Bellevue Hill's Barford v Double Bay's Elaine in Fairfax trophy home listings battle
Barford, one of Sydney's record setting inland trophy homes, is tipped to be shortly quietly listed for sale.
It is understood it will come with $60 million hopes reputedly through Ryan Watsford at Ballard Property Group who will promote it off-market to Chinese buying interests.
Its vendors are Ian and Maggie Joye, who spend a substantial amount of their time overseas, especially in Hawaii.
It was built by newspaper proprietor Sir Warwick Fairfax in 1931.
It comes with synthetic grass tennis court, gym, pool, terraces, separate three-bedroom house and two separate one-bedroom flats.
Inside is luxurious decor including hand painted wallpaper and dado panelling in a private dining room that seats 12.
I first wrote of the Georgian-style house in Bellevue Hill in early 1987 when it was believed to be Sydney's first $10 million home. But it emerged the multi-titled Victoria Road residence sold for $9,875,000.
The seven-bedroom mansion sits on 5527 square metres.
Its late 1986 sale had been sold to the then high-profile accountant Ian Joye by Barry and Wendy Loiterton who operated their tourist-marketing business, Leisuremark, from the property.
At the time of its last sale, the previous highest Sydney mansion price was $9 million for the 42-room sandstone mansion, Swifts, in Darling Point in 1986.
Barford, named after a village beside the River Leam in Warwickshire, England, was the home of Sir Warwick Fairfax from 1931 until the late 1960s.
It was bought by former Melbourne car salesman Emmanuel Margolin, who sold the property in 1980 for under $2 million to former Double Bay estate agent Maurice Bernhardt and plastic company head Max Franks.
Barford's pending listing coincides with today's international official launch of the marketing of the Fairfax family's Double Bay waterfront property, Elaine (pictured below) through Christies International Real Estate agent Ken Jacobs. It too comes with ambitious price expectations.
The 6,986-square-metre estate with the three-storey Victorian mansion, tennis court and gardens on Seven Shillings beach ranks as the largest privately held eastern suburbs estate on the harbour.
Elaine was built during the 1860s and has been in the Fairfax family since 1891 when it was purchased by Geoffrey Fairfax for £2,100.
