Sydney Harbour trophy home Elaine still marketed as available for sale

Recent reports that the businessman John B Fairfax has sold the Double Bay harbourfront estate, Elaine (pictured above), are wrong.

The property, initially signalled as being for sale in September 2013, appears as for sale on the Christies International Real Estate website.

The News Ltd blog posting on its supposed sale was by Kirsten Craze and Prue Miller which referred to the "rumour mill."

Copycat reports followed with the Daily Mail unhelpfully suggesting it was a $100 million sale.

Property Observer is aware of the tenants moving out, which may have contributed to the publication of the error.

The six-title offering of 6,900 square metres, at 550 New South Head Road, (highlighted below), has been in the publishing family for 100 plus years, but tenanted over the past two decades by the prudent Edgecliff based publisher and pastoralist.

Its most recent tenants have been the joint chief investment officer of Caledonia Investments, Mark Nelson, and his wife, Louise.

Sydney's official record price stands with Altona in Point Piper, with RP Data records indicating a $52 million sale earlier this year. Villa Veneto, also at Point Piper, is reputed to have sold for around $52 million in 2010, but without confirmatory documentation. The $57.5 million Australian price record was a multi-dwelling Mosman Park compound on the Swan River in Perth in 2009.

Elaine has been traded or handed down within the Fairfax family since bought by Geoffrey Evan Fairfax for 2,100 pounds.

The exclusive listing agent Ken Jacobs was overseas, but when available for comment said it was still for sale.

Its introductory video marketing campaign kicked off the international sales campaign earlier this year. 

A wider internet marketing campaign will resume later this year, with better access for buyers to the now mostly vacant property.