44 | Te Anau: Fiordland Estates REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Te Anau subdivision meets the market Karen Phelps Fiordland Estates has been predominantly sold off plan and sections range from around 500sqm to over 1200sqm. The first titles have been issued for Fiordland Estates with another 76 titles expected by the end of the year and the final titles in 2023. The popular subdivision has brought around 117 sections to the market at an attractive price point, which has helped many first home buyers get into the market, says Don McFarlane, owner of Ray White Te Anau. “The sections are reasonably priced, close to town and Fiordland College and people could just put a deposit down and not pay the full price until settlement. There are just a handful of sections left,” he says. Fiordland Estates has been undertaken by local entrepreneur Kim Hollows, who owns Fiordland Helicopters. Don says that Kim has completed a number of land developments in Te Anau. Fiordland Estates backs onto Fiordland College, Oraka Street is on the eastern boundary, Aparima Drive to the north and the Te Anau-Milford Highway to south of the development. The current stage three completes the block to the northwest of Oraka Street. Fiordland Estates has been predominantly sold off plan and sections range from around 500sqm to over 1200sqm. It has a rural outlook and borders the town boundary with a large reserve in the centre. Sections have been sold direct via agencies, such as Ray White, and as house and land packages. Covenants are in place to protect people’s investment and new transportable homes are acceptable so people don’t have to build on site. Which is just as well as Don says local builders are flat out. He says there was a shortage of land before Fiordland Estates was released to the market approximately two years ago and it has attracted a variety of buyers including locals, first homebuyers, those building holiday homes and a sprinkling of North Islanders moving to Te Anau. Don says that a lot of people got a taste of working from home as a result of Covid. “All they need is good internet and we have fibre right through the town,” he says. In the past two years Te Anau has been very busy, similar to the rest of the country, with prices rising markedly. Dons says that the Te Anau real estate market is steadily trucking along despite the current economic downturn. “The real estate market remains stable and we haven’t seen a huge drop in prices or a huge increase in listings unlike some other places in the country,” says Don. info@teanauearthworks.co.nz CE 1865 Kathryn Hishon 0272 290 760 Delivering excellent real estate results in the Fiordland area since 1998. TODDCO.NZ William Todd & Co (Licensed REAA 2008) He says Council is making moves to develop blocks of land it owns on Sandy Brown Road running underneath Burnby Drive to the industrial area. The Kepler Heights development, which bounds the far end of Sandy Brown Road and the Te Anau-Mossburn Highway will likewise release more land to the market when that developer is ready. He says there are still good homes available around the $550-650k mark and there is a real shortage of rentals. Ray White Te Anau salesperson and mum Annette Leith says Te Anau is a great place to bring up a family. “We’ve got everything we need here including good childcare facilities and local schools. It’s a really family friendly community place to live.” Te Anau is the primary service centre for the area, which caters for all needs with a range of businesses, services and commercial activities and offers a range of shops. And of course there is ready access to all the natural wonders the region offers: Fiordland, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, national parks, hunting, fishing, tramping etc. Both say Te Anau has been hard hit by the pandemic induced tourism industry downturn, which Don says has carved a big hole in the workforce, and the region is still in recovery mode. “People had to leave town to find employment. When we talk to some of the tourism operators now forward bookings are strong and the challenge now will be to establish the workforce required.” With the future looking bright, Don says Te Anau is a great location to live and he advises people seeking a block of land to build to not delay and contact Ray White Te Anau before Fiordland Estates sells out. “Te Anau is the place to be.”
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