Rhiannon Ingle
One family refused a $50 million offer from developers who constructed a suburb around their entire property with neighbors are 'very happy' with their decision.
The Australian homeowners were not willing to part with their beloved Windsor Castle-style home and refused to put a price-tag on their residence.
So, developers decided to build a whole neighborhood circling the property which - if we're being frank - sticks out like a sore thumb amid the rows of uniform housing.
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The historic property in question, just 40 mins away from the centre of Sydney, boasts a 650-foot driveway surrounded by a green garden oasis as well as a panoramic view of the neighboring Blue Mountains.
The house stretches across five acres of land which equates to two-hectares of area and has become a symbol of the family's determination to stay in their neighborhood despite the very tempting external pressures.
Don't think I'd be too happy giving that all up either but some people, for a hefty $50 million, would part ways with the pad in a heartbeat.
The Zammit family, however, were not one of them.
The new-build development is located in The Ponds area near Quakers Hill with local real estate agent Taylor Bredin, giving the family credit for sticking to their guns not moving.
He told 7News: "The fact that most people sold out years and years ago, these guys have held on. All credit to them."
Bredin went on to suggest that the land has the ability to accommodate up to 50 houses subdivided into 3,200-square-foot blocks.
He revealed that every one of the 50 potential lodgings could be valued at around one million dollars each.
While the Zammit family are happy they have kept hold of their 'dream' home, they have commented on how the overnight development has affected their living situation - claiming the area is almost unrecognisable from when they first moved in some 16 years ago.
"It used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages,' mother Diane Zammit, 50, told Daily Mail Australia.
"Every home was unique and there was so much space - but not any more. It's just not the same."
Neighbors of the Zammit family have since opened up about what it's like to live next to them following the whole ordeal.
One, whose home directly faces the property, revealed: "I will wave to them when I see them outside and they always wave back, but I don't really speak to them.
"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."
They added: "Our neighbors don't get that because the other houses are so close together. We're very grateful! I hope they stay."
Well, from the looks of it, it seems they will.