SCHOOL ZONES:
Warkworth Primary and Mahurangi College.
CONTACT:
Jenni Marsh, Bayleys, 021 717 719.
AUCTION:
October 26.
Green grass and a rural outlook were compelling reasons for Rick and Leah Forrest buying this 2.2ha property on the outskirts of Warkworth.
The couple and their two children bought the house in December 2013.
"We had been in a small house and as the children grew up we needed a bit more space and this opportunity came along through word of mouth. It wasn't officially on the market. We spoke to the vendors and managed to get an agreement together," says Rick.
"We have been living in Warkworth for over 10 years and the reason we bought this house was to give our children more space to grow up with green fields and fresh air, and it is a beautiful setting."
Those views and the elevated site are other factors that led them to choose this property.
"We have always had a house with a view but at the same time it is very private," he says.
The two-storey home has five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The ground level has a formal dining room, kitchen, family room with patios on each side and a generous master bedroom with a spa bath and en suite. A woodburner heats the ground level and there is ducted air conditioning throughout the home.
The main outdoor setting has a pergola covered with grape vines, offering shade in the summer. There is also internal access to the two-car garage.
Upstairs are two more bedrooms and a landing that doubles as a rumpus and study.
98 Matakana Rd, Warkworth.
The views from the top storey cover almost 360 degrees. In the lower storey the living area looks to the east over rural views.
On the guest bedroom or driveway side, there is an urban view over Warkworth and a new housing development.
Rick says the contemporary brick and tile home with some weatherboard cladding is about 15 to 20 years old.
"The house has been very well designed for entertainment."
Because they have a lot of friends and family around, the kitchen has been modernised, with double ovens, an extra dishwasher and new flooring. "We brightened the whole thing up," says Rick. "We put in a rangehood over the barbecue area."
The living area downstairs is open plan, with a central bar unit. "It all makes entertaining a breeze," says Rick.
The landscaping has been enhanced with citrus and other fruit trees and an area of native planting. "We get a lot of tui and wood pigeons hanging around, which is really nice," he says.
The fully fenced 2.2 ha is broken into three separate paddocks.
"Even though the section is a bit of a gradient, the separate areas are relatively flat. The lay of the land lends itself out to further development. We have two driveways, at either end of the property, so it would be easy to subdivide.
"And the property lends itself to maintaining a lifestyle aspect with the house positioned at the top of the property. You could keep a half acre section with the rest of it being developed further down.
98 Matakana Rd, Warkworth.
"We have six cattle there at the moment and about 50 free range chooks."
The couple are selling to pursue a business opportunity.
They say the property is marked as future urban. "The development I look out on is in 600sq m blocks. With the future urban zoning of this property, it is just a matter of when it will happen here as well.
"This is the largest property with area like that close to town."
Rick will definitely miss that proximity to Warkworth when they sell.
"You are able to enjoy the lifestyle of having a larger section like this but at the same time being in town.
"You're in town but you are out of town.
"I work in Warkworth but it is a three-minute drive to work or a 10-minute walk, so it's pretty easy.
"My children are flat out with their school work during the week and at home they just love having a quiet weekend and lifestyle, reading a book outside, mucking about with animals. It is a nice peaceful environment for them.
"On the other side, we are not far from any of the beaches here so in the summer they hang there.
"It is just a 10-minute drive to Snells Beach, 15 minutes to Omaha, five minutes down the road to Matakana for coffee and close to wherever you want to go."
