38 | Piwakawaka Developments: Gardiners Estate T T Kim Newth Estate an attractive choice in Chch DEVELOPMENT Harewood holds cherished family memories for Pip and Chris Youngman, who are now sharing their special corner of Christchurch’s leafy northwestern suburb at Gardiners Estate. Having completed the enticing 19-lot subdivision on land at the rear of their family home last year, new home construction is now in full swing. The first household is already settling in, with more new residents poised to move in this year. In total, there are six beautiful new homes under construction, with another three soon to commence. Only a small number of quality sections now remain at Gardiners Estate. Priced from $478,000, the sites are sized between 500sqm and 530sqm. (Enquiries and offers to Bayleys Fendalton - Steven Ellis, T: 027 534 9119 or E: steve.ellis@bayleys.co.nz) It is easy to see why Gardiners Estate, accessed off Walter Case Drive in desirable Harewood, is hitting the spot with buyers in the local residential property market. The sections are well-sized for new home dreams and the location is perfect: tucked away in a sunny, quiet location next to Tullet Park and yet so close to local shopping centres, good local schools and the airport. “We first moved to this area, and our property on Gardiners Road, 17 years ago,” says Chris. “At the time, our kids were small and we could see that it would be a great place for them to grow up. It was all lifestyle blocks back then but zoning changes then ushered in a new era of residential development. We made the decision three years ago to start the process ourselves to subdivide the back of our property. “It has been such a buzz for us to watch the development progress and to share in the excitement of our purchasers as they start building their homes here. We’re attracting a wide group of purchasers too, from younger couples through to more mature people and they all love the area. Tullet Park was a big drawcard for us originally and it’s still a big attraction. People love the green space and being so close to everything too.” Setting a quality standard has been a key priority for Chris and Pip, who established Piwakawaka Developments as the vehicle for their venture. “We decided that we wanted to sell the sections to individuals as opposed to group housing companies and marketed it ourselves along those lines. We have mirrored the building covenants of adjacent developments - when you drive in here, you can see how nice the other new houses are - and it was important to us to keep that consistency through the area, as well as protect the investment of people purchasing in our development.” Having been business owners themselves, Chris and Pip value the ethos of ‘locals supporting local’. They chose Christchurch civil construction firm Nor West Contracting as their lead contractor, with other local specialists deployed for jobs like fencing. “As a first time developer, we have had a good experience with all our contractors and advisors, including the Council.” While high interest rates have fed into a quiet market over the past 12 months, Pip and Chris suggest a change is underway. “We have noticed that the enquiry level over the past month has really gone up quite significantly and we have a couple more sales in the pipeline at the moment. The sentiment out there is that when interest rates come down, prices will go up and that is generating more buyer activity. “With more positive news coming from the economists, I think we will be looking at doing another local development ourselves in future providing we find the right opportunity” “We decided that we wanted to sell the sections to individuals as opposed to group housing companies and marketed it ourselves along those lines.”
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