Property developer Michael Teplitsky buys Aussie John's Point Piper penthouse

For all the hush-hush and confidentiality agreements surrounding the recent $13.3 million buyer of Aussie John Symond’s penthouse in Point Piper, it still wasn’t enough to stop word getting out that it was property developer Michael Teplitsky and his wife Angela.

In a somewhat delicious turn of fate, it was likely the same genius who drafted the gag orders who then placed a caveat on the property’s title naming Angela Teplitsky as the buyer.

Aussie John listed the two-storey spread last October through Bill Malouf, of LJ Hooker Double Bay, who was remaining tight lipped on details despite the title records revelations and declined to confirm the rumoured $13.3 million sale result.

The penthouse previously traded in 2010 for $8.16 million when sold by jailed fraudster Nati Stoliar, although Symond had undertaken a major renovation since then.

The Teplitskys are currently based in Vaucluse where they agreed to pay $17 million in late 2015 for the Hillside Avenue mansion of property investor Le Tran, and then took a year to settle on the purchase. Expect more of the same protracted settlement terms on their Point Piper purchase.

Before Aussie John Symond sold his two-storey Point Piper penthouse it underwent a lavish $6 million renovation.
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Banker lists riverside home

Former Commonwealth Bank senior executive Paul Leighton and his wife Vicki have listed their long-held waterfront home in the St George area for more than $4 million.

The double block of 1175 square metres in Oatley has been home to the Leightons since 1996 when it last traded for land-value only at $510,000.

Now a five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence, it comes with a private sandy beach, boatshed, wharf, slip way and second residence set above the boatshed.

Jon Brookes, of Brookes Partners Real Estate, has a public tender until April 7.

The sale is likely to challenge the suburb high of $4,225,000, set in 2015 when local chemists the Boian family paid $4,225,000 for their contemporary home on Kitchener Street.

Former banking executive Paul Leighton’s double block in Oatley is up for public tender until April 7.​ 
Photo: Supplied

Au revoir to du toit 

Adman Mel Du Toit, formerly creative director at Leo Burnett until last year when he and Mark Lees formed CIRCA151, and his wife, artist Vivienne are selling their long-held Castlecrag home to move to the east.

The couple have owned their Sugarloaf Crescent home since 1998, paying $588,000 for the 1400 square metres adjoining the waterfront Harold Reid Reserve.

The recently renovated four-bedroom home goes to auction this weekend for $2.85 million through Heidi King, of LJ Hooker Castlecrag.

Mel Du Toit and his wife Vivienne have lived in their Castlecrag home since 1998. Photo: Supplied

Hollywood history

In Clovelly, there are $2.5 million expectations on the home of the late Jack Ryan, good friend and saviour of 1930s Hollywood star Errol Flynn, ending 82 years of ownership by the one family.

The friendship between Flynn and Ryan is best recounted in the star’s autobiography, My Wicked Wicked Ways. As the story goes Flynn and Ryan were on the goldfields of Papua New Guinea in the 1920s when Flynn was attacked and left wounded, but not before he shot dead his assailant and was jailed. Ryan then intervened and successfully convinced the local magistrate to release Flynn.

It was a tale the two men recounted at Ryan’s Clovelly home back in Sydney following Ryan’s purchase of the Californian bungalow in 1935 for 772 pounds.

Jason Pantzer, of Phillips Pantzer Donnelley, has the listing.

The late Jack Ryan’s Clovelly home is for sale for $2.5 million.
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Warrawee sparks chinese interest  

Chinese businessman Zhenyu Shu, president of the Shanghai Hugong Electric Group, has picked up a $5.5 million home on the upper north shore.

Located in Warrawee, the residence set on 1780 square metres was the long-time home of Hugh Denning, who heads up Denning Pryce funds manager, before it was sold by Chadwick’s Lynette Malcolm and Scott Chadwick.

The grand Warrawee was sold to Chinese businessman Zhenyu Shu.
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