Your guide to Auckland's affordable housing options

Friday, 5 October 2018

Onehunga Bay offers apartments and terraced houses.

Newly constructed homes are proving a popular option for first-home buyers.

They are exempt from loan-to-value restrictions that normally apply to mortgage lending. In some cases, banks have been lending up to 95 per cent of the purchase price.

Data from Colliers shows that there is significant construction work under way in Auckland of multi-unit and apartment complexes. Across the city, there are 82 buildings set for completion before 2021 and 4784 units. The bulk of these are in west and central Auckland.

Stuff looked at some of the affordable options being built in the city. Note - body corporate fees apply in most terraced and apartment complexes.

* Fletcher Living house built in a day at Hobsonville Point

* Introducing the 'walk up' at Hobsonville Point**

Five affordable apartments

Set, Avondale: A central Avondale development of apartments and walk-up masonry terraced houses. Apartments have a communal lounge and garden for residents. A 46 sq m option is currently for sale at $560,000 or you can pay up to $795,000 for a 74 sq m option.

Standalone houses are available at McLennan, South Auckland.

Sugartree: The final stage of the Sugartree development has been released for sale, with apartments starting from $545,000. It contains around 287 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with a rooftop garden. A good option for those wanting to be in the inner-city.

Library Lane, Albany: Stage two of the LIbrary Lane development is now available. Prices start from mid $500,000 for one bedroom plus study, and from high-$600,000s for two bedrooms.

Tuatahi, Mt Albert: Near Unitec and within walking distance from train stations, buildings two and three are currently selling. You can pick up a 40 sq m apartment with a scooter park for $435,000, or pay up to $765,000 for a 64 sq m option.

Bernoulli Gardens, Hobsonville Point: This development includes five apartment buildings, with a residents' lounge and communal gardens. Much of the project has already sold but there is still a 76 sq m apartment with balcony listed for sale at $730,000 and an option with its own garden at $765,000.

Five affordable townhouses

The opening of Bernoulli Gardens, Hobsonville Point.

Airfields, Hobsonville Point: An apartment and terraced house development, which will eventually reach 900 homes. The second stage includes 500 homes. At the moment 45 are up for sale. Five will be offered to eligible buyers as affordable housing via a ballot, drawn on October 28. Two of these will be one-bedroom apartments for sale at $499,000 and three will be two-bedroom apartments for $599,000.

Richmond, Mt Wellington: A terraced housing development with communal spaces, including herb gardens. One, two and three-bedroom options are currently for sale. One-bedroom homes sell for $585,000, two-bedroom for $670,000 to $775,000 and three-bedroom from $885,000 to $890,000.

Pomaria Estate, Henderson: Construction hasn't yet started on this West Auckland development. It is offering two- and three-bedroom townhouses, priced from $585,000, with fee simple titles.

Fletcher Living development at Horo Rd, Ormiston: Two-bedroom townhouses are ready to view from October 6, selling for $679,000.

Onehunga Bay Terraces: This development, 10 minutes from the airport, is made up of a mix of housing sizes. There is one one-bedroom unit without a carpark left, for sale at $510,000, or three with a carpark for $530,000.

Affordable standalone options

Twin Parks: There are just over 150 sections on a 12-hectare site in Papakura. The average section size is 475 sq m, with a 5000 sq m neighbourhood park. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom 168 sq m house is currently listed at $899,000. Other houses in the development have recently sold in the early $800,000s.

Fletcher Living development at Waiata Shores: A five-bedroom home with three bathrooms and garaging for two cars is currently listed at $970,000. The development, in Conifer Grove, will contain more than 500 homes once it is complete, including terraced and standalone options.

McLennan: The ballot is currently open for KiwiBuild properties in McLennan, Papakura. The KiwiBuild homes at McLennan are standalone dwellings priced at $579,000 for a three-bedroom home and $649,000 for a four-bedroom home.