Real Estate titan’s ‘nerve wracking’ family home sale

News Corp Australia Network

Despite his towering success in the realm of real estate, industry titan Andrew Coronis finds himself unexpectedly anxious as the vendor for his own family home.

“Selling a house is kind of like hanging your washing on the line for everyone to walk past and look at,” Mr Coronis said.

“Even if everything goes right during a property sale, it’s still nerve wracking.”

With 35 years of skin in the game spearheading the largest wholly owned, end-to-end real estate business in Queensland, Coronis Group, the sale of his 13 Bennison Street home in Ascot will be a reluctant one.

“My wife Anna found this house one Saturday in 2007 with three kids in tow when I was busy working,” he said.

“She knew it was her home the minute she walked up the front stairs.

“She always wanted us to stay here until we got our kids through school and our son Samuel has just finished Grade 12, so we achieved that.”

As the couple embraces the bittersweet transition to almost-empty-nesters they are now channeling their passion into a poignant project – the renovation of a new home just 500m away.

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“We love this area, this street had 40 children in it when we first arrived, and there are still about 30,” Mr Coronis said.

“To have found such a family-friendly haven for us was invaluable and so we aren’t going far.

“We are taking on a new project as we take on a new stage of our life – we’re excited, but we didn’t make this decision lightly, it’s already a tough one.”

But the hard-won insight Mr Coronis will apply to navigating his own situation was not acquired exclusively in the boardroom.
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Instead, his progress is a fusion of business acumen and steady commitment to family life.

“Above all else the real estate industry is about patience, as there are a lot of things in life,” Mr Coronis said.

“When buying a property, you must be patient for the right one to come along and when selling a property, you must be patient for the right buyer to come along.

“Personally, we’ve known we were going to make this move since 2016 and we’ve planned for it since then.

“But that is how long it has taken for this move to align as the next goal for our family.”

Renovators at heart, both he and wife Anna look forward to rolling up their sleeves with a new blank canvas, but that doesn’t mean the art of patience doesn’t still apply.

“Renovating is all about patience too, but not because of the ups and downs of it,” he said.

“The best way to renovate is to move into a home first and get a feel for it before you go making major changes.

“Architects, no matter how good they are, benefit from you bringing your experience of actually living there to the project.”

This composed approach to home improvement was what led to the pièce de resistance of 13 Benninson taking shape – its main living area.

Enclosed with show stopping frameless lotus glass doors, the inspiring space was born from Mr Coronis’ dislike of washing down dusty verandas on his day off.

“I wanted to feel as if I was sitting on the veranda, but inside,” he said.

“We created a room that combines the kitchen facility, dining area and lounge as the place we all congregate.

“That’s where the magic happens as a family, and I would say we spend 70 per cent of our time at home there.

“I hope we can replicate that space somewhere in the new house, somehow.”

13 Bennison Street, Ascot will hit the market on 4 December.