Suzanne Wiles, pictured with daughter Isla, says buying a home in 2009 has set her family up for the future. Photo / George Novak
Suzanne Wiles, pictured with daughter Isla, says buying a home in 2009 has set her family up for the future. Photo / George Novak
Houses in Otūmoetai and Gate Pā spend the shortest time on the market in the city before selling, according to new figures.
Statistics from One Roof for the year to June show the median number of days to sell for both suburbs was 28 despite the areas being at ''different spectrums of the market''.
The median sale price in Otūmoetai was $719,50 and 169 houses sold over the period. In Gate Pā the median sale price was $454,850 and 127 homes sold.
Pyes Pa took the longest to sell at 52 days and Pāpāmoa Beach had the most number of sales at 796.
Owen Vaughan from One Roof said price and location were the biggest factors on the time it took to sell a property.
''Otūmoetai and Gate Pā are neck and neck, with the median days to sell. Beachie Otūmoetai is seen as a more desirable place to live for many buyers, while Gate Pā's affordable entry point will be driving demand there.''
Otūmoetai and Gate Pā had their own features but ''one was at one spectrum of the market and one was at the other which illustrates the broadness of our market and what Tauranga can offer across those price ranges''.
He said Otūmoetai was central with easy access to the city while Gate Pā was more affordable and also well serviced with schools and facilities.
Anderson said Pāpāmoa took out the top spot for the number of sales because of the number of new homes being built in the area.
However, in several key areas there was an undersupply of listings and plenty of buyer activity, he said.
First National, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and Omokoroa owner Anton Jones said houses were taking longer to sell across the board as buyers became ''picky''.
He said properties priced realistically and presented well took less time to sell.
Suzanne Wiles, pictured with daughter Isla, says buying a home in 2009 has set her family up for the future. Photo / George Novak
Otūmoetai was an appealing place to live and sought after with certain areas that were quite affluent with sea views and close to the beach.
Otūmoetai/Pyes Pa ward councillor Larry Baldock said Otūmoetai was well established with good amenities.
''It's pleasant and does not have the traffic issues that some of the other suburbs have.''
Priority One special projects manager Annie Hill said the buoyant housing market meant Tauranga was a popular place for people to live and work.
''This is good for the economy as it provides employers with a good source of staff and creates a vibrant atmosphere around the city as the population grows.''
In her view, the market had stabilised over the past year or so after strong growth since 2013.
''This is good as it has slowed the rise in house prices, which makes them affordable for more people. For us to remain competitive in the attraction of new businesses and retention of those already here, it's important that housing is affordable to ensure they are able to employ the people they need to maximise business productivity.''
Wise decision pays off big time
Suzanne Wiles says buying a small, modest home in Otūmoetai nine years ago was the best decision of her life.
Nicknamed the ''shoebox'' she purchased the house with partner Nicolas Heier who grew up there.
She said the three-bedroom, one-bathroom house had doubled in value and now their mortgage was lower than some of their friends' rent.
''We hit it lucky and were not looking to buy but we had to get out of the granny flat we were renting and my mother-in-law suggested it and helped us. I'm so glad we did it because today we wouldn't be able to afford to buy a house.''
Most of their friends rented, she said.
The couple have two children and Wiles said it was the perfect location with the primary, intermediate and college within walking distance.
Her neighbourhood was also super friendly.
''It's really community orientated and we all look after each other. We have lovely neighbours and there are lots of kids that go to school together.''
She said the biggest change in Otūmoetai was the spike in growth.
