Searching for a slice of heaven on the web

CHRIS BARTON leaves the beach to search for his dream bach on the web - with mixed results.

"I've already had 100 swims today."

The memory resurfaced during a bout of bach nostalgia. I was, I think, six and it was a hot, lazy, summer day on the shores of Lake Taupo. I'd heard my father say he'd had two swims already and it wasn't even lunchtime. I'd decided I could do better than that. With my new-found girlfriend from next door, we rushed into and out of the lake 100 times and proudly conveyed the new world record to our parents.

The bach, loaned for a few weeks by a friend of the family, was a classic - a square of creosoted weatherboards with a roof sloping towards the lake. The memory sent me into a reverie about all the other wonderful holidays spent in minimal rustic dwellings - most often by a beach. That got me wondering whether it was possible to own, or build, one's own slice of heaven. Off to the web to find out.

At www.the-professionals.co.nz I quickly found the humble bach on Lake Taupo was a thing of the past. At Acacia Bay I could still "watch the trout rise and enjoy the majesty of lakefront living at its best." But it would have to be in one of "four luxury villas available with large three-bedroom layouts, secure double garaging and boat storage." I'd also need a spare $473,000.

The property search engine at www.ljhooker.co.nz gave some hope in the $10,000-$100,000 price range: "Hihi, waterfront: 611sq m section with reserve in front overlooking Mangonui Harbour. Includes insulated marley cladding 'bach'. Great view."

I saw potential too at Omaio: "Want a small section, easy care, by the beach, handy to a store? Then this one could be for you. A short distance to boat (small) launching. A short walk across the road to the beach."

And for $90,000 at Port Waikato: "Great holiday home, so close you can hear the fish jumping. Two double-bedroom do-up and a second batch [sic] which is just a shell waiting for some attention."

I was taken, too, with: "Grandma's Cottage for $120,000: Paradise has been found! ... overlooking the Weiti River, Camping Grounds and Estuary ... the cottage offers you the opportunity to re-visit yes-ter-year, [sic] and the 'Olde Kiwi Bach' philosophy, and way of life."

At realenz.co.nz I even found a "Classic Kiwi Bach" - a two-bedroom "character bach with sleepout, workshop and single garage. Lovely harbour and water views. Walk to the water." At $39,000, I thought I had found the bargain of the year, until I discovered it was leasehold.

Also at realenz, I afforded myself a brief fantasy perusing the Berghan's Point "showcase listing." Abounding with pohutukawas and other beautiful native trees, "this property offers isolation and privacy bordered by dramatic coastline that rises from the crystal-clear waters of the Pacific Ocean." Now, I'm sure I could build something nice among the 100 hectares if I had a spare $1.4 million.

It may seem I found these properties in the twinkle of a search engine. I did not. Searching on property sites is hard work and not very rewarding. All sites assume you'll be buying by location, which makes searching very repetitious when you're casting your net wide. Neither do the sites allow for complex searches that would discard properties that didn't fit your criteria. In my case, I wanted to use key words such as lakefront, beach, riverside and coastal - coupled with my $10,000-$100,000 price criteria. It would have been nice, too, to search for land and houses at the same time. A nice exception to the rule for the Auckland area is the Herald's www.myproperty.co.nz.

My other gripe was the paucity of information provided. In most cases, unless it was a showcase listing, properties were displayed with a few lines of text and a poor-quality photograph - little more than one gets in print media. Which is a shame, because the web provides the means to present so much more - numerous photographs, floor plans and information about each property.

Prospective buyers can even take virtual tours around some of the houses at www.myproperty.co.nz Feature Properties.

The latter is an example of the shape of things to come on property websites, which in time should also include extra information about the area, and maps to show the location and proximity to other amenities. But for now, maps of any sort are pretty scarce online. Auckland and a few other main cities are well catered for at UBD Street Search and NZ Maps. But for out-of-the-way bach locations, you'll have to scour travel sites for topographical data. There are no online maps at Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) either - despite spending $150 million on a new computer system. But its place name database does provide - somewhat annoyingly - longitude and latitude of your search location. If you want more detail, such as property title information or Government valuation, you can find it online, but it costs.

For an idea of what can be provided online - including the type of building construction, rates, Government valuation and transport services - try www.propertyweb.co.nz and www.privatesale.co.nz, which have owners' own listings.

While most property web sites are little more than another tawdry funnel to drag buyers into a real estate agent's clutches, there are some, such as www.nethomes.co.nz, www.domett.co.nz, and www.bluewaters.co.nz, which are beginning to realise how much more the net has to offer.

As for my dream bach, I'm still looking. Meanwhile, I can't wait until www.bachclub.co.nz gets its rental section working so I can book my summer holiday.

Links

www.the-professionals.co.nz

www.ljhooker.co.nz

realenz.co.nz

www.myproperty.co.nz

www.myproperty.co.nz Feature Properties

UBD Street Search

NZ Maps

LINZ place name database

Terranet Property Information

Quotable Value New Zealand

www.propertyweb.co.nz

www.privatesale.co.nz

www.nethomes.co.nz

www.domett.co.nz

www.bluewaters.co.nz

www.bachclub.co.nz