The Block judge and Whitefox Real Estate chief executive Marty Fox and his wife and business partner Charlotte Fox are selling their Toorak home, less than four years after buying it.
The couple purchased the home in 2021 and extensively renovated the circa 1890 property while settlement was going through.
“We bought it on a six-month settlement, and we actually renovated it before moving into it,” Mr Fox said.
“I had a license to occupy the property to renovate and that took us about four months, which was a very intense renovation.”
Made more intense by the fact that Charlotte was heavily pregnant with their third child at the time.
“I was 40 weeks pregnant the day we moved in – and I popped the next day,” Ms Fox said.
Marty and Charlotte Fox are set to sell their Toorak home. Picture: Ash Koek
The expansive, meticulously renovated five-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Melbourne’s most exclusive suburb is a far cry from the first property the couple owned together.
“The pool is larger than the first property we flipped in St Kilda,” Mr Fox said.
They have certainly come a long way from that first property – this being the 15th home they have renovated together.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
It was meant to be their “forever home”, but so was the one before that – an Italianate Victorian terrace in Middle Park which they sold in 2021 for $7.35 million after buying it just two years earlier for $4.5 million.
“We didn't want to move from there either, but then I saw this and it was just something in my gut,” Ms Fox said.
“The market was really strong in Albert Park and Middle Park at the time. And I was like, ‘if we want to get this, now it's time to sell’.”
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
She was right – the pair purchased the Toorak property for $7.2 million – $50,000 less than what the previous owner paid in 2017.
“You read the plate beautifully on that,” Mr Fox said to his wife during the interview with realestate.com.au.
“Even though I was dreading moving with being so pregnant,” Ms Fox responded. “But I was just like, ‘I think we need it’.”
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
From overlooked to opulent
The house was tired, but it had potential in the eyes of the experienced renovators, who worked with – rather than overhauled – the existing floor plan.
"It's not about changing the architecture, the architecture's been done for a reason. How do you amplify the architecture? Add bi-folds, add period French windows, create booths, add V-Luxes [skylights]," Mr Fox said.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
They worked with the features of the existing home, yes – but the renovation was anything but slap-dash.
Lead by Castley McCrimmon Architects and executed by Dome Building, every corner of the Victorian home has been transformed to bring back to life the stunning period details and add modern luxury and amenity.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Ceiling roses, ornate cornices and fireplaces honour the home's heritage, as do the antique, hand-made, glass light fittings sourced by Ms Fox from Europe.
Chevron floors in blonde timber run through the hallway into the living spaces beyond, while plush carpet is cosy underfoot in the bedrooms.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Speaking of warmth, the bathrooms exude it – with grey-and-maroon-veined marble, brass tap ware and underfloor heating.
The marble theme continues in the pristine kitchen – this time in more neutral tones – and it cascades from the splash back to the bench tops.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Shaker-style cabinets and brass hardware are a nod to the home's Victorian past, while the butler's pantry and integrated appliances place it firmly in the 2020s.
A sunken meals area features a built-in leather banquet, while the open-plan living room opens to the deck beyond. There is also a grand formal dining room adjoining the living area.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Back to that deck, where an impressive outdoor fireplace from New Zealand company Trendz Outdoors begs to be hovered around on this crisp Melbourne day.
Down to the garden and it's a family paradise. Pool, rumpus and gym, sauna, grass for days and even a pickleball court – made possible by Mr Fox's wily negotiation skills.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
He approached the neighbour to the rear of the property to see if they would be interested in selling part of their backyard. After an initial rebuff, the owner gave in – that was – only if the Foxes would buy the entire house.
The couple purchased the neighbouring home and added roughly half that block to theirs – taking their original 1160sqm piece of land to more than 1400sqm.
"It's the largest landholding between Hawksburn and Toorak Villages," Mr Fox said.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Why sell their 'forever home'?
"Our business is growing and we're travelling a lot, and we feel that our dream is to be able to have a home in Queenstown [New Zealand], a home on the Gold Coast – which we now have – and a smaller home in Melbourne," Mr Fox said.
"I think we have the ability to live between three places with a growing, global brand now."
Marty and Charlotte Fox are selling their "forever home". Picture: Ash Koek
Beyond the logistics of running the business – which expanded into New Zealand in 2022 – the renovation bug has once again bitten the couple.
"We're in flow as a couple when we're renovating. So we bring in very different skill sets to the renovation project. One of us will spot the opportunity, Charlotte will do interiors, I'll do floor plan design, we'll work in with an architect like we did on this one."
Where to next?
Mr Fox was tight-lipped on whether or not they have secured their next reno project, only to say the couple has "options".
"So we can go interstate. We can go overseas or we can go locally where we identified something that is really suitable," he said.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
Away from the hustle and bustle of the inner-city, perhaps?
"Never. We're urban dwellers," Mr Fox said. "We're not country people, but we've got country values.
See the home before Marty and Charlotte Fox renovated it
The Toorak home prior to renovation. Click to see the whole gallery. Pictures: realestate.com.au
“We've loved all the places and everyone's like, ‘how could you leave?’ But if we didn't leave the last one, we wouldn't be here."
“So, if you're looking at this …” he said, gesturing to the marble-clad, light-filled kitchen and the living room beyond "... what do you think the next one's going to be?”
The home has a price guide of $12 million to $13 million and is being sold via an expressions of interest campaign ending on 24 June.
Marty Fox's Toorak home has hit the market. Photo: realestate.com.au
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