Watch: Private tour of record $50 million listing in North Carolina
HIGHLANDS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — If you have $50 million burning a hole in your pocket, this home might be just what you’re looking for.
Queen City News got an exclusive tour of the mountaintop mansion that’s the most expensive listing ever in North Carolina.
Precisely on the line of the Eastern Continental Divide, at the top of Sagee Mountain, sits a home so exquisite, that we just had to get a tour.
Appropriately named “Sagee Manor” the estate itself straddles the Macon and Jackson County lines.
“It was the detail and the thought that was put into the property, really, from end to end,” said listing agent Reed Jackson with Christie’s International Real Estate.
The 7-bedroom, 10-bathroom home and guest house took 5 to 6 years to build and required dynamite to blast through granite at the top of the mountain.
Although the estate is just seven minutes from downtown Highlands, many features were milled, carved, and hand-assembled on-site.
Reed Jackson walked Queen City News through some of the top attributes.
“From the point you enter the massive hand-crafted white oak doors and then past down into the grand hall, it’s two stories and has an expansive view of the mountains, but yet it has kind of a cozy classic feel,” Jackson said. “There’s a little bit of European influence.”
The current owners spared no expense, pouring in eight-figure enhancements of their own.
“To refer to these selections as wallpaper is almost criminal,” Jackson said.
Many of the walls are fully upholstered with fabric imported from Europe. Each room telling its own story in a unique way.
“If you look at kind of the whole theme in here, you’ve got pink cabinets to match the wall covering,” Jackson said.
The white oak molding inside the home was all hand-carved. Some with pieces of mountain-themed artwork etched into the wall.
Inside the garden room, the ceiling is covered with panels of fabric perfectly aligned to seamlessly showcase artwork of native birds.
The main estate has an elevator, a wine cellar, an indoor grill, and seven fireplaces throughout.
“This kitchen actually has a fireplace that you can use on a cold day,” Jackson said.
Heading into the formal dining room Jackson said, “One of the things you’ll notice in this room is the incredible quality of the crown moldings,” Jackson said. “These are the moldings that were hand painted by an Italian artist he flew over.”
Sagee Manor House: Guest House
The primary bathroom has dual vanities and a one-of-a-kind marble tub, but the real showstopper is the mountain view from the primary bedroom.
“You’ve got the westward view toward Tennessee, which is really spectacular and appropriate for the estate, for sure,” Jackson said.
Built in 2000, the more than 12,000 square foot estate not only has incredible features inside but also has a breathtaking view of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia with Tennessee just over the next mountain range.
Architect Keith Summerour continued the construction quality of the main stay home around the grounds with slate roofing and stacked slate around many of the doorways… and natural stone around the infinity edge pool and encasing entire property.
The landscaping was one of famed English garden designer Rosemary Verey’s last projects before she passed in 2001.
“These bloom up in another month or so with roses and seasonal blooms all year long,” Jackson said.
The main pavilion has a large chandelier, dual fireplaces, and a lounge area with an expansive view of the Nantahala National Forest during both sunrise and sunset.
On the backside, an amphitheater/helipad makes a trip to this mountain retreat just a 10-minute commute from the nearest airstrip and two hours from New York.
Listing agent Reed Jackson says these high-dollar estates are seeing a slight surge of interested buyers.
“The equity markets are really at historic highs,” Jackson said. “That tends to free up capital with private entrepreneurs, so I think there’s definitely a significant audience for a property like this.”
And the $50 million question still unanswered: who’s the owner?
“He is South African,” Jackson said. “His name is Andrew Johnson, and he lives in Johannesburg and also has properties in London and Florida, and I think he’s had a property in Colorado as well.”
Johnson owns Aurora Lighting, a global LED lighting manufacturer, and it’s safe to say he’s done quite well for himself and his family.
“I think the quality of the interior design and exterior architecture, the gardens that were designed by Rosemary Verey and just overall the exceptional quality of this property is pretty unrivaled on the East Coast,” Jackson said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
