- TV star agent Jayne Kiely sells her Whangamatā bach for just under $3 million.
- The property attracted four bidders at auction and an opening bid of $2.6m.
- Kiely described the sale as emotional, noting her family's cherished memories at the beach house.
The co-host of New Zealand's Location Location Location has sold her family bach for just under $3 million.
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Ray White Remuera Jayne Kiely listed the five-bedroom beach pad on Rangi Avenue, in Whangamatā, at the start of the year and took it to auction at the weekend.
Kiely told OneRoof that 115 groups attended the open homes, and a crowd of around 60 people turned up to Saturday's auction. Four people registered to bid, one of whom brought the auction to a halt with an opening bid of $2.6m - well above the RV of $1.925m.
There were some negotiations with the bidder, and a deal was struck later that day for just under $3m, Kiely said. “The buyers have had a long association with Whanga through friends and family, so this is a special place for them,” she said.
Jayne Kiely with her dog on the beach. She says Whangamata has been a great retreat. Photo / Fiona Goodall
The five-bedroom bach has been the perfect entertaining space for Kiely and her family. Photo / Supplied
Kiely said the sale was an emotional one for her family. “It’s a big chapter of our lives that we’ve absolutely loved, so we wish them all the best.”
She said of her next move: "We’ll take a breath and then look for something else, maybe closer to Auckland.”
Kiely previously told OneRoof that the bach had been the perfect escape for her and her family. “It was a good retreat for me. You come down here, and you don't wash your hair for a couple of weeks, and you don't put your makeup on, and you get the sand between your toes; you're not wearing high-heeled shoes.
“As soon as you drive into town, into Whangamatā, it's such a great vibe.”
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Kiely often gets a friendly “hi Jayne” or a smile from people she doesn’t know because of her TV show, though not always.
When she talked to OneRoof at the end of December, she was just getting the bach ready to list. She said she had just been to the supermarket with her unwashed hair up in a bun and no make-up.
“I'm probably a bit hot and sweaty because I was off buying some cleaning products, and I'm literally in my cleaning gear, and this lady looked at me, and she shook her head and said, ‘No, that's not her.'”
Kiely said she looked “frightful”, but no one in the town cared: “They're just very friendly, very lovely people.”
The property had a classic Kiwi bach vibe when Kiely and her family bought it 10 years ago. Photo / Supplied
The agent says she saw potential and spent years giving the beach home a makeover. Photo / Supplied
When she and the family purchased the property in 2016, for $875,000, it was a classic Kiwi bach on a decent section with a rickety gate and an unassuming little house.
Kiely said she walked in, took in the blue kitchen and orange benchtop, and saw potential. “We knew we could do something special with it. When you've got young boys, or teenage boys, they could all have their friends here with tents, so many tents, so many people staying, so it was just a brilliant spot for teenagers to hang out all summer. It wasn't a flash house or anything, and we just loved it.”
They went on to renovate the house, so everything inside was new, bar one shower. Rooms were rearranged with two bedrooms lost in the process of making the “teeny, tiny” lounge into a great big one, but the bedrooms were regained when they added a guesthouse.
The bach is close to the beach and has an RV of just under $2m. Photo / Supplied
Kiely with her Location Location Location NZ co-host Paul Glover. Photo / Supplied
She said it had been a bit of a challenge being on the other side of the real estate divide as she readied the house for sale. “I'm looking at every leaf that blows in here and going, ‘Oh, my God, get that leaf out of here’ like a crazy woman."
Kiely said they were selling because the family was not using it as much as they should. “I'm busy in Auckland. Not only am I doing real estate, but I've been filming Location, Location, Location, and we're just not getting down here as much, and the boys are both living in London, and who knows when they're coming back, so it's probably time to pass the baton over to someone else now. This house needs a family again.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Whangamatā
