TikTok mansion cops $3m price cut but enter at your own risk
An abandoned mansion made famous on TikTok has returned to the market with a massive price drop.
Potential buyers can only enter at their own risk, but the famously graffiti-ridden waterfront property Morella — also known as the “abandoned TikTok mansion” – is nonetheless expected to fetch between $9.6m and $10.5m through an expressions of interest campaign.
Now on the market with a new agent, Bo Zhang of Atlas Lower North Shore, the formerly glamorous mansion that once featured in Australian Home Beautiful magazine has seen a price drop from $12m.
“This house called Morella, and the whole street is called Morella Rd, so that just shows what a significant and iconic building it once was. People just love it because of its history and all of the rumours,” Mr Zhang said.
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“Buyers I’m showing through love in the location, of course, and how close it is to the beach and Chowder Bay Reserve. They love the View and the potential to restore a historic building into a modern, high tech smart home.”
One of Mosman’s most talked about properties, which has become a TikTok and YouTube hit with close to 100,000 views, the dilapidated heritage home sits on 891sq m of prime land at 5 Morella Rd and offers the potential for enviable harbour views and a fresh DA approval for a luxury four-bedroom house.
The crumbling 1930s residence hasn’t been lived in for more than 20 years, features smashed windows throughout, is furnished with rubble and wannabe buyers must sign a waiver to enter, however, it has remained largely unchanged since it last sold under the hammer for $6.6 million in 2016.
“I can’t just hold regular inspections twice a week like I would for any home,” Mr Zhang said.
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“Buyer’s will need to confirm in writing that they are prepared to enter at their own risk.
“Just the other day a big piece from the concrete slab fell down, so it is dangerous.”
Home to a colourful history, the Mosman mansion had been at the centre of an international family feud when it changed hands eight years ago. Former owner Anthony Parer had left the family estate to his de facto carer Chew Ho Hong rather than his sister, Marianna, who had been residing in Canada. Morella had been the childhood home of the siblings as well as their late sister Sanita.
Designed by Burley Griffin protege Eric Nicholls and built in 1939, the house was commissioned by Leonardo and Helena Parer – the parents of Antony, Marianna and Sarita.
Leo’s father Michael, had migrated from Spain to Australia and started up Parer Brothers Restaurant and Cafe in Bourke St, Melbourne and went on to build a family empire consisting of more than 30 hotels and restaurants.
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At the height of Morella’s glory, the Parer’s Mosman pile graced the pages of Australian Home Beautiful magazine in a six-page spread in 1943.
“There are so many interesting things to talk about in Leo Parer’s house that it is rather difficult to know where to begin,” the article stated.
After Sarita reportedly died in 1979, Marianna moved abroad and Anthony moved out in 2001, Morella was left open to squatters and vandals.
At the 2016 auction, the harbourside home was bought by architectural student Edward Wei who acquired DA approval for a substantial but sympathetic renovation to the heritage-listed house and the addition of a backyard pool. The new owners will have less than five years to kickstart the renovation works.
Earlier this year, Morella appeared back on the market but failed to sell at its March 8 scheduled auction.
MORE: Waterfront home lists for $200m+ Aussie record
Originally published as TikTok mansion cops $3m price cut but enter at your own risk
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