Ballard Property to be rebranded Sotheby’s International Realty as agent behind record $130m sale revealed

The key figure behind Australia’s biggest house sale has been revealed, as he moves to shake up the country’s richest real estate market.

Clint Ballard, of Ballard Property, was behind Australia’s most expensive house sale of $130m last year.

A boutique eastern suburbs agency is set to be rebranded Sotheby’s International Realty as the agent behind Australia’s most expensive house sale of $130m is revealed.

Sotheby’s managing director Michael Pallier and Ballard Property principal Clint Ballard told The Daily Telegraph exclusively that Ballard’s agency of 20 staff will be running under the Sotheby’s brand from the end of April under an “affiliation” agreement — not a sale.

And Pallier let slip that it was Clint Ballard who orchestrated the $130m sale of the Scottish baronial mansion Uig Lodge in Point Piper to tech billionaire Scott Farquhar and his wife, investment banker Kim Jackson, late last year.

It had previously been reported that the sale was negotiated “privately” with the vendors, rag traders Steven and Carol Moss, who’d bought it for $9.2m in 1996.

Uig Lodge, 29 Wentworth St, Point Piper, sold late last year for $130m to tech billionaire Scott Farquhar and his wife, investment banker Kim Jackson, via Clint Ballard.

Pallier said: “I’m so pleased to be working with Clint, the man who’s now sold the most expensive house in Australia,” while emphasing that both offices would continue to operate independently.

Ballard couldn’t discuss the Point Piper sale due to a confidentiality agreement but also said he and his team of 20 were excited to be aligning with Sotheby’s because of its international presence.

“It’s nerve-wracking but exciting as well,” Ballard said. “The top agents are all looking forward to it and appreciate that I’m putting the business ahead of my own ego.

“As Michael says, nothing changes from day to day; we’re just wearing a different guernsy, we’re still Ballard.

“The key is we’ve done a significant deal with Michael and [his wife] Lu Lu who have the licence for the brand and come to an outcome where we all feel comfortable.

“There’s plenty of business out there and we’re dealing with a similar sort of clientele.”A key attraction for Ballard was Sotheby’s international data base and website.

“It’s been 20 years of Ballard and I’m very respectful of what we’ve built, but on the flipside I feel proud that we’ll now be working with Lu Lu and Michael.

“It’s obviously complimentary of our business and I can see that we can all be very successful under that brand, which will create more opportunities for our clients. “And that’s what it’s about at the end of the day.”

Pallier, too, is excited about the change.

Clint Ballard also sold Bomera in Potts Point for $34m in 2019, in conjunction with Bill Malouf of Highland Double Bay Malouf.

“In the beach areas, where Clint and his team are very strong, no other agency has that international presence and only this company will be able to offer that,” Pallier said.

“People are now back travelling, so a lot more people from overseas are coming in and looking at the houses, so that’s why it’s good to be able to tap into that international market.

“Also the way the dollar is, it’s very attractive for anyone.”

Ballard added: “And the international market is only going to get stronger during this time of world uncertainty.

Clint Ballard.

“Australia is a safe haven, with good banking systems, clean air, top-tier education and good governance.

“A lot of people come to Sydney for business, festivals and for holidays and see what an amazing place it is ... once you get them here, they’re sold.

“I’ve seen how Michael and his team communicates with different parts of the world and seen how that inquiry comes in first-hand.

“I definitely want that available at Ballard — if you want to sell a quality, better-priced home you need to be able to show a vendor that you have all bases covered.”

The sale of Edgewater, at 92 Wolseley Rd, Point Piper, for $95m in 2020 are among Sotheby’s principal Michael Pallier’s many high-end sales.

Apart from selling Uig Lodge for $130m, Ballard has been involved in a range of other big deals, including the sale of Bomera in Potts Point for $34m in 2019 (with Bill Malouf) to billionaire steel tsar Sanjeev Gupta; businessman Fred Bart’s Victoria Rd mansion for $22m (also with Bill Malouf) to property developer Willi Phillips.

He’d also represented Channel 7 marketing boss Bruce McWilliam for the $33.5m sale of the Point Piper waterfront known as the Bang and Olufsen house in 2013 to Jerry Qiu Yafu, the owner of a Chinese textile company.

The Sotheby’s boss, Michael Pallier, meanwhile, has a range of top-end deals under his belt, including the $95m sale in 2020 of the Point Piper Edgewater for the co-founders of Katies clothing, Joe Brender and his wife, Gerda, and the family of his late business partner, Sam Moss.

Originally published as https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/property/ballard-property-to-be-rebranded-sothebys-international-realty-as-agent-behind-130m-sale-revealed/news-story/2bd64572eec6c904f6eb6e2cbf252b41