Coast Papamoa Beach director Steve Short said it had sold 23 house and land packages since January - more than it had sold since the Fraser Property development opened in February 2010 with sales at 18 lots at the end of 2014.
Land sales to date totalled $13.8 million and - packages were selling within 30 days. Seventy-five per cent of residents were from Auckland, including Craig and Jane Reilly, pictured, who are moving next year.
Mr Short attributed the lift to a lack of properties on the market which was fuelling the popularity of new builds.
"There is renewed economic confidence and optimism generally and that is being reflected in our sales."
Entry level into Coast Papamoa was just under $600,000 with $1.3 million the largest spend.
Venture Developments spokesman Mark Fraser-Jones said it opened its first show home in 2010. In total, 300 had been built with 80 per cent sold to young families and people wanting to downsize.
It anticipated 2015 would be a busy year and it was selling up to 15 homes a month with house and land packages in Papamoa starting at $350,000, he said.
In the past 12 months 40 per cent of its buyers were from Auckland.
Freedom Villages project manager Rudy Van Het Wout said sales were steady and meeting expectations.
About half of Freedom Villages' residents had moved to the village from outside the Tauranga area, he said.
"We are seeing a lot of people moving from Auckland, as well as residents from Hamilton, Northland, Wellington, and even Christchurch."
Ross Stanway, chief executive of Eves and Bayleys Real Estate said Papamoa had the capacity and land to keep up with high levels of demand for affordable homes that boded well for the region.
"We have that capacity at Papamoa which is fantastic ... we are not in the same situation as Auckland were they just can't even get close to keeping up with demand."
Ray White Realty Focus in Mt and Papamoa franchise owner Greg Purcell said Papamoa had been "booming at a steady rate of knots".
"There was a lack of building for four or five years from 2007 onwards but what we are seeing now is the catch up. It is an extremely popular place for people to live and really affordable."
People were moving from Auckland, overseas and provincial regions to chase their dreams, he said.
This week it was revealed more Aucklanders were buying properties outside of the city.
Tauranga Harcourts general manager Nigel Martin said the Papamoa market was affordable and catered for all levels of buyers.
Papamoa Progressive chairman David Hill said it was the "only place that can grow to the level Tauranga needs".
The opening of the Tauranga Eastern Link had "effectively moved the suburb within shouting distance of about 90 per cent of jobs in the region," he said.
Papamoa Unlimited chairwoman Angela Holman said the growth in Papamoa was exciting.
"The building is going up so rapidly, with people putting deposits down on next stages of developments waiting for titles or even waiting for the next stages to open up."
Mount Maunganui/Papamoa ward councillor Steve Morris said development was good for the council as it helped pay off infrastructure debt.
"The good thing is in most cases developers are funding that but council is funding $59 million worth of roading projects in Papamoa over the next 10 years to cater for growth. The more people we get the more services we get."
Realestate.co.nz. CEO Brendon Skipper said Aucklanders looking at properties in other parts of the country had increased significantly over the year from last May.
Couple hope to be in new home next year
Aucklanders Craig and Jane Reilly hope to be living in their new architecturally designed home at Coast Papamoa Beach in February 2016.
The Kohimarama couple said they had been travelling to Mount Maunganui for 32 years to visit Mrs Reilly's parents and family so "it was a natural extension to the next stage of our life to build a house in a development that fitted our purpose perfectly".
The pre-retirees also wanted to move their businesses and liked that Auckland was still an easy commute.
"I think a lot appeal for people in our situation that are in pre-retirement is you can still easily access Auckland for business meetings," Mrs Reilly, 55, said. "We are not just going down there to retire."
She tutored maths and English students with learning needs while Mr Reilly, 62, specialised in early stage business set ups.
They were looking forward to the lifestyle change and the benefits of Tauranga's lower property prices.
"It is good value for money in Tauranga," Mr Reilly said and "we understand the reasons behind the market".
However, being in a relaxing environment close to the beach was important, he said.
Plans were being finalised as they prepared to move from a two-storey home in the City of Sails to a single-level four-bedroom house with a purpose-built office.
Mrs Reilly had stamped her flair on the design and said their home would be "totally different and a one-off".
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