Strike a balance in Clevedon

439 Papakura-Clevedon Rd, Clevedon, Manukau, Auckland. Photo / NZ Herald

439 PAPAKURA-CLEVEDON RD CLEVEDON

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SIZE: Land 18ha, house 148sq m, sleepout 87sq m, cafe 164sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Buyer feedback from $1.5 million to $2 million. Tender closes July 14.

INSPECT: Sunday 1.30-2.30pm.

ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/381861

SCHOOL ZONES: Ardmore School, Papakura High.

CONTACT: Denise Jenner, Bayleys, ph (09) 298 2525 or 027 255 5011.

FEATURES: 18ha farm, with three-bedroom villa, eight-year-old two-bedroom sleepout and retail/cafe business earning $20,000pa. Five minutes' drive to Clevedon village.

After years of running a South Auckland wholesale and retail butchery business, Bev and Alan Jack were looking for a change. The idea of buying a motel south of the airport appealed, and in 1996 they started looking.

Somehow they ended up on a farm near Clevedon instead. "I can't remember how we got on to the track of buying a farm," Bev laughs. "We fell in love with it."

The 18ha property they bought had been subdivided from a much larger dairy farm. On it was an old three-bedroom villa, a pretty run-down sleepout and an old shed with its own street frontage.

Bev and Alan never had any intention of living in the villa, and built a new home instead, on the brow of the hill. They have now split off a 1ha parcel of land around their home and subdivided it - the rest of the farm, including the buildings, is up for sale.

The villa, which has a study as well as three bedrooms, is in close to original condition. Bev and Allan let it out soon after buying, and it has been tenanted almost continuously since. But the original sleepout was in very poor condition, so they demolished it. Eight years ago, they built a new one. Combined, the two residential buildings bring in $660 a week in rent.

The other building on the property, the shed, also had potential. Soon after Bev and Allan moved in, the tenants from the original fruit shed in Clevedon were looking for new premises. Bev approached them about their shed - on a main road and just five minutes from the village - and a deal was struck.

Over the years, successive tenants have upgraded the original fruit shed until it was transformed into what it is today: Ciao Bella, an "Italian country market". The shed has been relined and extended, with new toilet facilities. It now houses a thriving business combining a cafe, delicatessen/specialist food and wine store, plus the original fruit and vegetable business. It is leased at about $20,000 a year, with the lease running to 2020.

Ciao Bella has been not only a great earner, but also a very pleasant neighbour, says Bev. "It's wonderful having the cafe now, just to pop down for a coffee."

After buying the farm, Alan and Bev continued with their butchery business, albeit as minor shareholders after selling it to their son. So although they've run the farm as a business, they haven't concentrated on it being as productive as it could be.

They run 45 beef cattle, but the property could take many more. "At the moment, we are understocked, because that's the way we want it," says Bev. "We like the lifestyle, we like the peace and quiet and the rural atmosphere of not having anyone on top of you."

They also grow hay - up to 3000 bales a year. With several income streams, it could provide a comfortable living for a family wanting to run it as a productive farm, but is manageable enough for a those wanting a lifestyle property. It helps that, over the years they have had it, Alan and Bev have re-fenced almost all the 24 paddocks, with just one small section still needing an upgrade.

Living on a farm has been a learning experience for Bev, a self-confessed city girl, who laughs as she tells stories of trying to round up escaped cattle in the early days.

But it's been a learning experience she's loved - proved by the fact that now, when it is time to slow down a bit more and take life easier, they're staying put in their home and their 1ha of land.

Whoever buys the remaining buildings and land may choose to renovate and live in the villa - it hasn't been through continuous remodelling as many such villas have, and remains a blank canvas for someone wanting to update a character house. Or they may choose to continue drawing income from all the buildings and build a new home. Whatever they do, they'll get all the charm of the countryside, just a few minutes' drive from urban conveniences. And neighbours, such as Bev and Alan, who really love the place.