Merry Christmas to her! Shark Tank investor scores massive real estate win after selling beach house worth $28.5 million
A luxury beachfront property on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has sold for $28.5 million, setting a new record for the area in 2025. The home, known as Maravilla, was owned by businesswoman and Shark Tank Australia investor Maxine Horne. Originally listed at auction in early December, it changed hands later that month in a private deal.
Horne first purchased the Sunrise Beach property as a vacant block in 2023 for $12.5 million. The finished home now spans six bedrooms and six bathrooms, with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Before this sale, she sold another high-end residence in Brisbane’s New Farm for $18 million in 2024.
Horne built her wealth after founding Fone Zone, a mobile phone retail chain, in 1995. Her company later became Vita Group, which generated annual revenues of $875 million. In 2021, she sold her IT interests in Vita Group to Telstra for $110 million. Her estimated net worth now stands at around $900 million. The Sunrise Beach property, located 160 kilometres north of Brisbane, failed to sell at auction on December 6. However, a private deal was finalised before the end of the year. As of December 23, no public records confirm another $28.5 million sale in the same area for 2025.
The transaction marks the highest recorded property price on the Sunshine Coast this year. Horne’s sale adds to her recent real estate activity, following the $18 million Brisbane deal in 2024. The luxury market in the region continues to attract high-value sales from prominent buyers.
