The year 2025 proved to be a dramatic one in the Australian property market, with a host of the nation's most famous faces making significant and often surprising real estate moves. From sprawling rural estates to compact city apartments, sports stars, actors, and influencers took major gambles, with outcomes ranging from triumphant profits to substantial financial hits.
High-Profile Sales and Strategic Purchases
After a search lasting over a year, model Jesinta Franklin and her AFL legend husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin finally secured a buyer for their lavish Gold Coast mansion, Villa Casa, in November. The couple had listed the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom home three times in 14 months, initially asking a headline-grabbing $10.9 million. While the final sale price remains confidential, the pair had already reinvested, quietly purchasing the $4.6 million Avonleigh Park estate in Guanaba back in July.
In a savvy investment play, actress Rebel Wilson successfully offloaded a Balmain apartment in September. Records show she sold the two-bedroom flat, originally purchased off-plan in 2018 for $1.8 million, for $2.15 million. This netted her a $270,000 profit, a result achieved after she enlisted her sister, Anna Wilson, as her new agent and adjusted the sales strategy.
Not All Deals Went to Plan
For some celebrities, the market did not deliver the expected windfall. Power couple Rebecca and Chris Judd sold their Mornington Peninsula home in May, but public records revealed they took a significant hit. Listed with a guide price of $2.85 million to $3 million, the property ultimately changed hands for just $2.78 million, falling short of their baseline hope.
Similarly, Rebel Wilson's initial attempt to sell her Balmain investment in 2024 for $3.3 million saw the property languish on the market for a month before being withdrawn, highlighting the challenges even stars can face in a shifting market.
Major Acquisitions and Portfolio Expansion
On the buying side, 2025 saw several celebrities make substantial new investments. Red Wiggle Simon Pryce and his wife Lauren Hannaford upsized, splashing $5.7 million on a ultra-modern five-bedroom home in Sydney's Maroubra in November. The purchase followed the sale of their previous Clovelly property for $2.52 million in late 2024.
Singer Tones and I (Toni Watson) significantly expanded her holdings on Victoria's 'Millionaire's Row', spending a whopping $6.4 million in December. The deal secured her three adjoining properties in Tyabb, featuring a charming homestead and two modern four-bedroom homes.
Former cricket captain Michael Clarke made one of the year's most notable purchases, investing approximately $20 million in a sprawling six-bedroom Vaucluse mansion in November. The three-level home, on over 1,000 square metres of land, was acquired via a private treaty deal after being initially guided around $25 million.
The varied fortunes of these celebrities in 2025 underscore the unpredictable nature of the property market, where timing, location, and strategy are everything, regardless of one's fame or fortune.
