Scotland’s most expensive property has gone on sale in St Andrews, the “Home of Golf,” for a hefty price tag of £7.3m.
What does £7.3m get you in today’s real estate market?
Well, the property is a four bedroom apartment with access to a roof garden, comes with a butler and a concierge and there is a restaurant and café on the lower level with an Italian Garden in an interior courtyard.
You don’t have to be a property expert to know that the real value lies in what’s outside the buyer’s windows – a pure unspoilt view down the 1st and 18th holes of the Old Course, St Andrews, the most famous golf course on earth and the place most closely associated with the birth of the sport.
The luxury penthouse apartment is situated in Hamilton Grand, the vast rust coloured building which fills the horizon behind the 18th green and which has lived a colourful former life as an Army HQ, a hotel and most recently accommodation for students of the University of St Andrews.
Pricey Pepperpot
The “pepperpot,” or Hamilton as the locals and students call it was bought by U.S billionaire Herb Kohler, owner of The Old Course Hotel and Whistling Straits, Pete Dye’s famous links course hewn into the Wisconsin coastline, back in 2009.
Kohler’s company is converting the building into 26 apartments, ranging in size from 1133 to 2780 sq ft, with prices starting from £2.2m.
The project has stuttered through the last five years, with unfounded rumours that Phil Mickelson had bought the penthouse apartment and tales of notoriously slow sales.
It now seems to be back on track despite the building looking more like a building site than a luxury abode (see picture above).
Selling agents Savills say the buyer is most likely to come from overseas lured by the idea of owning a property on the edge of the world’s most famous golf course.
Savills Jamie McNab, told STV (Scottish Television) that: “British buyers just don’t get these prices, but St Andrews is seen as a mecca for golfers, to be played at least once in a lifetime, so property here is highly prized and money no object with a lot of buyers.”
Previously, the most expensive flat in Scotland is believed to have been Whittinghame House, East Lothian, which sold for £2.5m in 2010.
Debbie Taylor, President Hospitality and Real Estate Group, Kohler Co, said:
“Hamilton Grand will be a unique real estate opportunity for those who want to own a home in the birthplace of golf and a premier destination that is rich in history – the holy grail of golf.
We are looking forward to restoring the building using our restoration expertise, and returning a piece of Scottish history to its landmark status.”
Potential buyers visit: www.hamiltongrand.co.uk