The large number of awards seemingly attached to Christchurch homes could be due to all the re-building that happened after the earthquake, pushing the traditionally conservative Cantabrians to think “out of the box”, the city’s top agents say.
And while award-winning houses for architecture, design, interior, building or even landscaping may help grabs buyers’ attentions and gets people through the doors of open homes – it's hard to prove whether they actually get top dollar.
A 1970s home on Westburn Terrace, in Ilam, which won the best renovation project in the 2021 TIDA NZ Renovation of the Year Awards, sold under the hammer last week for $1.31 million, more than double its 2019 RV, after a four-way bidding fight.
Interior designer Angelique Armstrong bought the run-down house in 2017 for $461,000 before bringing the earthquake-damaged house into the 21st century.
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TIDA judges were impressed with how the house had been revamped, while still maintaining a comfortable, lived-in ambiance and paying homage to the best aspects of the original design.
Listing agent Cameron Bailey, of Harcourts Gold, said the home was unique and architectural. “It was built in 1972 and its’ still a super cool house today,” he said adding that the architecture was probably the big selling point for the house.
The house on Westburn Terrace was bought 2017 in a run-down condition for $461,000 and sold last week for $1.31m. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen is stylish and on-trend. Photo / Supplied
The awards did help highlight how good a house it was, though. “For it to win awards, there’s got to be something special about it,” he said.
“One of the things at the moment is buyers are a lot fussier about what they buy and what they pay so I think that awards and accolades highlight a good property and gets more people to them because they think there’s something special about them. So, more people come to view them then you’ve got more chance of finding more buyers for them.”
Bailey, who also sold an award-winning waterfront house on Desmond Street for $6.7m last year, said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were more award-winning houses in Christchurch because a lot of houses had been built or rebuilt since the earthquake.
“Those people have used great architects and great designers and great materials and that’s why we’ve probably got a lot of wonderful houses in Christchurch – it's such a good city at the moment.”
Bayleys agent Adam Heazlewood said there was a “really good on-trend feeling” with a lot of the new construction in Christchurch.
“I think architecture has been pushed a bit further. Typically, Cantabrians are conservative, but I think there’s been a lot more out of the box and out of the shell showings. It’s been fantastic.”
While having an award-winning house was nice and “social proof”, ultimately whether a house sold and what it sold for came down to the individual buyer, he said.
Heazlewood said while it would be very rare for him not to mention an award for a house in the marketing, there was no science to suggest award winning houses sold for more.
“I would like to think (they sold for more) but without two exact same homes – one with an award and one without and then you need the same buyer to buys it – it's just an impossible science to calculate. It’s just a formula you’ll never know. But again, it just adds to that credibility.”
A four-bedroom home on 32 Mt Pleasant Road, Mt Pleasant, which was designed by Common Architecture, is on the market for sale. Photo / Supplied
An artist's impression of a four bedroom home at 85 Normans Road, in Strowan, which has been designed by Figure & Ground. Photo / Supplied
Likewise, homes built by award-winning builders also gave people a sense of confidence, he said.
He is currently marketing two homes with such titles advertised.
A bespoke property at 85 Normans Road, in Strowan, is advertised as being designed by Figure & Ground and constructed by Matt Harrison Construction. “This bespoke home is an exquisite example of high specification design and immaculate finish,” the ad said.
While a property at 32 Mt Pleasant Rd, in Mt Pleasant, was built by John Ross Architectural Builders and designed by Common Architecture and “showcases how close collaboration between owner/builder, architect and interior designer can produce a chic, beautiful and liveable home”. Both homes are priced by negotiation.
Najib Real Estate managing director Nathan Najib said whether an award-winning home got top dollar also came down to the location because people in the more premium areas such as Fendalton or Scarborough were more likely to pay more money for bragging rights.
“In the high-end what I’ve found is they like to say, ‘I’m living in a house that’s award winning’.”
Award winning homes often got more money, he said, usually due to the fact that they also tended to be hi-spec.
“It’s only when people get emotionally attached to a house that you get the best price for them. It could be an award-winning home and not have the nicest layout and it wouldn’t make a huge difference.”
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