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$content = "<p>Apparently, even the super rich are pinching pennies.</p>
<p>As such, the listing price for 'Rock House' -- the low-slung concrete and glass mansion on Hobson Road in Kelowna -- has been slashed by $1M to $16,895,000.</p>
<p>"It's been a pretty tough market for three years," explained listing realtor Kirk Chamberlain of Chamberlain Property Group.</p>
<p>"Very little high-end product is selling. So, potential sellers must adjust prices or prepare to wait it out for a few years."</p>
<p><img alt="<who>Photos supplied by Chamberlain Property Group</who>The view of 'Rock House' from Okanagan Lake." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Rock%20House%20from%20lake(1).JPG" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
<p>'Rock House' -- so named for the strategically placed landscape boulders surrounding the six-bedroom, six-bathroom house at 4358 Hobson Rd. -- was initially listed for sale last fall for $17.9 million.</p>
<p>A potential buyer from Vancouver made an offer, but it fell through.</p>
<p>"The likelihood is that the ultimate buyer will come from Vancouver," said Chamberlain.</p>
<p>"That's where 90% of the buyers of luxury Okanagan real estate come from."</p>
<p><img alt="</who>The view of 'Rock House' from Hobson Road." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Rock%20House%20view%20from%20Hobson.JPG" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
<p>Many people have been familiar with 'Rock House' for years.</p>
<p>Ever since it was built in 1974 it has perennially been either the top, or one of the top, homes in Kelowna based on BC Assessment's annual valuations.</p>
<p>In 2003, when the house was known as 'the glass box', the homeowner, Kelowna businessman Thomas Poole, who had family money, made the news after he died while driving the Coquihalla Highway following a bout of cocaine use and then chocking on an apple.</p>
<p>Plus, the architecture of the place attracted attention.</p>
<p>Ultra-modern, all-white and set amongst boulders on the lake, people who spied it from either Hobson Road or Okanagan Lake either loved it or hated it.</p>
<p><img alt="</who> One of the living rooms." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Rock%20House%20living%20room.JPG" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
<p>The most recent comments on Chamberlain Property Group's Facebook highlighting the listing are also divisive.</p>
<p>"Stunning," reads one comment.</p>
<p>But, then there are also: "Unappealing modern monstrosity," "Former house of Liberace?" and "Looks like a hoarder in the making lived here. The scary thing is how much money was spent to achieve this look."</p>
<p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="314" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F2332962983900420%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>'Rock House' is owned by interior designer and TV personality Cheryll Gillespie and her husband, Roger Hopkins, who made his money as a contractor in Edmonton.</p>
<p>Gillespie, the host and executive producer of the show 'Let's Shop' that ran on CNBC, Fashion TV and Travel & Escape, decorated 'Rock House' in a predominantly white glam-rock palette and aesthetic.</p>
<p>The couple also threw lavish parties at the house, which was used to showcase Gillespie's business, Rock House Style.</p>
<p>When the couple bought 'Rock House' in 2005 they paid $4.8 million, which, at the time, was the most ever paid for a single-family home in Kelowna.</p>
<p><img alt="</who>Dining room to dock." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Rock%20House%20dining%20room%20to%20dock.JPG" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
<p>Chamberlain Property Group is using the price drop to reintroduce 'Rock House' to the market as one of the "Okanagan's most legendary waterfront estates."</p>
<p>The listing goes on to say: "Rock House is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own one of Kelowna's most iconic lakefront properties. Set on 1.76 private acres with 172 feet of premier Okanagan Lake frontage, this extraordinary estate delivers over 9,700 square feet of architectural sophistication, timeless design and unobstructed open-water views that refine luxury living."</p>
<p><img alt="</who>One of the six bedrooms." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Rock%20House%20bedroom.JPG" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
<p>Despite Chamberlain saying the market is slow, even at the upper end, he sold a $16-million waterfront mansion called Villa Vista LeLago at 12999 Pixton Rd. in Lake Country last year to buyers from Alberta.</p>
<p>Also last year, there was a $32-million, 8.5-acre estate with 20,000-square-foot mansion sold at 12391 Pixton Rd, making it the most expensive residential transaction in BC.</p>
<p>We'll leave you with the parting words in the 'Rock House' listing -- "More than a home. More than waterfront. A legacy estate. A statement of prestige. A collector's property for those who expect the exceptional. This is Okanagan luxury without compromise."</p>
<p><img alt="</who>Kirk Chamberlain of Chamberlain Property Group is the listing realtor." class="img-responsive" src="/files/files/images/Kirk-1-1024x819.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" /></p>
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