Linda Rogan, ex-lover of Richard White, snaps up $2.65m Bondi Beach apartment
The WiseTech imbroglio has faded from the headlines, but last week saw the whisper-quiet purchase of a Bondi Beach apartment by one of the drama’s key players, beauty entrepreneur Linda Rogan.
The engrossing WiseTech Global imbroglio has faded from the headlines, but last week saw the whisper-quiet purchase of a Bondi Beach apartment by one of the players, Double Bay beauty entrepreneur Linda Rogan.
It was Rogan who was briefly embroiled in legal proceedings with her billionaire ex-lover Richard White, the founder of ASX-listed giant WiseTech Global, in one of the highest-profile court battles of the year.
The commercial dispute was settled on confidential terms in mid-October, and then there were changes in the leadership structure of the ASX-listed company.
The $2.65m purchase of the art deco Bondi Beach apartment with interiors by Kerrie Brown occurred at an early November auction, with settlement last week by Rogan and her husband Gil Sartena.
Pauline Goodyer of Goodyer Real Estate reportedly secured $350,000 above reserve for the top-floor, 127sq m, three-bedroom, one-bathroom Lamrock Avenue apartment with ocean glimpses.
It has now been listed for rent at $1700 a week through Goodyer.
Despite their separation, Rogan and Sartena continue to co-own several laser clinics, plus other investment apartments.
“In around 2017 Gil and I separated, however, we remain living together whilst we raise our children,” Rogan noted in documents filed with the Federal Court.
“We have not separated our marital assets,” Rogan added.
Indeed they spent $1.17m on a Rose Bay apartment earlier this year, plus $1.25m on another Bondi Beach apartment last year.
Clearing out
Sydney’s weak clearance rate has fallen again, to 46 per cent, and the Christmas break couldn’t come quick enough to stop the marked deterioration in auction success.
It was 49 per cent in the week prior, according to the automated realestate.com.au results.
Sydney scored the nation’s top advised weekend sale result at $4.16m on the upper north shore.
The four bedroom, two bathroom East Lindfield house was sold through DiJones Lindfield agent Mae Chan in conjunction with Kate Wexler at The Marshall Group.
There were five registered bidders who were given $3.5m guidance.
“The tenants moved out only four weeks ago and the vendor just wanted a deal done before end of the year,” Chan says.
“We also knew we had some serious buyers looking to purchase homes like this before end of the year as well, so we took the chance to get one away,” she said.
The 4 Mycumbene Avenue home was last advertised as a rental in 2022 at $1200 a week.
Sydney’s priciest offering was a block of six apartments in Tamarama, with eight bedrooms, which was passed in on a $9.5m vendor bid.
Raine & Horne agent Mark Yeats had accepted an $8.5m phone bid for the Hunter Lodge, Fletcher Street offering with the auctioneer keeping cool out of the sun under its front yard frangipani tree.
Buyers had been told it yielded around $300,000 in annual rent.
A $6.8m Sanctuary, Rose Bay apartment was pulled from its advertised open-for-inspection and scheduled Saturday morning auction with no-shows from Rod Fox and Brad Caldwell-Eyles from 1st City Projects.
Set within the 1905 Wesley Hall redevelopment, the whole floor apartment had been initially listed off the plan.
The Sam Crawford-designed triplex set above retail is now close to completion on the corner of Old South Head and Dover roads. It was initially marketed as due for completion in August 2023.
The project has been headed by Yan Orlievsky, who updated his LinkedIn profile earlier this month, advising that he had become the acquisition manager at Meriton.
Melbourne moves
Melbourne’s top result on Saturday was a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a wraparound veranda at Nunawading.
The weatherboard house constructed by Harkaway Homes at 252 Springfield Road sold through Jellis Craig Doncaster agent Ash Thompson for $2,150,000. Its price guidance had been $1.95m to $2.145m.
The 767sq m property last sold in 2003 for $315,000.
The Melbourne clearance rate rose to 62 per cent, having been at 56 per cent on the prior weekend, according to the preliminary automated realestate.com.au tally. Across the smaller markets, Adelaide finished the year with the strongest result at 65 per cent.
It sales included the vacated two-bedroom, one-bathroom 1960s house at Somerton Park for $855,000.
Set on a 502sq m Vincent Avenue corner lot, it last sold in 2000 for $138,000.
The price guide had been $699,000 through Simon Noakes and Jake Billich at Noakes Nickolas.
Perth saw a three-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage on a 493sq m corner lot at 64 Victoria Street, Mosman Park sell through Claire O’Meara at Ray White Dalkeith for $1.8m.
It last sold in 1988 for $120,500.
Summer slowdown
There’s never a Santa rally when it comes to December property, given too many distractions.
The 2024 market ends with plenty of anxious, unsuccessful auction vendors who are holding an unsold property heading into the long summer slowdown.
If the seller has committed to buy elsewhere, their unsold homes could face a considerable price drop in order to attract the cautiously keen smaller pool of buyers.
There are still buyers around, but as auctioneer Damien Cooley noted, auction registrations slipped in the latter weeks of the year.
There are 13 hopeful vendors who have scheduled an auction sale for Monday December 23, while private treaty negotiations will continue right until Christmas Eve and then a smattering through to New Year’s Eve.
Christmas Eve deals do happen, as was the case last year when Perpetual Asset Management portfolio manager Anthony Aboud and his wife, Aleesha exchanged contracts for their $18m Woollahra home. The Luigi Rosselli-designed home was bought from Macquarie human resources director Belinda Farrell and her husband, Brian.
In the late 1980s guru agent Andrew Gibbons boasted about selling a Vaucluse harbourfront house on Christmas Day.
This Saturday sees just four scheduled auctions, then 10 on the first weekend in January.
Coastal opportunities
Coastal offerings will be obvious on the new year auction calendar.
Starting January 4 on North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, a tightly held Flinders Beach property has been listed by Chris Ransley at Ray White.
The three-level Providence Street, Amity Point beachfront listing last sold for $99,000 in 1987.
The last sale on the street was 2017.
Then January 11 sees Caloundra agent Dave Millar at David Millar Real Estate offering a Moffat Beach knockdown.
The 506sq m block is being marketed as “medium-density residential land offering flexibility for development”.
The Sunshine Coast oceanfront last sold in 1972 for $13,000. Its official land value is $3.6m.
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