First-time buyers: Consider a new life in New Plymouth for under $400k

Monday, 5 August 2024

10 Cook St, in Marfells, New Plymouth, could be a step onto the property ladder.

Finding an affordable property is hard – but there are still some gems out there. Each week, Homed is featuring a first-time buyer-friendly home on the market that might (just about) come in within budget.

Oil and gas worker Chris Peckham and his wife Emere Peckham (Ngati Kuhungunu), had been in New Plymouth for about six months before they found the perfect place to put down roots.

The couple and their three young children had been living in Dunedin where the couple had completed a renovation on a character home not long before. Despite having put in all that work, however, when Chris’s job asked him to move north, the family jumped at the chance to try something new.

The family home has been renovated in the last few years.

As part of his relocation package, the company provided the family three months of accommodation. They took their time house hunting, and eventually found 10 Cook St, a terraced, former state house in Marfell, a suburb to the south-west of central New Plymouth, about 10 minutes from the beach.

'The house was recently done up by the previous owners, and it had some things that really appealed, like the gas hot water - that was a really big bonus,“ says Chris

It has open plan living areas and kitchen, with sliding doors into the garden.

'It had a really nice section that had plenty of space for the kids to run around in. The kitchen had just been redone. It was neat and tidy, and we could move into it straight away. I was busy with work, so I didn't need to worry about doing any big projects on it.“

Also, after living in Dunedin, they found it got lots of sun.

Mum Emere painted a stylised tree in the children’s room.

The family did end up completing a few projects - they put in a new driveway, and enclosed what had been a carport in front of the home.

Chris also built the kids a jungle gym and play house in the back yard. When the rules about buildings sleepouts changed in 2020, they put one in for the kids, too.

The garden has plenty of room for veges, and a sleep-out.

'Every time the kids wanted to do art, or build Lego, they'd get it all out on the kitchen table, and then they'd have to clear it up for us to have dinner. So we put that space in,“ says Chris. ”It became our eldest son's bedroom so he could do his homework out there, and had all his things out there.'

Inside, the house has an open-plan living and dining ara on the ground floor. Upstairs are three bedrooms, and a single bathroom, with separate toilet.

Emere, who works at the world-renowned Govett-Brewster Gallery in New Plymouth, has decorated the children’s bedrooms with hand-painted tree murals.

Dad Chris built the kids a jungle gym in the back yard.

The family didn’t know the area very well when they moved in. Marfell had a “bit of a reputation” on account of the low-income housing in the area. But the family soon slotted into the community, and grew to love it. They are selling now because the kids are growing up and need a little more space, but they’re only moving five minutes away.

'We've found it really convenient living here,' says Chris. It's about five minutes away from the kids’ school. We've made lots of friends in the area. The community is really quite close knit. There's a community garden just down the road, we can walk to the beach. As locations go, it's been ideal for us.

The sleep out is now a bedroom for the eldest child.

“It has had a bad reputation in the past, but it's definitely improving.'

A second-storey cat door may be out of place in a typical home - but not when it leads to a series of ladders and walkways that wrap around the house.

New Plymouth itself has also been great for the family, says Chris. The city is roughly equi-distant from Wellington, Auckland and the Hawkes Bay, and surrounded by national parks. It’s an outdoors person’s dream spot, with many walks and hikes nearby.

'If they're up to it, we can take the kids for half a day. If they're not, then we can just go for an hour. There's such a variety of walks that you can do within pretty much 25 minutes of leaving town.'

'We really love it here. It's the ideal place. We get lots of sunshine hours. We get lots of rain here on the coast, but when the sun's shining here, it's amazing. And there's so many good beaches as well. There's a really long list of why New Plymouth is fantastic.'

The home would suit a young family, just starting out, Chris says.

The couple are seeking offers over $359,000 for their home. The listing agent is Maddison King for McDonald Real Estate. The CV is $355,000.

Homes.co.nz estimates the property to sell for up to $425,000. The average for Marfell is $460,000.

As ever, readers are advised to do their own due diligence when considering buying a home. A first point of reference could be government website settled.govt.nz, or our guide to buying a first home.