The French House sets sales record for Trentham

ACUSTOM-built house set on grounds of just under an acre has set a new residential sales record for Trentham, selling for $2.2 million in recent weeks.

The “uniqueness” of The French House, as it’s known, was a key factor in its record result, sales representative with selling agent Belle Property, Natalie Fagan, believes.

“We had an outstanding marketing campaign. It was huge and very broad spectrum,” Natalie says.

“It was also a very, very unique property.”

The French House located at 7 Gleeson Street sold by private sale for $2.2 million in November.

“It’s pretty amazing,” owner-vendor Narelle Glynn said.

She and her husband Andrew Glynn purchased the property for $265,000 in 2014 and had the house custom-built on site to recreate an authentic French farmhouse, completing the build in 2015.

“When we bought the property, it was a vacant block with a shed,” Narelle said.

The French House went on to grace the pages of Country Style Magazine while its distinctive French-provincial style won it a global following. Features include meticulously hand-selected European components and generous romantic gardens.

Narelle, who works in consulting and professional services, and Andrew, an engineer who works for a private start-up in the defence sector, both share a love of France, speak the language and appreciate the French-provincial aesthetic.

“We lived in France in Toulouse together in 2007 and we fell deeply in love with the aesthetic,” Narelle says.

“But after we had children we realised that we wouldn’t be travelling or getting to France so much so we decided to recreate a little slice of France here.

“We wanted to be really true to French farmhouse design and we pushed pretty hard to achieve that. We had drafting support from an architect friend of mine.”

In setting the new record sales price for Trentham, The French House has sold to a Melbourne couple who are understood to be ultimately planning a transition to retirement at The French House.

“Initially it is going onto the holiday rental market through Daylesford Country Retreats,” Natalie Fagan says.

“But their (the purchasers’) goal is absolutely to retire to the property.”

Narelle Glynn says the decision to sell The French House was due to Andrew’s work commitments and their relocation to Sydney.

Following the sale of The French House the Glynns have since purchased a new property in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Like the selling agents, Narelle also believes a main reason The French House was able to achieve the strong result it has, despite mixed movements on the nation’s wider real estate sector, is largely due to its unique nature.

“I think that it represents the unique nature of the property and recognises the painstaking effort that went into recreating a little slice of France,” she says.

“I also think that buying in a little hamlet that has charm and several cornerstone businesses like Annie Smither's Du Fermier, Redbeard Bakery, and the Cosmopolitan has also been a real factor.”

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Inkd Fotogrfa