The sale of a family home by one of Auckland’s leading real estate salespeople has showcased that the real estate market for some properties in the city’s inner-west locales is still as active as it has ever been.
Bayleys Ponsonby salesperson Blair Haddow launched the marketing campaign for the property at 46 Cumberland Avenue in Westmere mid-week last month, with open homes commencing a few days later on a Sunday.
The split-level, four-bedroom/two-bathroom, north-facing, transitional period bungalow has an incredible open plan living space, with full height bi-fold doors opening out onto the rear deck for entertaining, and further onto the landscaped, tiered private lawn and garden.
Around 20 interested groups came through the property that Sunday, with one buyer coming back for a quickly arranged second viewing two days later on a Tuesday, making an offer that afternoon, and Blair concluding a sale the following morning.
That’s a week from launching marketing through to having the ink dry on the sale and purchase agreement. The home was purchased by a buyer who had previously rented a property directly neighbouring 46 Cumberland Avenue.
“It just goes to show that despite a lot of what’s being portrayed in the media, there is still strong demand for some homes – particularly those which have been tastefully designed and decorated throughout.
“For buyers of homes in this league, it’s not about picking where the residential real estate market is sitting, or if we’re at the bottom of the cycle, or where mortgage interest rates are heading. Rather, it’s about securing their dream home so they can enjoy it for years to come.”
Not only are homes in Blair’s Ponsonby/Herne Bay/St Marys Bay/Westmere/Grey Lynn/Freemans Bay catchment area selling quickly, they are also selling for markedly more than they were purchased for over the past three to four years.
Noted examples of Blair’s recent sales where prices achieved this year were well in excess of purchase levels post 2020 include:
· 40 Pompellier Terrace, Ponsonby
· 4 Hackett Street, St Marys Bay
· 25 Hackett Street, St Marys Bay
· 74 Vermont Street, Ponsonby
· 26 Farrar Street, Grey Lynn. This property was purchased for $1.65 million in 2018, and sold in April this year for $3.877 million after seven parties signed up to its auction, which generated 31 highly competitive bids. The recently extended and remodelled north-west facing four-bedroom/two living room character home directly overlooking Grey Lynn Park attracted 69 groups to viewings held over three consecutive Sundays.
“For the style of residences I’m selling, the prices being achieved are specific to the home, not the generic suburban location. When a home ticks all the right boxes for potential buyers, they are fully aware that this could be their one and only opportunity to acquire their dream home, and if they miss out, then it could be months or even years until somewhere else comes along which ticks all those boxes.” said Blair Haddow.
“The sales aren’t just confined to one suburb either – they encompass the whole stretch of the inner-west. Again, this spotlights that buyers are very specific about what they want. While some within my database may only be looking at properties in Ponsonby, others have the same spatial or style demands but just for a home in Grey Lynn or Westmere. That’s where a real database with exact understanding of what buyers want is far superior to just a list full of names, phone numbers and email addresses.”
As this edition of Ponsonby News was being delivered to readers in the area, Blair is off to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula as part of Bayleys Real Estate’s Top Achiever’s Trip which rewards the agency’s best agents for their outstanding sales achievements over the past year. However, Blair will still be working, even while on the luxury holiday, prepping up another portfolio of beautiful homes to go live with the marketing when he returns to New Zealand in mid-June. (BLAIR HADDOW)
blair.haddow@bayleys.co.nz
www.facebook.com/BlairHaddowResidential
Published 29 May 2023