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The Villa del Mare, 63-67 Wolseley Rd Point Piper in Sydney’s east, was sold to a mystery buyer on October 7

The buyer is believed to be Xu Jianyin, the chairman of real estate group Evergrande

Mr Xu is listed as China’s 15th richest man with $7 billion worth of wealth, according to Hurun’s rich list

Positioned to take full advantage of the panoramic harbour views, the mansion was put on the market by its previous owner, recruitment agent Julia Ross, in August this year before it was snatched up a secret buyer in early October.

LJ Hooker’s real estate agents in Double Bay refused to reveal information regarding the sale or buyer when questioned by Daily Mail Australia.

However, Mr Xu was reported to have been in Sydney around the time that the mansion was sold.

The company listed on the Villa del Mare’s settlement papers, Golden Fast Foods Pty Ltd, is also believed to be linked to his company Evergrande, according to Fairfax media.

Chinese investors were the highest foreign investors in Australian real estate – both commercial and residential – between 2012 and 2013, making up almost $6 billion worth of sales, according to the Foreign Investment Review Board’s Annual report.

Foreign buyers made up 16.8 per cent of the demand for new residential properties in the third quarter of 2014 while Chinese foreign investors spent almost $6 billion on commercial and residential real estate in Australia between 2012 and 2013

They were followed by Canada and then the US, whose foreign investors spent just under $5 billion each on the Australian real estate market in this period.

Foreign buyers made up 16.8 per cent of the demand for new residential properties in the third quarter of 2014, according to the National Australia Banks’ Quarterly Residential Property Survey, with the figure expected to rise by 0.5 per cent in the next year.

Principle agent at Laing and Simmons Double Bay, Danny Doff, told Daily Mail Australia that he estimated Chinese foreign investors made up approximately one in every 20 high-end residential property sales in Vaucluse.

‘They tend to go for properties with the best views in town – iconic views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and anything of the harbour – and all up on top of the hill, so looking over everything. They like big blocks of land and tend to like new houses,’ Mr Doff said. 

Mr Xu is is believed to have paid about $39 million for the Villa del Mare non-waterfront mansion

The prestigious home is positioned to take full advantage of the panoramic views of Sydney harbour 

Its’s sweeping courtyards and manicured gardens have been designed with a Mediterranean feel   

Mr Doff revealed that in his experience, Chinese foreign investors often bough high end properties for anywhere between $5 million to $30 million and, more often than not, would buy up a property before it even hit the market.

‘They prefer to buy things off market because they don’t like competing,’ Mr Doff said.

He said he currently has about three ‘really keen’ Chinese families in his contact book through a number of Chinese agents that, ‘if I found the right property for, they’d buy it in a heartbeat.’ 

‘All the other agents that sell these top end properties probably have a collection of these buyers as well,’ Mr Doff said. 

The home  features six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a number of living areas on 1500 square metres of land

An entertainment bar and an infinity pool are some of the more luxurious features of the home 

Two of the more recent properties that Laing and Simmons Double Bay sold to foreign Chinese families include 9 Hillside Ave Vaucluse, which sold for $14 million in June, and 30 Kings Road Vaucluse, which was bought for $11.7 million last month. 

Paul Pfeiffer, from RT Edgar in Toorak, Victoria, told Daily Mail Australia that he is a strong advocate of Chinese national investment, claiming it leads to the creation of jobs and residential property development.

’60 per cent of the properties that I sell over $5 million would be sold to either local Chinese buyers or Chinese nationals in the areas of Stonnington and Boroondara, which consist of suburbs such as Kew, Balwyn, Canterbury, Hawthorn and Toorak,’ Mr Pfeiffer said.

‘In my 20 years of experience in property, I have never sold a property to a Chinese national that has been left vacant, unless it is only a land purchase, where they are required under the foreign investment legislation to redevelop the property within six months.

‘This ensures the creation of jobs for our workforce, which in turn helps stimulate our local economy.’ 

LJ Hooker’s real estate agents in Double Bay refused to reveal information regarding the sale or buyer

The previous owner of the property, recruitment agent Julia Ross, is listed as number 20 on BRW’s Rich Women list, with an estimated wealth value of $65 million

The prestigious Villa del Mare features six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a number of living areas, a bar and an infinity pool all set on 1500 square metres of land.

Its sweeping courtyards and manicured gardens have been designed with a Mediterranean feel while a full view of Sydney’s Harbour can be found in almost every room. 

But despite all its glamour, the property has been on and off the market since 2011, when Ms Ross put it up for sale before hastily taking it down.

Ms Ross bought the grand non-waterfront residence for $21.5 million in 2005 before finally committing to part with her home in August of this year.

This year, the recruitment queens has moved up a spot to number 20 on BRW’s Rich Women list, with an estimated wealth value of $65 million. 

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