- Expat Kiwis bought Winston Peters’ former Tauranga home, listed for $2.675 million.
- Agent Ben Hawan noted strong interest in the character home, rare in Tauranga.
- Another character home in Otumoetai, priced at $2.995 million, is also attracting attention.
Expats living in the UK have snapped up Winston Peters’ former Tauranga home last month for an undisclosed sum.
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Oliver Road listing agent Ben Hawan declined to say what the four-bedroom house on Cooneys Drive, Matua, had sold for, but the property had been on the market for $2.675 million - $100,000 more than its RV.
Hawan, who marketed the home with colleague Jason Eves, told OneRoof there had been a strong interest in the property.
In their listing on OneRoof, the agents highlighted the Deputy Prime Minister’s link to the property and its historic connection to the Cooneys, one of the region’s most high-profile families.
The Cooneys Drive house boasts views of Mount Maunganui. Photo / Supplied
Winston Peters in 2005. He represented Tauranga as an MP for more than 20 years. Photo / Getty Images
However, Hawan said more people were interested in the property itself, noting that character homes were a rarity in the Tauranga market. “We mentioned [the Peters connection] in our advertising so people were aware of it and people asked the question, but that's really as far as it went.”
The house, which has a pool and views of Mount Maunganui and Tauranga Harbour, hit the market in June last year and had attracted a mix of local and out-of-town interest,
The eventual buyers were Kiwi expats who viewed the house while on holiday in New Zealand.
Expat buyers in the region weren't uncommon, Hawan said. He had sold a house on Myres Street house, in Otumoetai, to Kiwis living in Geneva. The sale was conducted via FaceTime, with one of the buyer’s parents coming through to appraise the property on their behalf.
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Most of those who bought sight unseen were originally from Tauranga, so had local knowledge, the agent said.
Hawan and Eves said they had another rare character house in Otumoetai up for grabs - a five-bedroom house at 39 Lemon Grove Avenue, on for $2.995m.
“It's another character home. It started life in the 1930s and for many of the same reasons [as Cooneys Drive] - view, location and style – it has been exceptionally popular," Hawan said.
A five-bedroom house at 39 Lemon Grove Avenue, in Otumoetai, Tauranga, is for sale for $2.995m. Photo / Supplied
The property is one of the few character homes in the city. Photo / Supplied
“I won't go as far as to say scores of people through but it certainly has been the most popular listing we have had of late.”
The house was owned by a doctor in the 1940s and run as a doctor’s surgery, and was in a location that had always been desirable with the Tauranga elite.
Photography of both the Lemon Grove house and Peters’ former home showed them sitting on huge plots of land, said Hawan.
“They were both very important houses back in the day, original houses, and they've been subdivided and built around over the decades.”
One of the reasons why people with wealth purchased and lived in the suburbs was the view.
“I mean, the view from 39 Lemon Grove is just second to none. You've got this beautiful wide, 180-degree view with the Mount and Matakana Island central to it."
He added: “A number of people from the Waikato who have seen this and [have fallen] just head over heels.
“Winston’s was popular and special but I think this one's got a broader fan base. A bigger house, a bigger view, a bigger section and a bigger price.”
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