After months of searching for the perfect abode, last week Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic finally settled on a family home in Sydney’s lavish Castlecrag.
WATCH Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic’s pre-lockdown outing
But while the pair are no doubt excited for their new chapter, Karl’s inner circle tells New Idea there’s growing concern the Today presenter could become stretched thin.
Currently, Karl and Jasmine, 37 – who share daughter Harper, 1 – are splashing out thousands of dollars on rent in the same exclusive suburb, while they make plans for costly renovations on their new home before moving in.
According to insiders, a monster mortgage and excessive rent could be the cherry on top of a host of expenses, which includes a second mortgage on their Noosa holiday home and it’s reported $250,000 renovation.
While the pair boast a stack of valuable assets, the insider alleges Karl, 46, is on a mission to claw back his previous salary after it was reduced when he returned to Nine in 2020, following his year-long removal from Today in 2018.
“He went from in excess of $2 million salary to about $1.2. That’s a big drop for someone who has a host of mortgages and expenses,” says the insider, who also notes Karl and Jasmine enjoy the finer things in life. “There might come a time when he’s stretched thin if something doesn’t change.”
It’s believed Karl’s extensive bills started piling up after forking out over $60,000 for their Palm Beach commitment ceremony in March 2018, before spending an eye-watering $750,000 for his and Jasmine’s extravagant nuptials in Mexico in December of the same year.
“That’s not the sort of money that you ever get back,” tells the source, who says as newlyweds the pair also rented a huge $3000-a-week property on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, before they rented two other properties to date.
Making matters more stressful, the insider says Karl is feeling the pressure to provide nest eggs for all four of his children.
“It all comes back to keeping the family happy– if you look back at the big house Karl bought with [ex-wife] Cassandra in his old life, that luxury million-dollar mansion, naturally Karl wants the same again.
“His new home has six bedrooms – it says it all. They definitely want more kids and, by the time they’re done, they might have a house each for them!”
