The story behind Whistler’s $32-Million Stonebridge Drive estate sale

The story behind Whistler’s -Million Stonebridge Drive estate sale

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“Groundbreaking sale of Stonebridge Drive estate sets new residential sales record in Whistler, B.C. — Engel & Völkers $32-million sale marks highest property sale in Whistler to date.” 

That may be the headline, but it’s not the story, says realtor Max Thornhill, who, along with his mom Maggi Thornhill, were the listing agents for the stunning contemporary house. “It makes a good headline,” says Max, but the real story is about the people who developed Whistler for the last 50 years to bring value and community, the homeowners who took on the massive project, the architects who designed it and the builders who constructed it.

“It took unbelievable technical knowledge, great quality and persistence,” says Max. He and Maggi are license partners of Engel & Völkers Whistler. “We feel like we deserve the conversations, but the owners, architect and town are the story. We’re lucky to be here.”

There was a “rumbling” from the clients six months to a year before they made their decision to sell, he says. “With properties like this, there’s no duplicate. It wasn’t an easy (decision). It’s part of their legacy, like a family member.”

 
 
The sellers, who Maggi has known for years socially, poured hearts and souls into creating the work of art in a spectacular mountain setting. “The husband and wife were chasing the perfect architecture and not settling for something less than perfect.” But once they decided to sell, it was ready to hit the market a few months later.
 
The property, designed by architect Bohlin Cywinksi Jackson, includes a cliffside infinity pool and over 3,000 square feet of decks and terraces. The interior has a distinctive spiral floor plan with six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a floating staircase, a wine room, and a spa.
 
Max says it took three months to figure out pricing, choose the right company to create a video and develop a marketing plan (with the help of the head office). The goal was to launch at the start of the summer, a high-end sales period in Whistler, along with Christmas and ski season.
 
Determining a price was not an easy feat for a property with no real comparable. A neighbouring property was valued at $9 million, and they deemed it would be similar for this lot.
 
Next, they talked to the builder about replacement costs, “reverse engineering to see what it would cost to build now, including the architecture fees and soft costs. It would cost more than $39 million to replace.”
 
 

The Thornhills concluded that being under the $40-million price point was the best place to start. From the real estate angle, he says “many people told us we were wrong pricing a house in the $30 millions.” At the time of listing, the property was the highest-priced listing in all of Canada.
 
Multiple information-gathering tours of the home were made at different times of the day to fully appreciate the detail and technical skill that went into its design and construction.
 
“We had to go through it a lot, multiple times to study the sight lines and let each detail reveal itself,” he says. For example, the oculus are carefully placed to act as light cannons to the wine cellar. There’s also one above the hot tub. At a certain point, the moon moves through the middle of the oculus. He says the time and energy that it took to plan is unimaginable. “You wouldn’t know everything that went into building the house.”
 
Created with a timeless design and quality materials, the nine-year-old home seems brand new, Max says.
 
Select “quality individuals” who understand this kind of quality and network with people who can afford it were invited to tour the residence and provide feedback.

Max and Maggie Thornhill, Engel & Völkers Whister

 

Next up: a high-quality video, “a cinematic story based on the property, was spectacularly shot,” he says. “The house is incredible on film.”

Understanding that a buyer could come from anywhere, a “broad brush” marketing campaign was created.

“We had extreme confidence that it was going to sell, whether it would take four months, a year or two years,” he says. There was a “significant amount of interest over the last 12 months.”

The buyers, described as a 30-something, self-made couple, purchased the home along with the neighbouring lot resulting in a total purchase price of over $40 million, inclusive of taxes.

 

 

Whistler has a reputation like Aspen and Vail and attracts the same kind of buyer. Whistler, incorporated in 1975, is full of people who have created incredible things, says Max, who has been a realtor for 19 years. Maggi has been selling in Whistler for 36 years. 
 
Also, “we have fresh air, mountains, healthy living and a positive environment. The town is the reason people are buying. They love the town and then find the home that suits them. The government and private sector working together put this great Canadian town on the map. The town is a bright light.”
 
Despite its prices, growth and being the largest tourist driver in the province, “Whistler is overwhelmingly a small town with small-town values,” says Max. “We look out for each other.”

All images courtesy Maggi Thornhill and Max Thornhill, Engel & Völkers Whistler

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