- An Australian music fan bought a Christchurch townhouse sight unseen after attending Electric Avenue.
- Brian Kelly paid $649,000 for a two-bedroom Armagh Street property near the new stadium.
- Christchurch agents report growing demand from out-of-town buyers seeking central city bases.
An Australian music fan’s first visit to Christchurch left such an impression that he bought a townhouse there sight unseen.
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Queenslander Brian Kelly and his Kiwi partner Sharon had been planning a trip to Queenstown at the start of the year when they heard about the Electric Avenue music festival and decided to get tickets.
“I love New Zealand. I had just never been to Christchurch,” Kelly said.
The couple had VIP access to the February event, which featured Split Enz, Dom Dolla and Basement Jaxx, and ended up attending an after-party at a house close to Hagley Park.
While they were in the city, they decided to have a look around. Kelly liked what he saw and suggested that they buy a house.
The two-bedroom Armagh Street townhouse was priced at $649,000. Photo / Supplied
“It was definitely random because we’d never spoken about buying anything in New Zealand," he said.
“But I think once I got over there and we spent a couple of weeks on that trip at the start of the year, I was like, this is a really lovely place.
“We just said, 'You know what, we’re not getting any younger. We’re not old, but we’re not young; we’re in our 40s.”
Christchurch was an obvious choice, he said, because they wanted to spend more time with Sharon’s extended family who lived there. The city also reminded Kelly of Melbourne, where he was born and bred.
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“It just makes sense. We love going to, you know, events, music events or sporting events ... so, I think there’s a lot of progression happening in that area.”
With the help of Vivacity agent Aaron Pero, the couple eventually settled on a $649,000 two-bedroom townhouse on Armagh Street, about 600m from the new Te Kaha One New Zealand Stadium.
Kelly said there were a few hoops to jump through, but after about five months of negotiations and paperwork, they struck a deal.
They received the keys in July and will see and stay there for the first time in September, when they come over for another holiday.
Split Enz headlined this year’s Electric Avenue even. Photo / Radlab
Kelly said the plan was to use it as a New Zealand base and put it on Airbnb when they weren’t using it.
Kelly said he was looking forward to spending a lot more time in New Zealand and exploring Christchurch. The couple also plan to return to Electric Avenue at the end of February next year.
Pero said most of the clients he was dealing with were out-of-towners looking for a central city base. Some were farmers from the wider Canterbury area while others were from further afield, including Temuka, the Bay of Islands and Hawke’s Bay.
Pero had also noticed a lift in inquiry from Australia, but Kelly was his first Australian buyer in several years.
“There’s a lot of hype around it [Christchurch]. And people are obviously coming to Christchurch and just like Brian and Sharon, are putting their money where the vibe is.”
People were often weighing up buying lock-and-leave apartments and townhouses in Merivale, which were slightly more affordable, compared with the more convenient central city, he said, adding that convenience often won over affordable.
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