The Romans would be very confused about the value we place on views

In property parlance, there’s not much quite so alluring as a great view. In our homes, what we see through the window, from the balcony or even while teetering on a ladder against the eaves can easily be worth a million dollars — or more.

“It’s nice to come home and look out to the ocean or bay,” says David Watson, of LJ Hooker Avalon. “It provides a sort of mental therapy.” He adds that the appeal differs from person to person — while some buy expensive properties without views, others pay up to
50 per cent more for the privilege.

But society’s view on views has not always been so rosy. Xing Ruan, a director of architecture at UNSW, says in ancient Rome, the poor lived at the top of buildings while the rich occupied courtyard houses at ground level.

“The ancient Romans would have been terribly puzzled as to why the moderns would want a view of the depressing distance,” Xing wrote in 2016 in what he calls a “provocative proposition” for The Conversation.

“Brilliant though it may seem, the external world lying tantalisingly beyond a thin layer of glass is an inescapable distraction. The million-dollar view, or the readily available one via a smartphone, is not only bad for our body, but also our soul.”

But then the Romans hadn’t seen 19 Bayview Hill Road in Rose Bay.

Agent Hamish Robertson, of McGrath Edgecliff, says the house qualifies as one of Sydney’s most exceptional harbourside addresses — not only for its breathtaking design but also because it’s on a level block.

“It’s hard to get a house with that view that has level ground,” he says.

The property, owned by now-Singapore-based retail billionaire Brett Blundy, has the highly prized gun-barrel view along the harbour towards the bridge, framed perfectly when visitors walk in the front door.

Pillinger‘s Brad Pillinger is marketing the property, which has a price guide of $45 million.

Robertson estimates a 1060-square-metre level block of land in Rose Bay on the waterfront is worth $20 million to $25 million on its own. Without the views and waterfront position, the value would be $8 million to $10 million.

Ruan says though his 2016 essay on million-dollar views was not meant to be taken literally or too seriously, opinions for and against were divided – as expected.

“But if it is taken seriously, it does no harm – it may even be salutary if one is to focus a little more on one’s inner life,” he says.

While views from homes are more limited in supply and naturally more valued, certain aspects of human life have remained unchanged.

“Our biological make-up is one, hence the fixed sizes of stair tread and riser,” he says.

“Our emotional swing between the desire for the protection – a roof above our head and four walls around us – and the yearning for venturing out – the freedom of space – too, has not changed.”

Neither “the view to capacious space nor the safety and seclusion of lower floors and internal courtyards” are expected to disappear any time soon, even as property prices continue to rise.

“For now, the view is more limited in supply, and naturally more valued,” Ruan says.

“But this does not mean, for example, the consolation offered by a warm and cosy room is less privileged than the thrill offered by an ocean view beyond a thin layer of glass.”

Back in Rose Bay, prospective buyers have all been keen on the views as well as a more down-to-earth aspect of one of the city’s highest-end listings.

“There aren’t too many homes in the eastern suburbs with a vegie garden,” Robertson says. “All that’s missing are the chooks.”

Download the Domain app to search for homes with great views.