'Lifestyles of the rich and famous – in South Auckland'

A five-bedroom lifestyle property in South Auckland sold at auction this week for $4.41 million - $1.875m above its CV.

Bidding for the five-bedroom house on 3982sqm at Redoubt Road, in Flat Bush, started at $3.1m but six registered bidders, three of whom put up their hands, quickly pushed the price past $4.1m - breaking the suburb record by more than $1m.

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Barfoot & Thompson agent Cathay Zang, who marketed the six-year-old property with Nancy Zhu, said interest in the property had been high, with one under-bidder from Hamilton.

She said the three bidders at Wednesday's auction all had budgets of at least $4m, and there were also three back-up offers.

“Some people want to buy here with budgets [of] up to $5m," she told OneRoof.

Country houses on Redoubt Road are still close to the rapidly-growing Ormiston town centre. Photo / Supplied

“I’m hoping the neighbours who came to the open house see what happened and we can have more vendors come in and list their properties to meet the market “I’m hoping the neighbours who came to the open house see what happened and list their properties to meet the market demand.”

Zang said while winding Redoubt Road had many parts, buyers were won over by the fact that the house was hidden from the road and had amazing views across the countryside.

“It was a very good quality build, it took 16 months to build. But it was the views,” she said.

Views across to Clevedon and Whitford to the south and east, the city to the north, are Redoubt Road drawcards. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Paul Sissons said Redoubt Road was the top address for the area.

“This really is the lifestyles of the rich and famous in South Auckland, but you’re 10 minutes from the airport, 25 minutes from the city.”

Sissons and colleague Amanda Platt are listing a grand property on Redoubt Road known as Kauri Ridge Estate with an asking price of $7.5m.

The house was built in 2007 to straddle the ridge, so has 360-degree views across the Clevedon valley, around the airport and Manukau and back to the city, Rangitoto and Sky Tower.

Sissons said the house, which used 200 tonnes of South Island schist in its construction, sits on more than 18,000sqm of land. The country-style lodge is spread over 580sqm and includes a three-car garage, a second purpose-built 10-car garage for car collectors, as well as double lounges, a pool and gym complex with its own kitchen and bathroom, a party room and modern electronic systems. It is the first time the site has been on the market in 32 years.

The 580 sqm luxury house asking $7.5 million used 200 tonnes of South Island schist. Photo / Supplied

“It can never be built out. Other farms sold around here are staying as farms, and nearby properties are for Watercare dams from Hunua,” Sissons said.

Sumwai Wong, sales manager for Barfoot & Thompson for the Flatbush and Ormiston area, said that while Redoubt Road is sometimes referred to as being part of Alfriston, Flat Bush or Manukau Heights, there is no doubt that it has become a very exclusive area.

The curving road runs from the intersection of Great South Road and Manukau Station Road, past the vast green lung of Totara Park and along the ridge above the booming new town centres of Flat Bush and Ormiston.

“People like that it’s not in the wop-wops any more, but you get the tranquility of a large piece of land, elevated with views. They don’t want to drive the winding roads to Whitford, Beachlands or Clevedon and you’re only five minutes from the new Ormiston town centre, which is world-class."

Wong said that despite the land below Redoubt Road being snapped up for development in Flatbush, that was not being carried over to the substantial lifestyle properties.

“In fact, development makes these big places even rarer, so people will fight even harder for these big lifestyle homes.”