A home in Burlington re-listed for sale multiple times and eventually sold at a staggering loss shows just how prices tend to fluctuate in the GTA real estate market.
The bungalow, located at 841 Danforth Place in Burlington’s affluent LaSalle neighbourhood sold for $2.1 million in February 2022, when home prices reached an all-time peak in the GTA.
As interest rates began rapidly driving prices down further into the year, the home failed to sell when it was re-listed for a mind-boggling $3.3 million just a few months later.
Hold onto your hats! 🎩🏡 In a jaw-dropping turn of events, a home in Burlington, previously sold for a whopping $2.1 million in August 2021, has now been offloaded for just $1.4 million, resulting in a staggering loss of $700,000! 😱💸 #RealEstateShocker #HaltonRegion #GTA 🇨🇦🍁 pic.twitter.com/rMFoQsWz8Y
— Hussein E (@therealhebrahim) March 13, 2024
The home was put back up on the market just above its initial selling price at $2.2 million in April 2023, but failed to sell once again. In November 2023, the home was re-listed at a fraction of its original price at $1.5 million.
Eventually, the home sold for $1.42 million in March 2024, approximately $700,000 less than it was originally purchased for just two years earlier.
Check out the sales in the Bayview area by the lake for the last 90 days, all the homes sold below the listed price. 😮 pic.twitter.com/aaArKsCoEV
— Hussein E (@therealhebrahim) March 13, 2024
Despite this case, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) found in its latest market report, that selling prices in the GTA actually edged upward in February, driven by “population growth” and a “resilient regional economy” that continued to support the overall demand for housing.
At the same time, higher borrowing costs kept home sales below the February sales record reached in 2021.
“We have recently seen a resurgence in sales activity compared to last year. The market assumption is that the Bank of Canada has finished hiking rates. Consumers are now anticipating rate cuts in the near future,” said TRREB President Jennifer Pearce.
“To minimize higher monthly payments, some buyers have likely saved up a larger down payment, chosen to purchase a less-expensive home type and/or looked to a different location in the GTA,” Pearce said.
“As we move through 2024, an increasing number of buyers will re-enter the market with adjusted housing preferences to account for higher borrowing costs,” TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer added.
Champs Real Estate Inc. Brokerage
- The house boasts nine bedrooms, five bathrooms and an indoor swimming pool
The stunning 14th century love nest where Lord Nelson romanced Lady Hamilton over 200 years has dropped in price by £500,000 after it has failed to sell.
It was originally listed at a guide price of £3.25million by Lindsay Cuthill’s Blue Book Agency in July last year, MailOnline previously reported.
Grade I-listed Rudhall Manor, in Phocle Green, Herefordshire dates back to the 1300s and could be yours after it has plummeted by half a million to a bargain price of £2,750,000.
A beautiful sprawling mansion, the house boasts nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool and is set in ten acres of picturesque landscaped gardens.
An enchanting manor – it has been owned by a number of important figures over the years – most notably Admiral Lord Nelson.
The British hero saved the nation at the Battle of Trafalgar but had an illicit affair which lasted 12 years with Lady Emma Hamilton after being introduced to her in the 1790s.
They used the picturesque abode as their own love nest to evade prying eyes in what was the biggest scandal of the age.
Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton met in Naples, Italy, while they were still both married to other people.
A romance blossomed and the couple resided at Rudhall Manor, the home of a friend, Thomas Westfaling, when they returned to Britain.
The affair later became public knowledge and there is a room in the house named after the great Royal Navy hero.
The letters to Lady Hamilton were written by Nelson with his left-hand after he lost his right arm in battle.
They had a daughter together, Horatia, who was born in 1801.
Estate agents Blue Book has described the period property as ‘one of the most special of houses in the whole of England.’
A spokesperson added: ‘A magical Grade I listed house whose rich history has spanned the centuries to provide a warm and comfortable family home.
‘Rudhall Manor sits in an enchanted private setting surrounded by beautiful gardens and grounds.
‘As a Grade l listed building it is only one of very few private residences in the county and as such is one of the most special of houses in the whole of England.’
Rudhall Manor was also used by the Royal Hospital to house retired British soldiers who fought in the Boer war and the First World War during the Second World War.
Other notable owners include Alexander Baring, later the first Lord Ashburton, ornithologist Sir Peter Scott and Sir John Harvey Jones, the high-profile British businessman and entrepreneur.
It dates back to the 14th Century, but features Tudor, Georgian and Jacobean architecture.
This historical manor is equipped for the 21st century too and has been re-purposed for modern living – including a heated indoor swimming pool and gym, a self-contained studio apartment above a garage along with a greenhouse and working space.
The listing adds: ‘To the first time visitor Rudhall Manor immediately welcomes you with its warm tones, mixture of the grand and the cosy but most of all the enchantment of a long cherished home to a host of families over the centuries.
‘The history lover will particularly appreciate the extensive Tudor oak paneling, immaculate cornice work, historic fireplaces and exposed beams.’
Sprawling gardens and grounds terraces, including a woodland and a rockery garden, are spread out across the land.
The house overlooks an extensive lawn which leads down to Rudhall Brook and enters the grounds via a waterfall and is crossed by a series of small fairy tale-like bridges.
Two lakes, fed by a brooke, are said to provide a haven for birds and wildlife.
The property listing continues: ‘The gardens and grounds make the whole setting complete and essentially a private paradise.’
By Charlie Spiering, Senior Political Reporter, Washington, Dc
14:18 29 Feb 2024, updated 22:41 29 Feb 2024
- Interest for the New York fraud fine is rising by over $100,000 a day
- New York Attorney General Letitia James is threatening to seize Donald Trump’s assets to pay the fine
- Trump claimed the civil case was part of a ‘Witch Hunt’ leveled at him since winning the presidency in 2016
A furious Donald Trump defended his ‘greatest properties in the world’ and the success of his real estate company as he lashed out at a New York judge rejecting his bid to post $100 million bond in the fraud case.
The former president also defended his company, which he argued was only under attack because of his political success as a Republican.
A New York appeals court shut down his bid to pay a bond of only $100 million after his lawyers warned he may have to sell his assets to cover the full amount.
The 77-year-old does have a financial lifeline if a merger between his Truth Social network and Digital World Acquisition Corporation goes through.
But he only has 17 days to to either pay the fine in full or get the cash together to pay the bond.
‘I did nothing wrong, except build a successful and very liquid company, owning some of the Greatest Properties in the World, and defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Democrats in the 2016 Presidential Election, an Election which a Republican was not expected to win,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump had only 30 days from the date of the ruling – February 16 – in which he either has to pay the entire amount or post bond.
Trump’s lawyers said Thursday the former president would post a bond of $100 million, arguing that Trump’s company could not secure the full amount to pay the ‘exorbitant and punitive amount’ leveled by the judge.
New York Attorney General Letitia James continues taunting Trump after the ruling, posting updates of the rising fee on social media. The fee increases by $111,984 in interest per day.
James has even threatened to seize some of Trump’s buildings in New York City to pay the punishing fine.
‘If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets’, she told ABC News last week.
One potential financial lifeline for the president is his proposed merger between his Truth Social network and the Digital World Acquisition Corporation, a deal that could be worth as much as $4 billion if it closes. The company is expected to vote on the merger with Trump media on March 22.
The former president claimed he was being persecuted because of his political success, pointing out he was ‘dominating’ his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in the polls.
‘This is a Weaponized Attack on Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, unlike anything that has happened in the History of the United States,’ he said, repeating that the entire case was a ‘Political Witch Hunt.’
He warned the unjust ruling would only motivate more businesses to leave the state of New York, which would lead to it’s ‘destruction’ as businesses would leave by the ‘thousands.’
‘We will continue to appeal until Justice prevails!’ Trump concluded.
- Big, bold and eccentric, murals immediately command a buyer’s attention
- One owner tells us how uncovering an old mural clinched his house purchase
- But they aren’t for everyone and can put some potential buyers off
There is something special about murals.
Unlike canvas paintings or framed images, they are so big, bold and eccentric that they immediately command attention in any room. Sometimes they can even secure a house sale.
That was the case for retired businessman Gary Keeley when, 25 years ago, he first set foot in Byeballs Farm at Tindon End, Saffron Walden.
‘I was looking for a renovation project but nothing like this,’ says Gary, 59.
‘There were brambles growing over the roof, weeds were poking through the floors and the moat was completely dry.’
Gary was on the point of turning his back on the wreck of a house when something caught his eye.
In the shadows of the drawing room he made out the faint colouring of some flowery, decorative, medieval murals.
‘They fascinated me and what really clinched it were the initials ‘S’ and ‘G’ on the work,’ says Gary.
‘My wife is Sharon; I am Gary so they were also our initials. It seemed like fate that we should own the house.’
Gary then spent two years restoring and reconfiguring the layout of the house, adding bathrooms.
With 2.5 acres of land, an orchard, heated pool, gym and party barn, Byeballs Farm is now for sale with Cheffins, priced £1.75million.
Classical origins
Murals date back to the Paleolithic period; the Romans used them extensively and they remain popular today, when a newly discovered Banksy will be front page news.
Tess Newall is one of the most sought-after mural artists in the country, before which she painted and decorated film sets.
‘Hand-painting adds charm and texture to a room,’ says Tess, who worked on the film Vita & Virginia about the Bloomsbury Group.
‘There is something magic about seeing brushstrokes knowing a person has painted it. Wallpaper has awkward joins whereas a mural celebrates the shape of a room.’
Murals are often used to create a sense of space. The opera set designer and artist John Pascoe did just that in his studio in a Victorian house in Islington, North London, where he created a mural that wrapped around the whole room, adding beams of sunlight to monuments, trees and lakes, making the room a kind of extension of nearby Clissold Park.
‘I believe that nature has an incredible power to enhance our well-being,’ says John who put the studio on the market last year. ‘I hope that I have created a slice of tranquility in the city.’
For your own slice of tranquility Joanna Perry specialises in nature-inspired scenes from Japanese gardens to woodland.
Essentially the best murals are all about deception — they are fun. Modern-day parents often have their children’s nursery walls bedecked with scenes from Disney — Jungle Book is still a favourite — or in Barbie pink.
Birmingham-based Sweetart Murals offers bespoke designs while specialising in children’s and nursery pieces.
Deep down
Bathrooms can be an inspiration. One vendor recently put his house on the market with a mural in his shower room that gave the impression the whole room was under the ocean.
The ceiling depicted the bottom of boats; the sun filtered through on fish swimming around, it was all very realistic.
We’ll miss many things about the house and the murals are top of the list
Sadly, though, many viewers with little children were less than impressed with the naked nymphs. So do be careful as murals can be a selling point but equally a detraction.
‘I recently advised a client with a Sistine-esque mural in the kitchen to paint over it,’ says Ed Jephson of Stacks Property Search.
‘I think a mural is too much an expression of the owner’s interest.’
Others take an inordinate pride in their murals.
‘Whenever we start planning the day we have to move from this house my wife, Sharon, breaks down in tears,’ says Gary Keeley of Byeballs Farm.
‘We’ll miss many things about the house and the murals are top of the list.’
- The small garage is located in the heart of Clapham Common, London
A garage in London is on the market for £1million after an estate agent decided it could be turned into flats.
Located in the heart of Clapham Common, London, the garage is listed as a development site situated on a prime residential road ‘between the Commons’.
Despite its unassuming and underwhelming exterior, the building is considered to be full of potential and could make its new owners a fortune.
The agent explained the property holds potential for conversion into a residential dwelling, subject to obtaining the usual planning permissions and consents.
‘A local architect has drawn up a sketch of a scheme they feel is possible for the site’, the listing reads.
‘We want to give everyone the opportunity to explore the potential planning for the garages, so will be offering the site via an informal tender over a three week period.
‘All offers are to be submitted by 1300hrs 15th December 2023.
‘Our client would prefer an unconditional offer.’
Photos of the garage show its unimpressive size and rusty door, with the building set amid larger, attractive properties.
The garage is set on a pleasant road in Clapham Common adorned with pretty terraced and semi-detached houses.
It comes after a double garage in central London just 10ft wide was put up for sale for £750,000 at the end of last year, leaving house-hunters reeling.
The parking space, which is just yards from Selfridges and Oxford Street, hit the market in December, when it was listed on Rightmove and Manors, a high-end estate agent operating out of Westminster.
- The three-bedroom home is located in Liverpool, Merseyside
A house has been listed for auction with pictures of a ‘bloodied handprint’ in the bathroom and splatters down another wall.
Prospective buyers were scrolling through properties online when they saw concerning red marks that they couldn’t ignore on a three-bedroom home in Liverpool, Merseyside.
A photo of the bathroom shows a bright red handprint smeared above the sink and another image reveals spurts of red liquid dripping down a wall.
The mystery red marks in the property, which is listed for auction at £40,000, sparked speculation amongst house-hunters.
However, the estate agent thinks it is probably just red paint and part of a prank pulled by locals.
One househunter questioned if was a ‘prank’ on them or if it was indeed a real crime scene.
Others said they also spotted the red marks when they were searching for a house, while one even said they’d be happy to buy it for that price even if it was real blood.
An online post highlighting the alarming features said: ‘Crime scene Liverpool. Reckon the estate agent is having a laugh?’
Another househunter commented: ‘I saw this one recently during my search for a house. We said the same thing about the blood.’
A second said: ‘I wonder how much it will sell for at auction. I wasn’t aware you could still buy houses so cheap! I’d take on a crime scene for that price!’
Although a third speculated: ‘It’s too little an amount to be arterial spray. Imagine going to view that and seeing it. You’d get a bit of a fright.’
London-based estate agents McHugh & Co auctioneer Sam Santana said he believes it to be red paint but admits he doesn’t know what’s happened at the property.
He didn’t notice the bizarre marks when his firm uploaded the listing but the images remain live on both their own site and Rightmove.
Estate agent Sam said: ‘It’s definitely not a joke from us and I didn’t notice it in the images myself.
‘As an advertising agent we have a duty to show everyone every room of the house.
‘It might be a prank by some locals or something because it looks like red paint on the wall rather than blood.
‘We wouldn’t know what’s happened in the house.
‘Usually this sort of property that needs doing up would be picked up by a property company then sold at auction.’
MailOnline has contacted McHugh & Co for a comment.
China Evergrande — the world’s most indebted property developer — received a liquidation order from a Hong Kong court on Monday, but there may be little left to recover, said experts.
The order came more than two years after Evergrande sent the country’s property sector into a tailspin.
Liquidators will now take control of the company’s assets and prepare to sell them in order to repay the company’s debts, which total $300 billion.
An offshore investor named Top Shine Global brought the winding-up lawsuit against Evergrande in 2022. Its proceedings were adjourned multiple times as Evergrande sought more time to restructure its debts.
On Monday, Evergrande applied for another adjournment. But Judge Linda Chan said Evergrande had been unable to offer a concrete restructuring plan and ordered its liquidation.
“It is time for the court to say enough is enough,” said Chan, according to Reuters.
Trading in the shares of Evergrande and its subsidiaries was halted on Monday following news of the order. Hong Kong-listed China Evergrande Group’s stock price plunged 21% before the court hearing.
Evergrande did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Monday’s court order is a far cry from Evergrande’s heyday as China’s top developer by sales in 2016.
Evergrande has been mired in a liquidity crisis since 2021. It first defaulted on an offshore dollar bond in December of that year. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in the US in August and scraped a restructuring plan in October due to worse-than-expected property sales.
‘There are only losers in the collapse of Evergrande’
Siu Shawn, Evergrande’s CEO, told local media in China that the real-estate company will still ensure the delivery of homes in China, state-owned Securities Times reported on Monday.
But several experts BI spoke to prior to Monday’s court order said Evergrande’s liquidation will be challenging.
It’s bad news for creditors, Mat Ng, the managing director at Grant Thornton, a professional services firm that specializes in restructuring, told BI.
“Given its scale, a liquidation of Evergrande would be a challenging process and the likely return to creditors would be expected to be low,” said Ng.
That’s particularly since the Chinese property sector is in the dumps amid sluggish demand and falling home prices — which means any sale of Evergrande’s assets is likely to be at fire-sale prices, John Bringardner, the head of Debtwire, a fixed-income data and news provider, told BI in November.
“At this point in the process, there are only losers in the collapse of Evergrande,” Bringardner added.
In July, Evergrande cited an analysis by Deloitte that estimated a recovery rate of 3.4% on its debt if the company is liquidated, per Reuters. Creditors now expect the recovery rate at less than 3%, according go the news agency.
Investors also appear to be out of luck, particularly if they’re outside of China, and the process of getting their investments may take years.
“Onshore stakeholders are busy working to ensure home purchasers will eventually receive the homes they have paid for one way or another, but retail ‘mom and pop’ investors in the company’s offshore securities will be facing even further uncertainty and delay which would likely continue for years,” Daniel Margulies, a partner at Dechert, a law firm that specializes in restructuring in Asia, told BI.
The court order to liquidate Evergrande also signals that problems of this size in China “seemingly cannot be restructured and will likely end up in some form of liquidation, whether onshore or offshore,” said Margulies.
Evergrande’s liquidation comes as China’s economy continues to struggle
Evergrande’s liquidation comes as China’s economy faces significant headwinds from a property crisis, deflationary pressure, and a demographic crisis.
Market sentiment over China’s economy is so bad that the country’s stock markets sold down massively last week as investors made a dash for the exit door.
Despite the complications that could come with Evergrande’s liquidation, there may be some upside in the longer run.
“Evergrande’s liquidation is a sign that China is willing to go to extreme ends to quell the property bubble,” Andrew Collier, a managing director at Orient Capital Research, told Reuters.
“This is good for the economy in the long term but very difficult in the short term,” he added.
Bert Potter (front) and residents of the Centrepoint Community in Albany. Photo / Supplied
A multimillion-dollar Auckland property that was the site of New Zealand’s most infamous commune, Centrepoint, has been withdrawn from sale without finding a buyer.
The huge site in the city’s north has a council valuation of almost $9 million and had been billed as “one of the last significant underdeveloped landholdings on the fringe of Albany”.
It also has a dark history as it was where Bert Potter served as the spiritual head of the Centrepoint commune.
Potter was arrested in 1990 for sexual abuse and drugs crime, with survivors sharing stories of life in the commune in the acclaimed documentary, Heaven and Hell – The Centrepoint Story, in 2021. Many of them had been exploited as children by adults living at the commune.
The commune was shut in 2000 and Potter died in 2012, aged 86.
Since then, the property at 14 Mills Lane has been run as a wellness and retreat centre, before being put up for sale and marketed last year as a big development opportunity.
However, agent Michael Nees, from Bayleys North Shore Commercial, said the property did not get a buyer “so it was withdrawn from the market” at the seller’s wish.
Advertisements for the sale of the site were taken down from property website OneRoof in December.
Council has valued the 7.62ha site at $8.7m, but it is believed the owners had hoped to get more than $10m.
Owners Prema Charitable Trust bought the property in 2008 for just over $4m. The trust operates the Kawai Purapura retreat at the site, which was also home to the Wellpark College of Natural Therapies.
It had been advertised as “an incomparable opportunity” to secure a huge slice of city land where applying for rezoning could generate “considerable value uplift”.
The site sits on land overlooking Albany’s commercial precinct and is close to Albany Bus Station and Westfield shopping centre.
Centrepoint was opened by Potter in 1977 and at its peak had a permit for 244 fulltime residents.
It was based on therapeutic encounter groups popularised in California in the 1960s, promising social transformation by encouraging open communication.
The commune was shut down in 2000 after some leaders, including Potter, were convicted of sexual abuse and drugs crimes.
Potter was convicted and sentenced in 1990 to three and a half years in jail on drug charges and in 1992 to seven and a half years for indecent assaults on five children, some as young as 3.
Other men were also convicted of indecently assaulting minors, sexually assaulting minors and attempted rape of a minor.
A 2010 Massey University study revealed that one in every three children at Centrepoint was sexually abused.
Three survivors from the infamous cult spoke out in 2021, writing an open letter calling for restorative justice for children who were abused.
Christchurch GP Caroline Ansley wrote the letter with two other Centrepoint survivors, who are featured in the TVNZ docudrama Heaven and Hell – The Centrepoint Story.
Ansley said realising she was not the only one who was abused was empowering.
“I had to ask myself what’s worse – fear of exposure or the disappointment of not advocating for the right thing.”
The trio asked in their letter that former Centrepoint members consider “their obligations towards the children of the community” and acknowledge the resulting social, emotional and psychological difficulties many still experience as adults.
“We ask you to hear our voices. We ask you to set aside your complex feelings surrounding this issue and acknowledge our realities. We ask that you work with us to find ways to enable healing and restoration of the history.”
Drugs such as LSD and ecstasy were manufactured on the property and taken in group experiments that involved youngsters.
“This potent mix of social control, parental child neglect, drug use and hyper-sexuality set the scene for child abuse to occur,” the letter stated.
The signatories, some of them anonymous but known to the authors, include Louise Winn. She was only 11 when she was brought to Potter’s hut by his wife Margie. She was later also sexually abused by his son John Potter and other men.
To keep predators away at night, the girl barricaded herself with junk in her caravan on the property or escaped into the bush.
By Lillian Gissen and James Gordon For Dailymail.com
05:01 14 Jan 2024, updated 05:01 14 Jan 2024
- Extravagant 18,000-square-foot Connecticut castle which sits on 400-acres of land is being sold by Christopher Mark who came up with the idea in early 2000s
- His daughter Christina Mark started sharing clips of herself inside it on TikTok which sent the price soaring to $60 million but it is now on sale for $29 million
- Finished in 2010, the medieval-mansion has seven full bathrooms and three half bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and towers rising 126 feet into the sky
A nine-bedroom castle in Connecticut – which comes complete with its own moat, elevator, and glass tower is back on the market – but for half the price of its original sale price it was listed at just two years ago.
Set on 400 acres of land, the castle is currently owned by Christopher Mark who came up with the idea, designed the plans for it, and had it built in the early 2000s.
Located in Woodstock, about 40 miles from Hartford, the extravagant 18,000-square-foot home caught the attention of the internet in 2022 when his daughter Christina Mark started sharing clips of herself inside it and posting it to TikTok.
The castle has been on and off the market; it was previously listed for $60 million in February 2022.
The idea for the castle came about after Christina and her sister inspired their father to build the fairytale-like dwelling.
The 18,000-square-foot castle has nine bedrooms in total, as well as seven full bathrooms and three half bathrooms.
Homeowners can move between the seven floors via a hand-carved wooden spiral staircase.
Meals can be enjoyed in a medieval-style dining room. Heated radiant floors run throughout the home, not to mention there are 12 fireplaces for those craving some winter warmth.
In summer time, central air flows throughout the home including the towers, one of which is made out of glass, that rise 126 feet into the sky, according to its Zillow listing.
The castle spans across seven floors, with a large spiral staircase taking you from the top to the bottom, as well as an elevator for those who don’t feel like walking.
The property includes a 30-acre peninsula along tree-lined Potter Pond, which was dug specifically to build the castle’s moat and nearby pond.
A pair of castellated stone bridges are the only way to cross it, according to the listing.
The wood inlaid floors throughout the castle were built with over 25 species of hardwoods imported from around the world.
Throughout the lavish home, there are many unique sculptures together with stained glass windows.
The eccentric home also includes a huge jacuzzi hot tub complete with a rock waterfall, tree trunk supports in the master bathroom, as well as a massive domed observation room with a glass floor which offers views into the master bedroom 40 feet below.
The castle also features several secret passageways as well as a dungeon.
In the 4,500-square-foot basement, there’s an at-home bar, a recording studio and a fully-functional theater, with a stage, lighting and music for those living behind the castle walls to live out their dreams.
Elsewhere on the property is a maids’ apartment, which the family would use to house their in-laws. At one time there was even a petting zoo, with two camels still on property.
While the castle at might appear as though it was constructed hundreds of years ago, it was actually completed in the 21st century.
‘We bought the property in 2001, and then started building in 2003. It was mostly complete by 2010,’ Christina told Insider.
She revealed: ‘My sister and I, when we were younger, we would dress up like princesses, and he just wanted our dream to come true.
‘Our ancestors have castles in Ireland, so we wanted to keep the idea going in our generation now too.’
Chris, as well as his daughters, dress up as royalty from time to time and even have regal robes and a golden coach that Cinderella might have used.
They moved into the luxurious mansion when she was about seven or eight-years-old. And according to Christina, her dad played a hand in almost every aspect of building the castle – working with architects and incorporating his own ideas into the final structure.
A local Connecticut boat builder who specializes in wooden yacht restoration was employed to hand-carve all of the doors and moldings.
Chris also purchased a nearby iron foundry for its metal-working equipment to create wrought-iron gates, staircases and windows.
Artisans from around the world were hired to complete the castle’s construction.
During the seven-year build process, more than 100 artisans, mainly from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic, were flown-in to help with the construction.
As for his profession, he founded his own figurine company called Mark Miniatures, which have been sold in Bergdorf Goodman and other big retail stores over the years.
He furnished the castle with many items from Europe, while other pieces were custom-made specifically for the grand home in his factory.
‘They were handcrafted in my dad’s factory in Putnam. And that’s where he made all of the parts for the castle, in his metal and wood shop,’ Christina said.
‘When we were younger, we had to open our mouth[s] really wide, so someone could carve our face into clay,’ she recalled.
‘The Woodstock Castle offers the opportunity of a lifetime to own a dream come true,’ the listing reads.
‘[It’s a] stunning one of a kind property built to amaze and capture the imagination of the individual who relishes outstanding craftsmanship and superior design.’
‘There’s a bunch of features that I love, but probably the most shocking is the glass dome at the top,’ gushed Christina.
‘Because when you’re up there, it’s all glass and you can see three floors down because there’s glass in the three floors below it, too.’
The castle has been on the market since 2014, when it was originally listed for $45 million.
Chris eventually slashed the price to $39 million, before removing it in 2016. He then put it back on sale towards the end of last year for $29 million.
Listing agent John Pizzi of Randall Realtors said Chris has plans to use money from the sale to build another castle.
John said that ‘the owner is relocating out of state and he thought he would build another castle, and in talking to architects and engineers’ he realized he would need in the ballpark of $60 million to construct another medieval-style mansion.
Christina explained that she and her sister have left home and her dad is ready to make a change.
‘We’re moving out, and he doesn’t want to just be there by himself if we’re not using it.’