- Kelly Maipi and Phil Pirihi found a home in Weymouth after participating in the show.
- Christine, a pilot, appreciated the experience but continues her search for a city apartment.
- Aaliyah and Michael purchased a Hobsonville Point townhouse, overcoming decision paralysis with the show's help.
OneRoof caught up with the buyers who appeared in this year's season on AA Insurance Location Location Location New Zealand. Finding a home in 2025 proved challenging for some of the show's participants, but the experience, for the most part, was worth it and helped them see what's possible in the current market.
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Kelly and Phil – Episode 3
Former Kiwi Fern Kelly Maipi and fiancé Phil Pirihi had been looking for a home in South Auckland for themselves and sons Jaxson and Bailey, and by the time host Jayne Kiely met the family, they were at the end of their tether with the search.
“At that time, we were viewing houses, going to auctions and missing out,” recalls Kelly. “So we thought we’d mix it up and give the show a go and try something new, thinking that maybe the experts could find us a house and we might learn a little bit.”
Kelly and Phil did not buy anything they saw on the show, but they did learn some tricks that helped them land a house. Photo / Supplied
Jayne took them to three quite different properties, and although they were very interested in the last one, they ultimately decided to wait for the right place, which they found in Weymouth and moved into just weeks after filming.
While they would have loved to have found a home through the show, Kelly and Phil found the process a lot of fun and very rewarding, especially as they picked up some incredibly valuable advice from Jayne. “She gave us the confidence to negotiate and be a bit more cheeky with our offers,” says Kelly.
“Before the show, we were thinking about the seller’s feelings a lot, but Jayne came from another angle. She told us it’s just a starting point and that we know personally what we can go to, so it gave us the confidence to do that.”
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The family watched their episode together, and the boys in particular got a real kick out of it. “They knew it was coming, but actually seeing it and hearing their names on TV was so cool for them. They loved it,” says Kelly.
“Another big reason for doing the show was so that the kids can look back on it when they’re older and remember what the process was to get into this house.”
While their new home only had one bathroom (top of Kelly’s wish list was two) Phil has been busy and put another one in – the beauty of home ownership.
“It’s just about finished, and it’s so nice to be able to do whatever we want here,” says Kelly.
Christine – Episode 5
Bachelorette and keen pilot Christine, accompanied by hilariously dry cousin Naz, was on the hunt for a new city central apartment. Despite being suitably wowed by all three homes, sadly it wasn’t to be and her search continues.
Still, she’s grateful for the experience and Jayne’s expertise, and really valued having the assistance of an unconnected third party taking a more practical approach.
“It was pretty amazing how she came up with those properties, and she absolutely nailed the fact that location was incredibly important to me,” says Christine.
Jayne also gave Christine, and Christine's cousin Naz, a fresh perspective on the market. Photo / Supplied
“I was amazed at what you can find in Auckland Central in that price range because I have to be honest, at the beginning I didn’t think she would find me anything!”
“I really needed a fresh perspective – somebody outside my circle to say ‘hey, what about this?’ It’s the same when I go shopping, I like the assistant to come and say to me, ‘hey how about trying that?’”
The house hunt is currently on hold – she’s been too busy flying in the sunny weather - but Christine is optimistic about increased summer opportunities.
Christine was looking for a lock-up and leave in central Auckland. Photo / Supplied
“The experience did give me an enhanced appreciation for the place that I’ve got, it is truly beautiful. Then I do have to counsel myself that there are other factors to a home, not just how beautiful it looks!”
She celebrated her and Naz’s episode screening in suitably fabulous style. “We had a big Oscars Party night here, with a red carpet, the Oscar statue, champagne, popcorn and ice cream.”
“We had a lot of fun, and all of our friends and relatives really enjoyed seeing us on the screen. There was a point where everyone was laughing so loud I couldn’t hear – it was at a comment that Naz had made that everyone thought was hilarious.”
Aaliyah and Michael - Episode 6
Aaliyah and Michael became season two’s success story – falling in love with and subsequently purchasing the stylish Hobsonville Point townhouse Paul showed them.
By the time they filmed the show, they too were completely over the house hunt, so were beyond grateful to have three potential properties expertly curated to meet their exact criteria and budget.
“We were so tired of all the driving around and toing and froing,” says Aaliyah. “Like, 'how dare I relax? I should be looking at houses!'”
Season two success stories Aaliyah and Michael with their real estate hero, Paul Glover. Photo / Supplied
“So this was like being handed the home on a silver platter. The purchase was still a stressful process, but it took away all that initial work of finding ‘the one.’”
Their day jobs had also gotten in the way of choosing a property in the past.
“I work in investments, and Michael is an insurance guy through and through. Even when he’s not working, he’s thinking about risk aversion - he’s got backup plans for his backup plans!
“It’s helpful to have those mindsets, but can also be a curse, and we ended up with huge decision paralysis.”
The couple found a new home in Auckland's Hobsonville Point. Photo / Supplied
She says the show helped put things into perspective and realise what their must-haves were.
“I didn’t want a townhouse, but here we are, and I love this house. That’s Auckland - there are a lot of really great townhouses out there, and this one is freehold and only a duplex.”
Working with Paul was also a highlight.
“He is such a character. He had all these gags that didn’t even make the cut. People asked, ‘Is he as funny as he comes across on TV?’ and we said, yes, he’s got big Dad joke energy.”
Despite Michael’s initial reluctance to be on camera, “he said to me, I’m doing this out of love for you!” the couple had loads of fun and loved being part of production.
“They took really good care of us and were so fun to be around.”
Lastly, the former city slickers have fallen head over heels in love with their new neighbourhood.
“We would never have looked out here without the show, but the area is amazing. We recently went to Christmas on the Point, which had food trucks and a performance from the local school’s kapa haka.”
They even purchased some kayaks on a Black Friday sale and were able to launch them down the road and enjoy four hours out on the water recently.
“It’s been such an amazing lifestyle change.”
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