Construction is now underway on architecturally designed houses by the water in Lakeside, the new Te Kauwhata community attracting owner-occupiers and investors with freestanding new homes priced well below what they’d cost in Auckland.
The upgrade of the main road into the nature-focused development is almost complete and 140 lots are ready to build on. Work has commenced on the first 26 lakeside houses with first homes to be delivered in Quarter One 2020.
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Winton Senior Investment Associate Duncan Elley says: “Kiwis love living beside water.
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“And Lakeside enables people to live by the water in the centre of the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga for prices well below those typical in those areas.
“We’ve got new two-bedroom freestanding homes starting from $499,000.”
Property development company Winton’s master-planned community is designed to complement nature. It will offer 1600 homes over the next 10 years in this semi-rural lakeside environment on the edge of Lake Waikere and Te Kauwhata’s existing township.
Buyers can purchase off the plans from an extensive portfolio of two, three and four bedroom architecturally designed homes with a 10 year building guarantee. There are no body corporate fees for these standalone freehold homes on their own 362sq m - 854sq m sections with the option to buy a section from $235,000 to design your own home for.
Winton has historically focused on well-known locations including Hobsonville Point, Queenstown and Wanaka but Duncan says Lakeside’s location has huge potential.
He says: “Lake Waikere is one of the biggest shallow peat lakes in the North Island but previously a lot of people haven’t been aware it even exists. You’ve got to actually drive through Te Kauwhata township before you see it.”
New residents can tap into Te Kauwhata’s existing community with its township’s main street with cafes, shops and a pub plus existing facilities including a medical centre, library, primary and secondary school. Lakeside ‘s own facilities will include a village centre with café-restaurant, a convenience store, childcare and medical centres and retail and office spaces.
It’ll exist in a relaxed environment with more than 80 hectares of park-land, boardwalks, walking and cycling trails, plus an additional new man-made recreational lake.
SGA Architect’s 30 house designs range from two to four bedrooms and include 16 designed at the more affordable end of the spectrum. Examples include The Alexander (a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 69sq m home from $499,000), The Kennet III (a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 91sq m home from $569,000) and The Waikato IV (a four-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 137sq m home with garage from $695,000).
Duncan says Lakeside is appealing to both owner-occupiers - including down-sizers, professionals and young families - and investors. Lakeside investors are forecast to get a return on investment of around 5% per annum, he says. Investors can register their interest at [email protected] for a Waterside investment event at Bayleys Head Office, 30 Gaunt St, 5.30-7.30pm on October 17.
It’s in a region forecast for continuing strong population growth, identified by Government as a major commercial centre, strategic residential centre and key transport node with easy access to key highways north and south and the new Hamilton-Auckland commuter rail service starts next year.