78 | BUILDING Bennett Homes Southland T T Russell Fredric Company finds niche in Southland The Invercargill show home home features three bedrooms, including a master bedroom with ensuite and walk in robe, bathroom and spacious open plan living, plus a portico for outdoor living. Bennett Homes Southland is marking its third anniversary in the south, growing its reputation on completing many successful individual builds as well as larger projects. The company expanded into the South Island three years ago and is offering house only or house and land house packages in the Southland and Central Otago regions. Its Invercargill office and striking show home is on the corner of Dee St and Victoria Ave, with branch manager Matt Randall having initially started with the company as a sales consultant in March. A 2002 Commonwealth Games cycling bronze medallist, Matt has a background in sales including 15 years in real estate. Sufficiently impressed with the show home and seeing Bennett Homes signs “all around town”, he decided it was a brand that he would love to be involved with. “An opportunity came up and I talked with a couple of my close mates in the building sector and they said Bennett Homes have got a great name and they are really going places.” “It’s just a matter of seeing the growth over the last three years and what we have done, and I enjoy being part of a company that is expanding.” Part of that expansion has been a 15 lot subdivision in Stirrat St, South Invercargill, that offered affordable Bennett Homes house and land packages that were first available in mid-2020. Strong demand meant the subdivision was sold out in less than two years and highlights the market Bennett Homes is meeting. “We were offering a good product at a good price point. It was ideal for first home buyers.” This success means Bennett Homes Southland are now looking for opportunities for other similar developments. The company was started by Aaron Bennett in Matamata in 2009. After Aaron relocated an existing home from his property and built three new houses on the site, he realised he could make a positive contribution to the market. “That’s what started the vision,” Aaron says. “We could develop land, build new houses, and sell house and land packages. It showed our ability to diversify and cover the wider market by being able build on client’s land or our own.” He opened the Invercargill branch following a family trip to Invercargill and could not get past the opportunities in the region. He saw that the majority of local builders were building big homes on big sections, leaving a gap in the market for smaller, more affordable homes on standard sized residential sections. “We saw an area where we could add a lot of value and offer a product that suited the region really well.” Having lived in Invercargill for all his life, Matt agrees. Invercargill is probably the only reasonable sized city in New Zealand that has a full range of amenities and relatively low land values which makes it a great place to live and build in, he says. The Invercargill show home has been built to represent what Bennett Homes can do for growing families, retirees, or for farmers looking to add a cottage to their property. The 110 square metre transportable home RES I DENT I AL & COMMERC I AL PH 03 215 9208 CELL 0274 346 012 | 0274 346 009 A/Hrs 03 2130 811 or 03 213 1575 18 Arena Avenue | Invercargill • Drainlayers • Plumbing • Roofing • Registered • Bathroom & Kitchen • Renovations Proudly supporting Bennett Homes Southland Phone: 027 235 8063 dawsonelectrical55@gmail.com s w o a n D s w o a D ELECT L RICA E A Quali ed Electricians Quali ed Refrigeration Engineer Heatpump Specialists SUPPLY - INSTALL - MAINTENANCE Member Electrical Contractors Association of NZ MASTER ELECTRICIANS Engineer Heatpump Specialists SUPPLY - I STALL - MAINTENANCE Member Electrical Contractors Association of NZ MASTER ELECTRICIANS Phone: 27 235 8063 dawsonelectrical55@gmail.com • Br icklaying • Block Laying • Plaster ing • Stone • Paving Southland & Central Otago Phone Brennan 027 372 8296 | melvinmasonry@gmai l .com
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