Richard Sterling Katoomba home sold for $1.65 million

Richard Sterling Katoomba home sold for $1.65 million
Jonathan ChancellorDecember 7, 2020

The Blue Mountains home of the late astrologer Richard Sterling has been snappily sold for a Katoomba residential record.

Some $1.65 million was paid for his clifftop Katoomba home at 7 Cliff Drive, ahead of its scheduled March auction and well below the average 360 days on market.

The former Australia Women's Weekly columnist paid $16,000 for the home overlooking the Jamison Valley some 49 years ago.

It set a Katoomba record as the highest non-acreage residential sale in the suburb when sold to eastern suburbs' based spiritual medium and energetic healer Dalia Isles.

Isles has pledged to maintain Sterling's zodiac garden, a landscaped hillside with pathways between terraced flower beds dedicated to the 12 star signs.

"I want Richard's legacy to continue," Isles said.

"This is my wish."

"This home and fabulous setting overlooking an enormous valley were exactly what I'd visualised just weeks before I found it."

"The property has the perfect energy for my work."

It was ofen featured on the popular gardening show Burke's Backyard.

Set on 1,277 sqm, the two storey property has five bedrooms.

It sold through Reece Coleman of Stone Double Bay in conjunction with Kim Martin of Belle Property Leura who had $1.5 million to $1.65 million price guidance.

Coleman secured the listing through a referral from a real estate agent in Tampa, Florida.

Tampa realtor Amanda Heese, also a member of prestige group Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, discovered her godmother Joy Sterling was planning to sell the home, so she contacted Coleman, who is par of the network linking over 500 top independent residential agencies across 60 countries. 

“This sale must have been written in the stars,” said Coleman.

“Dalia told us the spirits had led her to the property.”

This article first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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