The biggest parcel of land to go up for sale in a popular surf town in years has been snapped up within five weeks of hitting the market.
The two back-to-back properties on Esplanade Drive and Beverley Terrace, in Whangamata, had been held by the same family for the last 60 years and had a combined RV of $5.72 million.
The exact sales price had been kept confidential at this stage.
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Three generations had holidayed in the prime spot just across from the beach where the previous owners had enjoyed sitting on the elevated deck watching the surfers, swimmers and action from the surf club.
The house and section were listed separately last month, but there was the opportunity for someone to buy them both as both were being sold by a deadline process which closed on 4 April.
The Beverley Terrace section, with its mature trees, had once been the only way to access their four-bedroom Lockwood bach until the council put a road between the sand dunes and the houses on what is now known as Esplanade Drive.
The deck of the four-bedroom home on Esplanade Drive was a good spot for watching surfers and swimmers. Photo / Supplied
Whangamata Real Estate salesperson Sharon Laurenson did not respond to requests for comment on the sale before deadline, but earlier told OneRoof that empty section on Beverley Terrace had been sold off once before and the owner regretted it so much they later bought it back.
The two properties had a total section size of 1800sqm overlooking the beach, which is the largest parcel of land to be sold since a developer snapped up the 1.66-hectare Whangamata Camping Ground, on Barbara Avenue, was bought in October 2020 for $14.5m.
Laurenson previously said the combined properties came up for sale at the same time had “created quite a buzz”.
While some had been interested in using the large Lockwood home for family holidays, the 1012sqm back section in the extra density zone provided a blank canvas for both developers and people wanting to build their dream home.
The 1012sqm bare section was expected to appeal to people looking to build their dream home in the beach town. Photo / Supplied
Empty sections or larger sections with older baches that will be bowled and rebuilt continue to be in demand in the town as people look for sites close to the beach where they could build their dream homes.
Harcourts Whangamata business owner Alyce Rowe said people buying sections in Whangamata seemed to be holiday-makers wanting to build on the sites. Sections closer to the beach were always more popular, she added.
"Buyers at this point are price driven and location driven and it's still nearer the beach sells."
An original two-bedroom, one-bathroom back at 119 Ajax Road, in Whangamata on a 1004sqm section is being marketed as "having so much development potential. It has an asking price of $1.25m.
In March, an empty section close to the beach on Barrowclough Road sold under the hammer for $2.2m, below its RV of $2.6m.
Bayleys salesperson Dale Sholson, who sold the property, told OneRoof at the time that the section was unique in that it was close to the beach and had never been built on.
He said they were seeing some tightly-held and unique properties that had been owned by families for a long time suddenly hitting the market, and there was big demand for them.
“Whether they are absolutely pristine, large or have a big shed – whatever. Unique in some way.”
A few weeks earlier he had sold a tiny bach on a large section on Otahu Road for $1.675m, which was well above its RV of $1.03m.
Many of the larger sections that sold in the town earlier this year seemed to have been bought to landbank in the first instance, but would likely be built on in the future.
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