- Kiwis are selling Queenstown-Lakes holiday homes and moving to Hanmer Springs for lower prices and less traffic.
- Hanmer Springs offers properties averaging $860,000, significantly cheaper than Queenstown-Lakes’ $2m-plus homes.
- The village attracts buyers seeking community spirit, outdoor living, and its renowned hot pools and forests.
Kiwis who bought holiday homes in Queenstown-Lakes over a decade ago are selling up and moving to Hanmer Springs, where prices are $1 million lower and commuter traffic is almost non-existent.
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The picturesque Canterbury village, which has around 1200 permanent residents, is well known for its hot pools and slides, but real estate agents say the water attractions are not the reason people buy there.
Bayleys agent Harley Manion told OneRoof that Hanmer Springs was a popular spot for Cantabrians, who have long loved its community spirit and outdoor living, but more recently, the alpine village was attracting buyers from Queenstown, Wanaka and Arrowtown.
A three-bedroom H-frame at 41 Chalet Crescent is looking for $619,000-plus. Photo / Supplied
A three-bedroom home at 56A Jollies Pass Road is another entry-level property for sale in the village. Photo / Supplied
“I’ve been an agent here for 15 years, and I grew up here. Pre-Covid, you’d do a sporadic deal for someone down in Wanaka and Queenstown, but post-Covid, that’s jumped significantly,” he said.
Manion said buyers from Queenstown-Lakes could get around $2m for their baches there and buy something for much less in Hanmer Springs. According to the latest OneRoof figures, the average property value in Hanmer Springs is just under $860,000 – well below the $2m-plus buyers can expect to pay in Queenstown-Lakes.
Manion said some of his Queenstown-Lakes buyers were looking to escape the rat race and traffic. “When these people bought in Wanaka 10 or 20 years ago, Wanaka was much more quaint and quiet. Hanmer Springs is still like that and still has that romance, which they like.”
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Manion said Hanmer Springs didn’t have the lakes or the big commercialised ski fields, but it did have thermal pools, which attract more than 500,000 visitors each year. The surrounding forests were also stunning, and the village was close to two family-friendly ski runs.
“It’s a very different experience, because you’ve got one with water and one without water. I guess as people age, watersports and boating become less important to them. Being able to relax in the hot pools and walk in the forest, to have the fresh air and mountain scenery, that’s more appealing perhaps.”
Most of the town’s properties were holiday homes, Mansion said, with owners renting them out on Airbnb to help cover costs.
A three-bedroom home at 45 St James Avenue, on one of Hanmer Springs’ most popular streets, has an asking price of $849,000. Photo / Supplied
An architecturally-designed, three-bedroom lifestyle property at 1 Tennyson Close is heading to auction next week. Photo / Supplied
Prices start from around $500,000 but can hit $3m-plus for higher-end lifestyle properties. Manion is currently selling a three-bedroom H-frame home at 41 Chalet Crescent for $619,000-plus and a three-bedroom brick home at 45 St James Avenue for $849,000.
“St James Ave is one of our most popular streets. It’s right in the central village, so you could keep it yourself or you could rent it out.”
Occupancy for holiday lets hovered around 45% and 55%, but the rate for centrally-located homes with a unique point of difference was much higher, Manion said.
Harcourts Hanmer Springs branch manager Jackie Frame said the village attracted a wide range of buyers, from first-timers to retirees. “The pools are a big reason why we are here, but they are not necessarily the big reason why people are buying. It just depends on the age and stage of the family.”
Like Manion, Frame had also noticed a flow of buyers from Queenstown-Lakes, who were taking advantage of the lower prices. “You are still getting mountains, but it’s peaceful,” she told OneRoof.
“A lot of retirees thank us because [Hanmer Springs] has become a hub for family get-togethers. Christchurch is less than two hours away – an easy distance on a Friday after work.”
Frame also has some entry-level homes on her books, including 56A Jollies Pass Road, which has an RV of just over $500,000, and 28 Acheron Heights, which has an asking price of $735,000. Lifestyle properties, such as an architecturally-designed, three-bedroom home at 1 Tennyson Close, were also popular.
She said some buyers liked to be a bit further out of town, for extra peace and quiet, but “everywhere in Hanmer is walkable”.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Hanmer Springs
