The owner of this character home in an idyllic environment, overlooking Point Chevalier Beach, says that he and his wife mused about buying a property in the area while on a morning walk in 2016, and agreed it was unlikely that anything suitable would come to market, but a few days later they spotted the listing for 518 Point Chevalier Road and realised that it was “meant to be”.
“We were incredibly lucky because we needed to sell our existing property nearby, but that went well and we’ve now had seven very happy years here, by the water,” he says.
Over that time the couple have shared the home with family members and staff from their hospitality business but now it’s just them, along with their six-year-old son, and the four-bedroom home feels somewhat too large.
“We’ve decided it’s time to downsize,” says the owner.
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518 Point Chevalier Road in the Auckland suburb of Point Chevalier is on the market for sale by negotiation. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom property has a 2021 RV of $3.55 million. According to OneRoof records, it last changed hands in 2016 for $2.1m.
The house was built in 1910 and, according to a long-time neighbour, it was lifted up around 25 years ago.
As befits its sunny, coastal position, it has a holiday vibe with two large living spaces on the ground floor along with a spacious kitchen and dining area, plus a study. Also on this level is a big separate laundry, a bedroom and bathroom.
The spacious kitchen and dining area are on the ground floor. Photo / Supplied
The current owners have turned the deck into what they describe as a solarium and say that it’s a great place to sit even on rainy days.
Upstairs, a large master suite and two further bedrooms all have wonderful views and there are two private balconies.
“The garage is big, and I love my workshop and my little office out there,” says the owner. While the section is relatively modest in size at 470sqm, Coyle Park’s proximity makes it feel almost limitless.
“When family and friends come over, we often grab fish and chips and have a picnic, it sounds like a cliché, but every day really is like a holiday here.”
The family is moving to another suburb to be closer to the son’s school and they’re looking forward to the change, but they expect to revisit Point Chevalier Beach regularly.
“Who wants to spend hours in traffic getting to somewhere like Matakana when this is right in the city.”
The home is in a sunny position with two large living spaces. Photo / Supplied
518 Point Chevalier Road was built in 1910, and the current owners are downsizing from the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home. Photo / Supplied
Listing agent Derek von Sturmer from Ray White, Remuera, says that the market in Point Chevalier is still active and getting busier all the time.
“We’re seeing up to 30 parties at open homes again, which is good.” He says, however, that there could still be challenging times ahead.
“I would encourage sellers to list now, rather than wait for spring because that’s when many fixed interest rates will be coming off, and people making urgent sales may be forced to sell low which would undoubtedly affect prices generally, so where we had benchmark highs, we could get benchmark lows.”
Von Sturmer says first-home buyers are definitely about, as properties which would have fetched $1.8m at the market’s peak are currently selling for around $1.4m, making them more affordable.
He points out that people have a habit of staying in the suburb, moving within it – as and when circumstances require – so a lot of contracts are conditional on buyers being able to sell.
He says that while the word “unique” is thrown around a lot in the real estate industry, 518 Point Chevalier Road really is in a class of its own.
“It’s got everything – the beach, the park and the fantastic café next door and it was a difficult decision for the vendors to make, because they’ve been so happy here. Their favourite time of year was Christmas when everybody else leaves Auckland and they had this wonderful spot all to themselves.”
