Most real estate agents like to think they have a special connection with the property they are selling, but for Michael Ball the claim is no exaggeration.
Mr Ball's great, great grandfather - a former Mayor of Sydney, Michael Mason Chapman - was the original owner of a historic sandstone residence in Faulconbridge that recently went on the market for the first time in more than 20 years.
The Grose Road property was inherited by Chapman's granddaughter, Mollie Chapman - Mr Ball's grandmother - who was the housekeeper for famed artist and author, Norman Lindsay.
While the property's ownership has long passed from his family, Mr Ball, from Betters Homes and Garden Real Estate, said he was "honoured" to be the agent selling it.
"My nan lived there and it's were my mum grew up," he said.
Built in 1890 by stonemason Patrick Ryan, the residence was originally named 'Knock-y-theina' for the former Sydney mayor (1871-1872). The property was later renamed Phoenix Lodge with the name plate from a previous residence on the same street, known today as Coomassie, transferred.
A rear extension was added to the 1287-square-metre property in the 1980s and later in 2015, while two self-contained sandstone one-bedroom studios have also been added.
Mr Ball said he expects the property to sell in the $1.8 million to $2 million range.
"It's a very unique home so there will be a unique buyer for it," he said.
Mr Ball never set foot in the property as a child, despite being an expert on it today. His grandmother had sold Phoenix Lodge before he was born, buying a new home just a few doors down.
"Other than seeing the sandstone outside as a kid, I'd never been inside," said Mr Ball.
