The southern city where houses cost under $550k and sell in under two weeks

Saturday, 27 June 2026

Southland is New Zealand's hottest property market, with record median sale prices in Invercargill, strong annual growth, and homes selling in around 10 days, making buyers move quickly.

Architectural gems feature strongly this weekend, from a quirky Roger Walker-inspired log cabin in Otatara to elegant Edwardian villas in Gladstone, showcasing Southland's surprisingly diverse housing stock.

Lifestyle buyers are also well catered for, with a renovated 1920s home in Gore and a charming colonial-style cottage on 2.12ha in Edendale offering character and value compared with many North Island markets.

Each week, we bring you our favourite open homes to hit up in a town or suburb near you. This week, our focus is on Invercargill, in Southland. Whether you’re eager to buy, or simply a perpetual property peruser, you’ll find an open home worth taking a peek at here each Saturday morning.

There’s something going on down south - Invercargill, to be precise.

Last month Stuff reported Southland’s market had been the nation’s star performer over the last 12 months.

Here are out top tips for getting the most out of an open home.

Then last week, Real Estate Institute of New Zealand figures showed the region's median sale price had skyrocketed 10.2% and reached a record $540,000 in May.

The region's largest city, Invercargill, also reached a new high, with its median price lightly skipping over last year’s $535,000 record to $540,000.

This very funky 80s home could be yours for less than $800K.

Compare that to the national median sale price, which increased just 1.3% to $775,000, and Invercargill starts to look pretty attractive to the savvy buyer.

The fireplace wouldn't look out of place in a New Mexico Hacienda.

But you’ll have to be quick. In May we reported that Invercargill’s houses sold more than twice as fast as the national average - about 10 days, compared to an average of 23 days nationally.

Otatara, Invercargill

For example, check out the one-of-a-kind home at 64 Marama Avenue South, in Otatara, Invercargill. Titirangi, eat your heart out, this is a rustic architectural find worth crossing the Bombay Hills and the Southern Alps for.

This vintage charmer is packed with gorgeous period features.

Invercargill architect John McCulloch was clearly inspired by the Milk Bottle Houses and rustic cabins of Kiwi architectural icon Roger Walker when he designed this place. A cosy 'log cabin' style, two-bed home, with a little, round plaster alcove off the living room, the home was built in the 80s.

Nestled into mature native planting, the home seems to almost have grown up out of the landscape. The idea continues inside, where the pole house construction is on display. The cosy, rustic charm continues with timber-lined walls and ceilings, and a very funky plaster fireplace.

With a July 2023 CV of $720,000, the home is for sale by deadline, which closes on June 30. The listing is with Dion Cameron and JJ Morgan for Bayleys Southland.

Open home times: Sunday, June 28, 11am to 11.30am

Gladstone, Invercargill

This grand old dame of a home would be worth more than $1m in the North Island. Here it could be yours for less than $800K

If you prefer something with a more traditional flavour, the charming old home at 49 Gladstone Terrace, Gladstone, Invercargill, is worth a visit. Built in the Edwardian period, this double-fronted, two-storey, four-bed home harks back to a gentler, more elegant time.

The cosy, country-style heart of the home.

Inside, an open plan kitchen-diner is the heart of the home and native timber details and flooring, and rich, warm colours, create a cosy, welcoming feel. There’s a gorgeous staircase, and there’s even a vintage wall-mounted telephone.

With a CV of $1,110,000, the vendors are seeking enquiries over $1,250,000. The listing is with Peter Driver for Raine & Horne.

This cottage gives old colonial vibes, but it's much more modern than that.

Open home times: Saturday, June 27, 11.30am to 12.15pm

The home is spacious, and has great outdoor areas.

There’s a similar historical elegance to the vintage home at 99 Lewis Street, in Gladstone. There’s even a wood-panelled living room-cum-library, with an arched entrance and miniature pillars.

The home has been modernised at some point - most likely in the 80s or 90s - so there’s modern heating, kitchen and bathrooms. Upstairs, there are quaint attic bedrooms, with sloped ceilings, so you can live out your Downton Abbey dreams.

With a CV of $780,000, the vendors have an asking price of $680,000. The listing is with Jeremy Toms for The Property Specialists.

Open home times: Saturday, June 27, 12.30pm to 1pm; Sunday, June 28, 12.30pm to 1pm

Gore

Sticking with Southland, but moving a little north of Invercargill, the single-level vintage home at 6 Kerwood Place, in Gore, has been sensitively renovated and updated.

The heart of the home is the country-style kitchen-diner, but the 1920s-built home’s most outstanding feature has to be the native timber tongue and groove ceiling in the living room. An outstanding and vanishingly rare vintage flourish.

With a CV of $640,000, the vendors have an asking price of $699,000. You’d be paying north of $1 million for a home like this in a main centre on the North Island. The listing is with Kendra and Zac Andrews for Andrews & Co.

Open home times: Sunday, June 28, 11.20am to 11.40am

Edendale

Looking for something a little more lifestyle oriented, the colonial-style stone cottage at 176 Seaward Rd, in Edendale, could be the one for you. It sits on a 2.12ha flat section of farmland.

The home itself has vintage looks, with a much younger pedigree. It also has a wrap-around verandah, and decking for entertaining in most seasons.

With a CV of $670,000, the vendors are seeking $735,000 for this very private, very cosy two-bed home.

Open home times: Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, 2.45pm to 3.15pm