Despite Auckland’s Level 4 lockdown, keen buyers are still snapping up properties, with houses in Mangere Bridge and Onehunga in central Auckland selling over the last few days for between $2.4 million and $2.6 million, and another in South Auckland's Manurewa setting a local record for development sites.
On Saturday, a three-bedroom house at Kiwi Esplanade in Auckland’s Mangere Bridge sold after just one weekend of open homes.
Ray White business owner Jared Cooksley, who marketed the property with Ethan Yearbury, told OneRoof that switching the property from an auction to a set date of sale when lockdown was announced opened up the property to more buyers.
“We’d only had one weekend of open homes, so a set sale allowed conditional offers to have a go, as not everyone would have had time to get building inspections done by Tuesday and there were delays getting finance approvals.”
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The three-bedroom house on the waterfront at Kiwi Esplanade, Mangere Bridge sold for just over $2.6m. Photo / Supplied
Cooksley said the strategy resulted in multiple offers, with the immaculately renovated property selling for “just over $2.6m.”
He added that the first few days of lockdown saw lots of people walking around the Mangere Bridge waterfront and asking “what do we do to get into the area?” The buyers were a downsizing couple leaving a central city townhouse to be closer to the water.
“It won’t be long until we crack $3m on this waterfront. Standard properties are more low to mid $2m, but a big house a few years ago sold for over $3m and that will happen again.”
A brand-new four-bedroom home on Arthur Street, Onehunga, Auckland sold at an online auction on Wednesday for $2.448m. Photo / Supplied
On Wednesday, the first day of lockdown, a brand-new four-bedroom home marketed by Ray White agents Frazer Mackenzie-Johnson and Michael Zhang sold under the online hammer for $2.448m, after 103 groups viewed the property and 12 bidders registered for the auction.
Mackenzie-Johnson said: “Six weeks ago, comparable new builds in Onehunga sold for around $2.2m. We had one bidder register just 30 minutes before the online auction began, seven bidders were very active past that $2m, three kept going until $2.2m and a battle at the end by the last two took us to nearly $2.5m.”
He and Ari Starr have brought another auction forward to this Wednesday for a smartly renovated three-bedroom brick and tile home on Mays Road, Onehunga, after the vendors accepted a pre-auction offer on the weekend.
“We had over 75 groups through in two weekends, there are a lot of first-home buyers who are very keen.”
Meanwhile, a four-year-old, three-bedroom home in 26 Kearns Drive, Scott Point, Hobsonville, will go to auction as planned this Saturday, August 28, he added.
Both Cooksley and Mackenzie-Johnson said that vendors were keen to get their properties on to the market, with both prepping listings now for homes that have already been photographed, rather than waiting for Level 3.
Last May, a three-bedroom house in Farquhar Road, Glendene, was listed and sold under level 3 lockdown conditions. Photo / Supplied
Mackenzie-Johnson said that in last May’s level 3, he listed and sold a “traditional renovator do-up” in Glendene to first-home buyers.
“It was a great time to buy. Previous experience gives people confidence, private viewings at level 3 work.”
Cooksley said his agents were still keeping listings in play, some continuing with auctions if there is plenty of interest from unconditional buyers, others switching to other methods for conditional buyers.
“We’re flexible, but if photos are done, we’re pushing on with listings. The demand is still there, we’re getting really good results.
“Some vendors need to go as they’ll have settlement out the other side [of level 4] on places they’ve bought, people are ready to sell who are mid-transaction.
“July was dead this year as people delayed for school holidays after last year’s boom, so it’s going to be hectic as soon as we’re in Level 3 . We’ll get rammed.”
A three-bed house on a development site in Carbery Place, Manurewa set local records after selling at an online auction for $1.108m. Photo / Supplied
In South Auckland’s Manurewa, an online auction was brought forward to yesterday on a three-bedroom house at Carbery Place, Manurewa, after a pre-auction offer of $1m.
The 1970s house on a 627sqm site zoned for density was pitched by Ray White agent Karam Hundal at investors and developers.
Eight registered bidders pushed the price to $1.108m, nearly twice the property’s council ratings valuation of $570,000. OneRoof records show it changed hands 17 years ago for just $217,000.
Ray White Manukau principal Tom Rawson believes the $1767 per square metre price achieved is an area record for that zoning.
“Several registered bidders had never even visited the property before bidding, meaning our virtual trading can continue,” he said.
“Hopefully, this pushes some other landowners off the fence and onto the market.”
