Aussie Family Rejects Huge Offer From Developers To Keep Their Land And 'Dream Home'
Despite the immense pressure to 'sell up and get out' from developers, a Sydney family has refused to give up their beloved property.
There's a sprawling housing development located near The Ponds and there are loads of homes side-by-side that all look similar.
However, there is one home that has a humungous stretch of land, which was worth around $50 million when the developers came knocking.
The northwest property sits on a giant two-hectare strip and the owners have more than their share of a backyard room, and we can't help but think that barbecues at their place would go off.
The owners shared to 7News their 'dream house' even looks like a 'castle'.
Despite developers coming to them with increasingly fat cheques, they held out and let the development build around them.
Ray White Quarters Hill real estate agent Taylor Bredin told 7News: "The fact that most people sold out years and years ago, these guys have held on. All credit to them."
He also added the block of land could fit up to a staggering 50 properties.
"Depending on how far you push the development plan, you'd be able to push anywhere from 40 to 50 properties on something like this, and when subdivided, a 300 square meter block would get a million dollars," Mr Bredin said.
The house, located on Hambledon Road, sticks out like a sore thumb, as the vast lot surrounded by greenery has neighbouring two-story grey roof homes all around it.
Although 7News asked the family about their plans for the property and if we could see it on the market anytime soon, they refused to comment.
However, they're not the only determined family standing firm when developers come knocking.
Most notably, Vera Coking refused to give up her Atlantic City, New Jersey, boarding house in the seventies after Penthouse founder Bob Guccione offered her $1 million.
According to WPG Talk Radio, despite his best efforts to get her out while building a steel structure around her house, Guccione ran out of money and was forced to stop construction.
In 1993, after purchasing multiple properties at the Atlantic city block and wanting to expand Harrah's at Trump Plaza, Donald Trump offered to buy Coking's home, but she refused.
Legal proceedings went ahead, and Trump tried to get Coking out under eminent domain, but the courts rejected it.
In 2014, the property was eventually sold to Carl Ichan, who then owned Trump Plaza, bought it, who demolished the house later that year.
Ah, it turns out you can't put a price on happiness, even if it is a few million.
Charisa Bossinakis