost of $14.8m quite well (in fact, total costs are likely a fair bit more considering the high-end fit out, car lift work, and liberal estimates for development approval). Then again, the Radical Terrace has a tough time seeing this boutique development of four homes garnering a higher price per square metre than the waterfront development ‘Siena’ on the famed Wolseley Road in Point Piper (apartments in that block sold in the high-$7mils). Even Darling Point comps indicate that 3 Loftus Road is being bullish; on the more desirable Yarranabbe Road, it’s uncommon to find full-floor apartments in this high price range. Nonetheless, LJ Hooker super agent Bill Malouf and 1st City - Hasemer + Caldwell.Eyles agents Julian Hasemer and Matt Ratcliffe are trying their best.

    (Google Street View remembers the old days at 3 Loftus Road)

    The listing: 2/3 Loftus Road, Darling Point

  6. Award-Winning Streamline Modern Darling Point Abode for Mid-$4mils

    Present-day Yarranabbe Road, home to some of Sydney’s finest real estate, was laid out as early as 1833, forming a shaky pathway to the iconic and still intact Gothic Revival mansion ‘Lindsay.’ And although evidence exists of an 1856 subdivision of Sir T.L. Mitchell’s land where our featured property - 99 Yarranabbe Rd - sits (see map below), the formal subdivision did not occur until 1927. 

    It wasn’t until 1937 that Joan Nisbet purchased the lot and, one year later in 1938, her architect husband John designed and constructed a home that copied ‘Sunspan’ the controversial London home design by Wells Coates in 1934 (pictured below). The Sydney incarnation of the home is a prime example of Inter-war modern architecture and garnered significant attention from local press (it was featured in both The Home magazine and the Sydney Herald). Below Sunspan, an aerial view of Darling Point in the 1930s reveals the exclusively single-family setting in which 99 Yarranabbe was initially situated.

    Sunspan (above) and post-renovation 99 Yarranabbe Rd (below)

    1935 Darling Point aerial (3 years before construction of 99 Yarranabbe)

    Flash forward to June 1999 when it appears the property traded for $4.8m. It seems like a big price when taking into consideration Number 99’s current ask, but that’s what records show us. In early 2009, a $700k renovation plan was submitted to the Woollahra Council for the by-then Heritage-listed property calling for the third-floor master bedroom, a car port, and landscaping alterations. Andrew Burges Architects designed the renovation for which it won the 2011 Woollahra Heritage Conservation Award. The Radical Terrace definitely digs this home: the casement windows, the efficient floor plan, and clean lines all evoke Nesbit’s original intent. Walter Antonelli of Raine & Horne Double Bay has the listing and, according to Domain.com.au and RealEstate.com.au the home is looking in the mid-$4mils.

    99 Yarranabbe Road, Darling Point

  7. Weirdly Awesome Floor Plan in Weirdly Awful Building

    Mirvac has never quite been at the pinnacle of high design and architecture in its many years as a developer. Yet deep inside “Torrington”, one of their several Darling Point monstrosities that went up in the post-war years, a gem of a floor plan exists. Yeah, the interiors suck and the exterior of the 10-storey apartment block ain’t getting any prettier; but did you see this floor plan (and the view)? It’s got flow: a separate wing for the secondary bedrooms; a central foyer that separates room function; plentiful balcony space; well placed windows…

    The full floor apartment will set you back $3m+ and is listed through 1st City - Hasemer + Caldwell.Eyles. And a Torrington apartment is apparently a rare find: the Radical Terrace could only find one record of a sale in the block: $2.35m way back in 2000.

    The listing: 4/95 Darling Point Road, Darling Point

    BONUS: I’m including a stellar floor plan of Cliff May’s Mandalay house in Brentwood, California in the slideshow. Note the similarities in the floor plan designs (purely font, that is).

  8. Title Battle: Deeds or Tattle?

    Once again, Chancellor and his team at Tattle takes the crown. It was close though, namely because Margie over at Title Deeds broke news of the sale of The Radical Terrace’s favourite home north of the Bridge - the twice-featured Mandolong House - in Mosman. Setting a non-waterfront record for the suburb (but far off the non-waterfront record in Sydney; that honour goes to the $32.4m Craig-y-Mor sale in Point Piper), 17 Mandolong Street clocked in at $18m selling through Brendan Warner, whom Margie quickly points out is responsible for three other $10m+ sales in the suburb. The Radical Terrace thinks it may see where Margie’s tips are coming from…and we like it! Margie also represented the Eastern Suburbs with news of Nicole Hunter’s Olola Avenue house in Vaucluse selling around the $11.9m mark. Seeing that Hunter purchased the home for $8.5m in 2002 and hope to fetch $15m+ for the abode today, we can only guess she’s a bit disappointed with the massively discounted sale. 

    But Title Tattle didn’t fail to impress; most noteworthy was their subtle notice of a depression in Hawthorn prestige prices, noting the ~$8m sale of a Scotch Hill “original” that previously sold for $9m in 2007. The home was featured on The Radical Terrace last month. Chancellor’s Tattle continued on their Victorian property binge reporting on the sale of Mt Martha’s rather odd ‘Glynt Manor’, the even more peculiar mansard-roofed Coburg mansion ‘Kalimna’ (that we featured last week), and the tough-to-sell Newport weatherboard of Scott Pendlebury. However, what really gave Title Tattle this week’s edge was a much-appreciated Radical Terrace shout-out and a LIST! You know we love lists, and even better: a list of 2011’s most expensive suburbs. Chuck in a tale of ‘Swifts’ property drama in Darling Point (this time it’s a noise complaint; the mansion is a sponge of drama), and you’ve got yourself a winner with Title Tattle.

    The Scorecard: Deeds: 4 // Tattle: 11

  9. Which Sub-$750k Inner East Investment Property Would You Take?

    All have parking in hard-to-park neighbourhoods, all all within 500m of the Harbour, train stations (and each other), all in prime locations. But which one would you nab?

    1. 12/22 New Beach Road, Darling Point listed by Brad Caldwell-Eyles and Cara Atchison of Hasemer + Caldwell-Eyles

    Pros: Darling Point post code; park-front; clean lines and offense-less renovation; car parking

    Cons: Only one bedroom and it’s tiny. Really tiny.

    2. 4/458 Edgecliff Road, Edgecliff listed by Rick Nolasco of Belle Property Double Bay

    Pros: Art deco block; hop, skip, and a jump to Edgecliff train station; 2 bedrooms + parking makes for an easy rental

    Cons: Ground floor facing a traffic-choked Ocean St is never a good thing

    3. 7/453 Glenmore Road, Paddington listed by Dominic Kuneman and Brigitte Blackman of BresicWhitney

    Pros: Park-side location; quiet-ish street; small block; loads of period detailing; easy floorplan; parking

    Cons: Only one bedroom; kitchen needs a freshen-up