Match made at The Point in Auckland City

Apartment 102, The Point, 121 Customs Street West, Auckland City. Photo / Getty Images

APARTMENT 102, THE POINT 121 CUSTOMS ST WEST AUCKLAND CITY

1

2

1

SIZE: 88sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Similar properties in this building sell for over $400,000. Auction December 1 at 1pm on site. Body corporate fees $4040 pa; leasehold ground rent $6306 pa.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2.15-3pm or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: harcourts.co.nz/RM111102

CONTACT: Lorraine Young, Harcourts, ph 021 76 4032 or 520 8119.

FEATURES: Waterfront apartment with immaculate interior and spacious balcony looking out over the Viaduct. One bedroom but large sliding door allows part of living space to be closed off as a guest bedroom when needed. Leasehold building with gym and swimming pool. Modern kitchen, beautiful bathrooms, Handy to CBD, restaurants, cafes and bars at Viaduct.

Just when you least expect it, opportunity comes knocking at your door ... literally where Fred Noyce is concerned. Just under a year ago he decided to sell his apartment on Auckland's waterfront. He was out of work and thinking he would "bail out of New Zealand" and look for work across the Tasman.

He contacted a real estate agent to put his apartment on the market.

But, lucky for him, that agent said, "If you want to give it your best shot, you need to look at doing a bit of staging", and suggested Fred contact Anthea Baker from Homebase homestaging.

The next day, Anthea came knocking on Fred's apartment door and Fred and his visitor were so taken with each other that - as well as talking about staging the apartment - the two made plans to see each other again that evening. Long story short, Fred decided to stay put in his Auckland apartment and found a job. And they never quite got round to staging the apartment. "We were in love so quickly," explains Fred. "I got the girl, I got the job and I got to keep my home."

"Here we are, almost a year later, and now we're selling because we're looking for a nice big family home with four bedrooms. We're a bit of a handful, a blended family. Between the two of us we have four boys - 14, 16, 18 and 20 - and as nice as this place is for a couple or a single person, it's no good for a large family."

Anthea adds: "Most people our age our downsizing; but we're upsizing. It is the opposite of empty nesters."

Fred bought the apartment about 18 months ago. "I thought if you want an inner-city waterfront building, this is the finest," says Fred.

"I like the quality of the build and the management. Once you have lived here, it is hard to leave. There is always something going on plus there is the swimming pool and the gym.

Eighty per cent of the occupiers are owners. The people here are all nice and there's an air of quality."

The Point's entrance is on Pakenham St East, through the secured gate entry and into the foyer. The front door leads into the ground-level apartment's entrance hallway, with the bedroom and en suite on the right, a bathroom on the left, then the kitchen further along on the right and into the open-plan living and dining. There is the option of closing the large sliding door between the lounge area and dining/study. Bifold doors from these areas open to the large, sheltered deck.

A year down the track, Anthea and Fred are looking for a large family home. "I'm delighted with my life, having met Anthea now but I'm going to miss living here," says Fred.

So the apartment is now on the market and Anthea has finally had her chance to stage it with a combination of hers and Fred's belongings. Their partnership in life will spill over into their working life, too. Anthea's home-staging business complements Fred's new work as a home-improvements professional.

"Now I'm doing something I love doing. I've been doing up my own places for years so I already have the tools and the knowledge. There is a good synergy between what I do and what Anthea does."