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AFR Feature: 'Plans land for Bellevue Hill's worst house on the best street'
Fintech operative Brett Isenberg has received the green light to replace his 1990s-era Bellevue Hill pad with a European-inspired mansion, becoming the latest deep-pocketed landholder to enter the fray of luxury rebuilds in Australia's most expensive suburb.

Isenburg, who is the co-chief executive of Octet, a non-bank lender, paid $15.85 million in May last year for the 950 square metre cul-de-sac site on the aptly named Mansion Road.

Isenberg enlisted Greg Tischmann of The Collective Project to prepare and handle the development application for the design by architect Paul Buljevic of PBD Architects, which was submitted in December and approved by April.

Tischmann, who project manages and helps clients fast-track DAs, said Isenberg's mansion is one od a slew of trophy projects in Sydney's east where capital input at the build phase can translate into serious growth down the track.

"There's a deepening confidence in Belleuvue Hill's trajectory as not just a postcode, but as a lifestyle benchmark."

Prestige buyer's agent Simon Cohen - who negotiated the Mansion Road purchase for Isenberg - said the real estate maxim "worst house on the best street" was never more true than on the leafy boulevards of blue-chip Bellevue Hill.

"People are buying ugly ducklings on good land in A-grade positions, and turning them into great houses and eaping the reward," Cohen said.

"Because of how long it takes, and how much it costs, people are prepared to pay much more for a finished product."
However, with millions of dollars worth of potential blow-outs and high profile neighbourly relationships on the line, Tischmann said the world of Bellevue Hill luxury renos and rebuilds can be high-risk, high-reward game.

"We want to help our clients navigate the council and construction process without being burdened or tied down in the process."

Isenbergs project is described as a European-inspired reinterpretation of contemporary Australian luxury, which evoked the villa of Lake Como through exteriors of natural stone, arched masonary, Juliet balconies and ironwork.

Inside, the home will feature soaring ceilings, layered living zones and a dedicated wellness suite with sauna, cellar and gym that will look over a north-facing pool.

Isenberg's project is part of a broader trend in Bellevue Hill and surrounds of significant private investment from local blue-bloods alongside incoming Millenials to create the next phase of so-called generational homes.
That includes another grans Bellevue Hill pad, which was recently purchased for $42 million by returning expat entrepreneurs Olivia Skuza and Heath Wells, who co-founded the e-commerce platform NuOrder.

The Collective Project's signboard has appeared at the Victoria Road address, signaling a high-end refurb is underway at the six-bedroom mansion on a 1500 square metre block.

The project will add to the flurry of top-shelf activity in the suburb, which also includes HMC Capital dealmaker David Di Pilla's emerging compound spanning 1600 square metres across two blocks.

Also on the tools is former Aussie Home Loans chief James Symond, who lives across the road from Di Pilla on Kambala Road. The nephew of John Symond, James is rebuilding his property Girrahween, purchased for 13.5 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, construction king Marco Rossi is undertaking one of the suburb's most ambitious projects, creating a Luigi Roselli-designed compound on almost 5000 square metres around his estate Yoorami. Local insiders tip the final product would be valued at $150 million-pkus in today's market.