- A tiny blue cottage in New Brighton attracted over 120 people on its first open day.
- Ray White agent Ricky Cave says demand has surged, especially from first-home buyers, due to falling interest rates.
- Christchurch property investor Nathan Broughton noted New Brighton’s redevelopment has made it a “hot property”.
A tiny blue cottage in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton attracted more than 120 people on its first day of open homes.
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Ray White agent Ricky Cave, who is part of Team Holly Jones, said the crowds at 51 Blake Street caught him and colleague Sydnee Wallace by surprise.
“Sydnee turned up, and there was a queue all the way down the street. And she was just like, ‘Oh my God’.”
So many people had turned up to inspect the 80sqm three-bedroom home, they had to operate a one-in, one-out system, with Cave noting that the attendance numbers were the highest in 30 years for Ray White’s New Brighton office.
The cute cottage was a magnet for first-home buyers wanting to be near the beach. Photo / Supplied
The house has a price indication in the $500,000s – within the price range of first-time buyers – and is in an up-and-coming suburb. “New Brighton is coming up. It’s taken a long time, but it’s getting there,” Cave said.
“It’s still very affordable – 100%. It’s probably the most affordable beachside suburb in New Zealand.”
Cave said demand – mainly from first-home buyers, second-home buyers and out-of-towners – had picked up significantly in recent months, the result of falling interest rates.
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He noted that a lot of properties were being snapped up before the agents had a chance to put them on the open market.
“Team Holly Jones has sold 240 homes so far in 2025, with the last three months over winter being the busiest months.”
Christchurch property investor and coach Nathan Broughton said New Brighton had long been touted as a suburb to watch. “I’ve been investing for 20 years, and it’s always been, ‘Oh it’s the next best thing’, and it never has been – it’s always been crap. And then all of a sudden, they’ve got their act together and it’s really hot property. It’s mental.”
The housing market in New Brighton has picked up over the last few months on the back of first-home buyer demand. Photo / George Heard
The Rocks, a new commercial precinct on Southshore, is one of several developments underway in New Brighton. Photo / Supplied
Broughton said the redevelopment of older homes and some commercial properties, including the revamp of the New Brighton Mall, had played a big part. “People are suddenly going, ‘Oh, this makes sense’.”
Cave and his partner, Ray White agent Holly Jones, are among those investing in the suburb. The pair recently purchased an “as is, where is” building on Caspian Street, in South New Brighton, and are in the process of transforming it into a commercial precinct.
Prominent hospitality operator Troy Bilbrough, of Bacon Brothers, has already signed up as the lead tenant for The Rocks in Southshore, and the couple are busily looking for three retailers to take the other spots. Bilbrough, a Brighton local, missed out on buying the property at auction but was later approached by Jones and Cave to run his new family-friendly restaurant South Beach Beer Garden, which will serve food such as ice creams, coffee and woodfired pizza.
“It’s a legacy property for us. Holly grew up in that area, so we are going to keep this property forever; we are going to make it beautiful,” Cave added.
- 51 Blake Street, New Brighton, Christchurch, is for sale, deadline closing November 4
