Luxury coastal properties in Northland that are attracting cashed up Aucklanders and expats buyers to the area, could change the vibe of the region completely.
With the number of luxury properties for sale in Northland, could it even become the new Mount Maunganui?
Northland Bayleys agent Irene Bremner says that it’s not going to happen overnight in Russell, one of the key tourist towns in the Bay of Islands.
“There’s a charm and beauty of being up here.
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"Expats are fast-forwarding their five year plans, changing their lives, their goals. They are living amongst millions of people overseas and we only have thousands of people here,” she says.
Bremer says Russell and Northland don’t have enough infrastructure to become the new Tauranga or Mount but One Tree Point, a coastal community on the waterways in Marsden Cove about thirty minutes south of Whangarei, could, Bremner says.
She says it is in high in demand for Kiwis looking to relocate this summer.
One Tree Point, thirty minutes south of Whangarei, is attracting Auckland buyers. Photo / Supplied
“It’s not as dear as Omaha or Matakana or Waiheke Island in Auckland where for $2million you’re being sandwiched against someone else. Here you’re looking into the sea with no traffic lights,” she adds.
The start of summer sunshine makes people want to look for a water-front property and a campaign for the area launched during weekend is already doing well, she says.
Since Covid-19 Bremner sold four properties sight unseen to overseas buyers. One of them was a four-bedroom waterfront property in Okiato Point, about ten minutes out of Russell, sold with John Greenwood. The property, with a CV of $677,000 sold for $1.25million sight unseen to an expat coming back home. It had spectacular views looking across to Opua marina and down the channell to Paihia, and its own private boat shed on the sand.
Just last week, Bremner listed another luxury Tuscan-style residence on olive-surrounded 1.729 hectares in the Parekura Bay, outside Russell for $2.095 million cashed up expats are eyeing up the multi-million-dollar Northern homes.
An Okiato Point waterfront home, 10 minutes from Russell, sold sight unseen to a returning ex-pat. Photo / Supplied
Athena Wang from New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty, who is marketing a lifestyle block at 285 Manawaora Road about 30 minutes from Russell, says that enquiries for the ten hectare property, which will be sold by negotiation, are mainly come from expats. The nine-bedroom, 10 bathroom property, designed by renowned architect Simon Carnachan, is billed as "just four hour easy drive from Auckland, or circa 45 minutes by helicopter."
Enquiries for luxury lifestyle blocks like this one at 285 Manwaora Road are coming mainly from expats. Photo / supplied
“We have high-profile people from overseas enquiring as the property is very high standard.” Wang says.
The 1180 sqm house is divided into four luxury homes and has its own golf facility, an international-sized tennis court and a pool. The gated estate has boatsheds, a pontoon wharf, guest houses and on-site property management.
It was constructed in a way that the residence can be used as four separate luxury units.
Wang says: “Everything here is done on a big scale. Even the spa pool is built for up to 24 people."
At the opposite end of the scale is a three-bedroom Kaitaia home asking $199,000 - one of the cheapest properties listed in Northland. It also has had plenty of interest.
Ray White agent Edith Dunmore says the 90 sqm home at 6B Grigg Street on a cross-lease site, received five offers in less than two weeks on the market, and is already under contract.
The offers mainly came from investors or first home buyers, she says.
Possibly the cheapest find in Northland, this 90sq m Kaitaia house received five offers in under two weeks. Photo / Supplied
"That's what we've got here, buyers are either investors, first home buyers or high-end property buyers but the trouble is to get listings.”
Dunmore says anything in that price range sells quick.
"It's a very aggressive market at the moment. Especially for properties like this one because we're one of the cheapest [markets] in the country,” she adds.
