Omaha Beach: Playing hard to get

The beach is 100m away at the end of a walkway accessed from the back yard.

A sought-after beach house is now on the market. Graham Hepburn has a look.

9 Paraoa Crescent, Omaha Beach.

There have been plenty of offers on Sovereign Homes' Omaha Beach show home in the three years since it was built - all of them have been turned down.

But now the beach house is up for sale and Sovereign sales executive Debbie Bedford is hoping those would-be buyers return.

"I had one guy almost swearing at me about three months ago because I wouldn't sell it to him, but it wasn't up for sale then," says Bedford. "Now the decision has been made to sell it because we're going to build our next show home at Mangawhai."

Bedford says the plaster and linear weatherboard house has served Sovereign well - they have built 20 homes in Omaha since the show home opened.

That's hardly surprising, according to David Savery, the agent for what he describes as a flagship home.

"It's an architecturally designed beach house and an interior designer [Kerry Atkins] has put it all together - and it comes fully furnished.

"It's fully fenced and tastefully landscaped. From the back yard it has access to a concrete walkway to the beach, which is about 100m away."

Savery says the north-facing home has three bedrooms and an open plan kitchen and living area downstairs, while the upstairs is occupied by an entertaining area that has a balcony and sea views.

The living area downstairs has floor to ceiling bifolds which open onto a hardwood deck. And there's an open fire to enjoy when the weather isn't terribly beachy.

The kitchen has composite stone benchtops and high quality stainless steel appliances. The master bedroom has an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe.

The internal access garage is currently an office for the sales team, but will be reinstated if required, or it could be used as guest quarters.

Savery says the house, which occupies a corner site, represents good value in Omaha where anything new that comes on the market is in excess of $1 million.

"There seems to be a real demand for properties that are new. And you have to bear in mind that the cheapest section would be $350,000. I think there was a beachfront section that went for $2 million just recently.

"The great thing about this place is you don't have to do anything to it or move anything in; you're buying a new house that's fully furnished."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 861sq m, house 234sq m.

PRICE: $1.19 million.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 10am-4pm.

CONTACT: David Savery, Saverys Realty, ph 09 412 8284 bus, 0274 317 172 mob.

FEATURES: Designer show home with landscaped gardens a short walk from Omaha Beach. Fully furnished and has an integrated digital sound system. Comes with a 10-year warranty.