A family in Sidney, Australia is being praised for resisting the urge to sell their property to developers who have bought all the land around it, despite being offered tens of millions of dollars for it.
The Zammit family home has become one of the most famous properties in Sydney both because of the way it stands out among the dozens of cookie-cutter homes surrounding it and the resilience of its owners. While every one of their old neighbors agreed to sell their land to housing developers, the Zammits have refused every offer so far, and have no plans of moving away anytime soon. The Australian family has been praised for refusing to sell out and continuing to live on their five acres of land despite the financial temptation and pressure from developers.
Seen from above, the Zammit property looks like a miniature replica of New York’s Central Park, a green oasis surrounded by neat rows of bland, grey houses. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and developers have been throwing money at the family, but they refuse to sell their dream home. The latest offer was 50 million AUD ($33 million), way more than others have been offered for similar properties in The Ponds suburb, but then again, this one is the last of its kind.
The Zammits, have remained private, not speaking about the offers they have received from developers, and have expressed no intention to move from their land, although they admit that the area is not as beautiful as it once was.
This house in Australia has continually rejected offers for purchase, most recently a $50 million dollar offer, per 7News: pic.twitter.com/jCtxOMTCn6
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) May 7, 2023
“It used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages,” 50-year-old Diane Zammit told Daily Mail. “Every home was unique and there was so much space – but not anymore. It’s just not the same.”
The family is apparently not interested in selling, and they have no need for the millions being thrown at them by property developers. They’ve earned the praise of both local real estate agents and their neighbors, who love having the green oasis in their crowded neighborhood.
“I’m very happy they’ve refused to sell – it means we have a cul-de-sac which is much safer for our kids – and their big lawn next to us makes it feel like we’ve got so much space,” one neighbor said. “Our neighbors don’t get that because the other houses are so close together. We’re very grateful! I hope they stay.”
The Zammit property in Sidney has been compared to China’s famous nail houses, singular homes whose owners simply refused to relocate or demanded too high a price from developers.
