How did it get to this? A barely dressed, intoxicated agent sells Byron Bay house for $12.5m sight unseen

There is no secret Byron Bay’s property market is booming. But it isn’t so much the 31.2 per cent rise in median house price in the 12 months to March, or the Sydney-size record house prices from Wategos Beach to the hinterland that tell the story.

It is the anecdotal stories from the agents on the ground that show the state of the market. Take the recent sale by Frank Mlikota of Parkinson Prestige who was slightly intoxicated and barely dressed when he sold the beachfront retreat of Ezy Mortgage founder Peter James on Belongil Beach sight-unseen to a Melbourne buyer off market.

Mlikota declined to reveal the buyer or price, but did confirm that even he is yet to see the house he sold.

It was left to recently updated settlement records to reveal the sale price was a bullish $12.5 million to businessman John Bennetts and Ann Ryan.

In the hinterland at Coopers Shoot there are record hopes for the latest home project of local trophy home traders Deborah and Robert Wild, co-directors of the Evolve College school of massage training.

The couple bought the 5.6 hinterland property in 2014 for $7.9 million from international music producer Tom Misner.

It was one of the most prized properties at the time, complete with tennis court, pool, lavishly appointed homestead with separate guest studio and garaging for eight cars.

The Wilds have undertaken their own work on the property since, adding a commercially approved second residence with its own pool, and a conference centre with offices, film and recording studio, and conference room.

Aside from the improvements to the property, the market has soared since COVID-19 hit a year ago.

The Byron Bay record was reset at $22 million last year when Rip Curl co-founder Brian Singer bought a Wategos Beach getaway, and the hinterland high was set at $11 million thanks to philanthropist Tanya Carnegie’s purchase of Hillstone Farm in Bangalow.

It returned to the market with a guide of $20 million to $22 million through the same agent who sold the Wategos Beach to Brian Singer. It has since been relisted with Century 21 Plateau Lifestyle’s Oliver Hallock.

Price on Application

59 Coopers Shoot Road, Coopers Shoot NSW 2479

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Meanwhile, in nearby Skinners Shoot the historic homestead known as Koreelah that was built in 1911 to a design by architect Alexander Jolly for local pioneer Frederick Wareham and his wife Ada has sold.

Pacifico Property’s Christian Sergiacomi declined to confirm suggestions from sources it sold for well above the $9 million level but was asking $9 million to $9.5 million when it was listed in March on behalf of property investors James Dawson and Anthony Pangallo.

This story has been amended since publication to update details of the listing agent on the Coopers Shoot property.