Kendall Elliot, pictured, was house-hunting for a year before deciding on a house and land package in Papamoa in 2012.
For less than she was going to have to pay for an old three-bedroom house in Mount Maunganui, she built a new four-bedroom home with a double garage halfway betweenBayfair and Fashion Island.
The $410,000 package for the 180sq m home on a 460sq m section was the last to sell in the development so the builder "just wanted it gone", she said.
She had never thought she would build but "everything just came together" with low interest rates, a 10 per cent minimum deposit requirement and a housing market still recovering from the global financial crisis, she said.
"Initially I wasn't intending on building but I saw a house and land package on TradeMe and it was in my price range.
"I sat down and realised I was paying the same in rent as I would be paying off a mortgage."
She said she would definitely build again.
"I loved building. It wasn't remotely stressful but probably because my builder was really good and organised all the sub-contractors. It means it's exactly how you want it the day you move in."
