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Paul and Jenny Leone are selling one of the last remaining acreages in Castle Hill.

A sprawling Sydney estate built by tobacco magnate Sir Ronald Irish is set to break local property records after being relisted for sale.

The 1.58ha property at the back of Castle Hill’s town centre is one of the grandest homes in the area with incredible parklike gardens, a full size tennis court, guesthouse and timeless luxury interiors.

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Set to change hands for the first time 40 years, it is one of the last remaining acreages in Castle Hill and is surrounded by dozens of homes 15 times smaller in size.

The property is an icon of the region.

The Castle Hill home has been owned by the same family since 1977.

It could also appeal to developers, with the estate offering buyers the potential to subdivide or redevelop the iconic home into smaller lots if approved by council.

Sir Ronald built the residence in 1960 when he was the chief executive of Rothmans, now known as British American Tobacco Australia. Property records reveal he sold it in 1977 for $255,000 to Paul and Jenny Leone.

Sydney Country Living agent Brian McMillan is selling it via private treaty. In the first 24 hours of the property appearing on realestate.com.au, the listing received more than 2000 page views.

Rooms feature stunning finishes including marble floors.

Grand interiors.

Just as incredible outside.

A price guide has not been made public by Mr McMillan, but CoreLogic reveals it had a $12m guide when it was listed with another agent last week. This would reset the Castle Hill residential record by nearly $7.2m if it sells near that figure, after 14 Banks Rd sold for $4.8m in 2017.

The five-bedroom residence has a portico entrance, dance studio, a wooden billiard room and secret relaxation spaces. A unique domed skylight, two offices, four bathrooms, a stone kitchen and an elegant formal lounge can also be found inside.

The gardens are a local landmark.

The impressive gates feature a crest.

Peace and tranquillity.

Designed by Dean Herald, the “Garden of Secrets” is most the notable feature of the estate, with the Leone family having opened them to locals in the past for charity.

Fully enclosed from the street, the gardens have hand crafted sandstone features, statues including a prancing horse, a Palm Springs style tiled pool and terrace, and four stables. There is also a workshop and multiple garages.

The epic gardens never end.

Wow.

The self-contained guesthouse features a single bedroom, kitchen and garden views, while the conference room has a bathroom and cooking facilities. A separate wing from the main house has a TV room, office and a large bedroom with an ensuite.

The Leone family owns four orchards near Orange including the 98ha property called Ballykeane. The four orchards produce more than 4100 bins of apple and pear each year.

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The post Landmark listing of Castle Hill estate built by Sir Ronald Irish to shatter property records appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Forget a rent or mortgage holiday, what if someone else would pay yours for you?

About 1000 Melburnians have signed up for a chance to have real estate agents pay their mortgage or rent.

The Noel Jones Group has pledged to pay $6000 to five households as part of a 40-year anniversary competition.

From mid-November each winner will have $2000 paid to their mortgage a month, until February.

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Group co-director Daniel D’Assisi said the firm’s directors were paying the $30,000 in prize money and an additional sum to market it out of their own pockets.

It comes as homeowners who sought out six-month mortgage payment holidays from their lenders earlier this year reach the end of the initial hardship arrangements.

Mr D’Assisi said they had encountered a growing number of people concerned about paying their mortgage and rent, and while these were still a minority they had been receiving thank you notes from the community since launching the contest on August 31.

“We just felt that given the current difficult times, with housing being a requirement, we would help out and give back,” Mr D’Assisi said.

“We hope we can assist some families going through difficult times.”

Noel Jones directors and staff helping The Big Umbrella Foundation feed Melbourne’s homeless earlier this year.

He said none of the firm had ever thought they would be paying someone else’s mortgage, but all contributed to Melbourne charity The Big Umbrella Foundation to help feed the city’s homeless and those at risk of homelessness.

Noel Jones chairman Jason Cunningham said they hoped the unusual competition would make a difference.

“There’s really never been a better time to win a prize like this. At a time when people are out of work, or needing some positivity, this could make someone’s life that bit easier for three months,” Mr Cunningham said.

Entrants must be at least 18 years old and an Australian citizen living in Melbourne.

Entries close October 30 at 11.59pm and will be announced via a random draw on November 2. Payments would commence within two weeks and will be made directly to the winners’ mortgages or rental recipient.

For more information see noeljones.com.au

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The post Noel Jones runs competition to help pay winners’ rent, mortgages appeared first on realestate.com.au.

This heritage property called Linwood at 75 Shakespeare Street, Coorparoo, has been listed for sale by tender closing 5pm September 23,

A 123-year-old Queenslander currently owned by the state government has been listed for sale – and its history is a richlist snapshot of young Brisbane.

The historic home known as Linwood was built circa 1898, just under 40 years after Queensland became a separate colony from New South Wales.

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Classic features remain at Linwood despite the passing of years.

It was owned by just two families before it was transferred to the crown in 1975 before it was listed under Queensland Health for the past 14 years.

Just under a decade ago, Linwood was cited for heritage listing, when a Brisbane City Council citation described as having local significance “as one of the fine homes built by affluent local residents on the elevated areas of Coorparoo in the late nineteenth century”.

It was described as “a fine example of a substantial 1880s timber house” with “elegance and symmetry” in its design incorporating double front bays, an interesting roof form and decorative Victorian era detailing.

The vast home embraces wood features.

The citation said the home was built circa 1898 for William “Bill” Lahey Nicklin and his wife, Georgia Nicklin. The Federation Queenslander was built on a substantial block of land which had been gifted to Mrs Nicklin after marriage by her father – former Brisbane mayor James Hipwood. It was near the Hipwood’s own substantial family home ‘Surrey Hill’.

“William Nicklin’s father, Reuben Nicklin, was a successful businessman who settled in Coorparoo with his family in the 1870s and William continued his father’s role as a prominent member of the local community.” Mr Nicklin’s mother was timber industry heiress Jane Lahey.

Features such as the traditional fireplace are a rarity in Queensland.

Coorparoo Shire was newly created with just 2500 residents when the home was built in 1898, the heritage citation said. “Its residents were a mix of farmers and wealthy politicians and businessmen who established fine homes, often situated on the higher parts of the suburb.”

“The Nicklins were a prominent family in Coorparoo. Reuben Nicklin built two fine homes in Coorparoo in the 1880s – ‘Langlands’, now part of Villanova School and ‘Hatherton’ which became the Methodists’ Queen Alexandra Home for children. Reuben Nicklin’s grandson, Sir Francis Nicklin (William Lahey Nicklin’s nephew), was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968.”

The vast veranda/sleep out has been enclosed but offers tonnes of potential.

According to the heritage document, the Nicklins added four adjacent allotments to their landholding in 1904 to give Linwood an acre of space on the corner of Shakespeare Street and Rees Avenue. Then when Mrs Nicklin died in 1925, the property transferred to her husband whose community efforts had included helping push to set up the Coorparoo Bowls Club in the 1920s.

It was subdivided in half after his death in 1956, according to the BCC document, when the house was bought by Esmonde and Mary Rylands who relocated it closer to Shakespeare Street.

Ben Smith of Place Woolloongabba listed 75 Shakespeare Street, Coorparoo, for sale by tender, describing it as a “once in a generation heritage estate”.

“Beautifully preserved original features, including 12-foot ceilings with ornate roses, archways, rich hardwood floors and timberwork, bay windows, as well as an opulent marble fireplace create timeless grandeur.”

He said renovations of yesteryears “shaped a floorplan that lends itself to an array of residential (subject to council approval) or commercial options”.

The property is zoned for ‘Community Facilities (Health Care Purposes)’, has ramp access and secure lower parking.

“Either way, this is a rare opportunity to own a large slice of Brisbane’s history,” he said.

The seven-bedroom Linwood is listed for sale by tender closing 5pm September 23.

sophie.foster@news.com.au / @SophieFoster

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The property is in Coorparoo, one of the hottest suburbs for buyers wanting to be close to the Brisbane CBD in recent years.

The post QLD Health puts 122-yr-old Queenslander up for sale appeared first on realestate.com.au.