- A Christchurch couple bought a Governors Bay home for $1.35m after a three-and-a-half-year search.
- They paid $200,000 above the reserve, beating two rival bidders at auction.
- The property’s sweeping sea views and Cashmere High zoning helped attract strong interest.
A Christchurch couple paid $200,000 over the reserve for a house with a sea view from almost every room, ending a three-and-a-half-year search for their dream home.
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The empty-nesters made a pre-auction offer of $1.15 million for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home on The Terrace, in Governors Bay, but it took $1.35m to secure the property.
They faced fierce competition from two other bidders at last week’s Harcourts Grenadier auction.
Harcourts listing agent Emma Baird had thought the couple would miss out, telling OneRoof that they sat on the sidelines until the last moment.
The home boasts sea views from almost every room. Photo / Supplied
Baird said the new owners had been looking for a home in Governors Bay for over three years, as had the underbidder. “I had a couple of pretty sad people after the auction,” she said.
The vendor was also emotional after the auction, although her tears were tears of joy after pocketing an extra $200,000 from the sale.
“She just couldn’t believe it – unbelievable. That’s life-changing for people – it’s a huge amount of money they just weren’t expecting to get.”
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Baird said Governors Bay was a tough market to pick and when she listed the property, she knew it could go one of two ways: sell “very quickly” or take “forever”.
However, she said the impressive view out to Lyttelton and Port Hills ended up being a major hook.
“It was just picturesque, I’ve never sold anything so beautiful,” she said.
“Every room except the laundry and one bathroom had a view ... that was surprising for people because that’s not normal.”
Waitahuna is one of Banks Peninsula’s oldest homes. It was built in 1851 and is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years. Photo / Supplied
At the time of writing, there were four houses in the suburb for sale on OneRoof, including two on big sections: a three-bedroom, one-bathroom heritage home, known as Waitahuna, at 1 Main Road, and a four-bedroom, one-bathroom at 88 Main Road.
Baird said while Governors Bay was classed as Banks Peninsula, it was in the popular Cashmere High school zone and only about a 20-minute drive from Christchurch.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Banks Peninsula
