The two high-rise investment flats were bought in early 2021, some two years after the tower cracking disaster.

The two flats were purchased to generate income to fund scholarships for Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Design students.

The University of Technology Sydney has offered funded scholarships in honour of the self-taught designer and mentor, who died suddenly in 2015. These students are eligible for scholarships of A$15,000 to A$24,000 over two years.

The most expensive flat, 3403/1 Brushbox St, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study, costing A$1.08 million, and is being rented for A$820 per week through Waterpoint Asset Management. The flat was last rented at $570 per week at the end of 2021.

Flat 3205/1 Brushbox St has a bedroom and study, costing $688,000 and rented for $675 per week. The flat was last rented for $450/week in late 2020.

The acquisition of Barnett Manor is one of the few sales since the crack, all from the building's developer, Ecove, which is headed by Bassam Aflak, who is also a trustee of the Garth Barnett Fellowship.

The evacuation of residents from the Opal Tower building on Christmas Eve 2018 subsequently triggered a sustained effort by successive NSW state governments to improve the effectiveness of strata building construction.

Some five years on, the original owners are still struggling with exit prices.

There has been only one sale this year, of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom flat on the 22nd floor. While the price was not disclosed, last month the seller asked for $1.075 million, whereas in 2014 the seller had paid $1.61 million, which may have been the largest price reduction yet for the infamous building.

Last December, there was another big drop. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom 23rd-floor flat fetched a whopping $1 million, well below its 2014 off-plan sale price of $1.48 million. The 87 square metre flat had been on the market for almost a year.

The only condo that sold for a profit was the damaged 10th-floor condo in 2019, which may have been the worst affected by cracks of the 392 high-rise condos. It was a one-time purchase by builder Icon Co, whose $950,000 asking price was about $158,000 more than the $742,000 paid in 2014.

As with the Barnett flats, an examination of recent lettings suggests an improvement in rental income for struggling landlords.