Otahuhu

By ROBYN WELSH

If recent sales figures are any indication, then Otahuhu homeowners with older homes are realising that sprucing them up for sale has positive results.

For the month of May, the Otahuhu team at LJ Hooker sold eight homes worth a total of $1,200,000.

It comes after a lacklustre sales period and stiff competition from the attractive finance packages attached to new homes. First-home buyers who might otherwise have bought cheaper, traditional-style homes, priced about $150,000, have opted for new homes at a slight higher price.

However, people selling homes built 40 or 50 years ago who have spruced up their real estate are being rewarded.

As one sales person put it: "The tidy homes are a lot easier to sell."

Otahuhu's choice of homes includes units, which are always in demand by older residents.

Most homes sell for under $200,000, including large pockets of rental property.

Properties on the water's edge sell for under $300,000.