Massive estate is largest home ever sold in Charlotte, Realtor says. Here’s the sale price

Joe Marusak
·2 min read

A Lake Wylie home has sold for $5.6 million, becoming the largest square-footage home ever sold in the Charlotte market, a Premier Sotheby’s International Realty spokeswoman said Friday.

The 17,000-square-foot estate covers 11 gated, waterfront acres in the 9200 block of Sweetleaf Place.

The 17,000-square-foot estate graces 11 gated, waterfront acres at 9235 Sweetleaf Place on Lake Wylie.
The 17,000-square-foot estate graces 11 gated, waterfront acres at 9235 Sweetleaf Place on Lake Wylie.

Premier Sotheby’s, based in Naples, Florida, cited MLS Multiple Listing Service records in saying the sale set a record.

Ben Bowen of Premier Sotheby’s Lake Norman-Cornelius office exclusively marketed the home, which Christoper Phelps designed and Acadia Homes built. The design firm and builder are based in Charlotte.

This staircase leads to the second floor of the home.
This staircase leads to the second floor of the home.

Home has 39 rooms, including seven bedrooms

The estate includes a 15,621-square-foot main house and a 1,514-square-foot guest house, Premier Sotheby’s spokeswoman Cindy Wu said.

The home has 39 rooms, including this kitchen area.
The home has 39 rooms, including this kitchen area.

Built in 2008, the home has seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, eight garage spaces and 39 total rooms, according to its listing.

The home also has an elevator; tray and vaulted ceilings; walk-In pantry; wet bar; and carpet, slate, stone, tile and wood floors.

This room is among 39 in the home.
This room is among 39 in the home.

Owner loves the lake views, privacy

Windows and doors designer Wayne Gorell and his wife, Betty, are listed in Mecklenburg County public tax records as the most recent owners of the home. The new owners are not yet listed.

The boat dock of the home on Lake Wylie is pictured.
The boat dock of the home on Lake Wylie is pictured.

Asked by The Charlotte Observer on Friday what he and his wife most loved about the home, Wayne Gorell had a simple answer: “Everything. The space, the views and the privacy.”

With the couple’s grandchildren grown, the home “is too big for us,” he said.

Gorell and Bowen declined to name the buyer. Bowen said the buyer lives out of state and is “nobody well-known.”

The dining area of the home is pictured.
The dining area of the home is pictured.

Realtor involved in other mega-home sales

Bowen has sold other homes in the region that have drawn headlines.

He marketed the mansion owned by the estate of the woman who co-founded the national Window World chain that sold for a record $1.8 million in North Wilkesboro last year.

In 2023, he helped market Merancas, a mansion that came with its own Lake Norman island and was listed for sale for $22 million. The home did not sell, according to public records, and is currently not on the market.

Also in 2023, he marketed a Florida woman’s waterfront mansion in Cornelius that sold for $6.8 million.

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