11 ALFORD STREET, WATERVIEW A cute and cosy cottage

INDUSTRYINSIDER

GREEN: Forest at the back door.

Forest bargainA former farm homestead in themiddle of a commercial forestry blockis up for auction at what its agent sayscould be a bargain basement price.The four-bedroom home on 2.9ha hasbeen sliced off a former sheep andbeef farm near Wairoa, south ofGisborne. The farm was bought byGrandy Lake Forest (NZ) Ltd, whichhas turned the paddocks into a pine,eucalyptus and redwood plantation.Bayleys agent Katie Bowen says thecompany has asked her to ‘‘liquidate’’the house as it is a ‘‘non-strategicasset’’.‘‘For a family looking for a bargain,with a forest at their back door forcycling and hunting, this couldbecome their strategic asset,’’ saysBowen.The auction will take place in Gisborneon April 17. For more informationcontact Katie Bowen, Bayleys, ph0274 487 115.

Sales up on last yearFor the first time in 16 months, RayWhite has recorded an increase insales over the previous year. In March,exclusive listings were up 26 per cent,auction listings were up 21 per cent,and the trading result was up 32 percent. The top office in the country wasPonsonby, which sold 11 out of its 13auction properties in the last week ofMarch to record a result of $14.3million. Manukau together withHowick sold $10 million worth ofproperty; City Apartments andRemuera sold $8.5 million. Ray Whitehas opened two new offices inAuckland, in Mt Eden and Royal Oak.

A cute and cosy cottage11 ALFORD STWATERVIEW

Rachael Trotter was on the lookout forapartments when her interest waspiqued by a two-bedroom ex-Statehouse in Waterview. She liked the factthat the property looked simple, solidand manageable, which was what hadappealed to her about an apartment,but with two distinctive advantagesover an apartment: all-day sun and aprivate backyard.

‘‘I remember when I came to lookat it that it had a really nice feel to it, anice atmosphere,’’ she says. ‘‘And ithas been really easy to live in.’’

In the five years she has been here,Rachael has made a fewimprovements: having the propertyfully fenced and putting down a con-crete car pad, as well as some touchesto the decor such as repainting andputting in new curtains.

She also had planter boxes built todefine and contain the garden, andplanted some more trees forscreening, especially from the road.

‘‘If the truth be told, I hate

gardening, so I’ve had it set up so it’s alow-care, easy maintenance garden,’’she says. ‘‘I get out here and weed itevery couple of weeks.’’

She didn’t need to make anychanges to the structure of the 1950sweatherboard and tile home as previ-ous owners had opened up the livingspaces and put in French doors and adeck at the rear of the house, as well asadding the second bedroom, whichalso opens on to the deck.

The home has a simple layout,with one bedroom at the front of thehouse on the eastern side and behindthat the bathroom and new bedroom.The western side is occupied by theliving spaces with a lounge at the frontlooking out to the street. This has anopen fire and flows through to thedining area and new kitchen. Fromhere you move out to the private,north-facing backyard. Polished tawafloors are a feature of the livingspaces, as are the multitude of case-ment windows that capture the sun asit moves around the house.

‘‘My two favourite things about itare the sun and the location,’’ saysRachael. ‘‘When it’s a sunny day, it’s

just magic here and the house is sowarm. And it’s so close to town.

‘‘I work at Britomart and the otherday it took me 10 minutes to get homefrom work.’’

With plans for a trip to SouthAmerica in mind, Rachael is now back

on the hunt for apartments.‘‘I’ve got my eye on a nice apart-

ment that will be a bit more lock-up-and-leave than this place,’’ she says.‘‘But this would be perfect for a singleperson or professional couple.’’

— Graham Hepburn

2 1 *

* No garage but one off-street carparkSIZE: Land 1⁄2 share of 814sq m,house 126sq m.PRICE INDICATION: Two-bedroomhouses in Waterview have sold from$350,000. Auction April 22.INSPECT: Today 6.30-7.30pm,Sunday 2.15-3pm.ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz/47930.SCHOOL ZONES: WaterviewPrimary, Avondale College.CONTACT: Ariel Levin, Bayleys, ph(09) 309 6020 or 021 528 318.FEATURES: Renovated 1950s two-bedroom cottage enjoying all-daysun. Open-plan living flows to a deckand low-maintenance garden withmature fruit trees, vegetable and herbpatch. Alarm system.

AUCTIONS THIS WEEK3. 38A Rawhitiroa Rd, Kohimarama

4. 63A Kurahaupo St, Orakei

5. 94 Mt Taylor Dr, Glendowie

6. 2/31 Auckland Rd, St Heliers

7. 16A Kurahaupo St, Orakei

8. 1 & 2/11 Garnet Rd, Westmere P/PONED

9. 13 Florida Pl, Glendowie

10. 43 Pukeora Ave, Remuera

11. 2C/707 Remuera Rd, Remuera

12. 2/105 Atkin Ave, Mission Bay

13. 6/7 Cliff Rd, St Heliers W/DRAWN

RESIDENTIAL 1.00 PM

1. 56 Staveley Ave, Hillsborough

2. 17 Foch Ave, Three Kings

3. 1/33 Arthur St, Ellerslie

4. 5 Rutland Rd, Mt Wellington

5. 5/346 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga

6. 58 Goodall St, Hillsborough

7. Lots 66, 67 & 71 Braedan Ln, Hamilton

RESIDENTIAL 2.00 PM

1. 24 Ferguson Ave, Greenlane

2. 18 Mt Pleasant Rd, Mt Eden

TODAYChancery L4, 50 Kitchener Street, Auckland City

MORTGAGEE 9.30 AM

1. 86A Kitchener Rd, Milford

2. 28 Hindmarsh St, Henderson

3. 4/9 Miro St, New Lynn

4. 7 Armstrong Farm Dr, Dannemora P/PONED

5. 5A Bernleigh Tce, West Harbour

6. 18 Oratu Pl, Manurewa

7. 28 Lucinda Pl, Glen Eden

8. 16 Kellett Rd, Ranui

9. 1/7 Myers Rd, Manurewa P/PONED

10. 3/63 Wellpark Ave, Westmere P/PONED

11. 26 Moana View Rd, Great Barrier Island

12. 528A Te Atatu Rd, Te Atatu Peninsula

13. 34 Goudie Rd, Helensville

14. 1/9 Calvin Pl, Avondale P/PONED

15. 25 Helleur Rd, Massey W/DRAWN

16. 64 Royal Rd, Massey W/DRAWN

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL 11.00 AM

1. 1/11 Spencer St, Remuera

2. 21 William Ave, Greenlane

Auctioneers: Tim Carter, Murray Smith,

Marian Tolich, Tony Loughran, David Johnstone

3. 22 Margaret Ave, Mt Albert

4. 166 Woodlands Park Rd, Titirangi

5. 54 Riversdale Rd, Avondale

6. 133A May Rd, Mt Roskill

7. 53 Valley Rd, Mt Eden

8. 84 Wheturangi Rd, Epsom

9. 18 Amsterdam Pl, Avondale

The following properties will not be offered prior to 3pm

10. 31 Keppell St, Grey Lynn

11. 2/8 Sefton Ave, Grey Lynn

12. 13 Murray Rd, Te Atatu Peninsula

13. 19 Dexter Ave, Mt Eden

14. 12/167 Whitney St, Blockhouse Bay

15. 10 Eden View Rd, Sandringham

16. 2/6 Tongariro St, Mt Eden

17. 29 Tony Segedin Dr, Avondale SOLD

18. 49A Renoir St, West Harbour SOLD

Barfoot & Thompson Northcote,

Northcote Shopping Centre, Northcote

4.30 PM

87A Fairclough Rd, Beach Haven

ON SITE

6.00 PM

232 Whiriwhiri Rd, Waiuku

THURSDAYBruce Mason Centre,

Cnr The Promenade & Hurstmere Road, Takapuna

RESIDENTIAL 10.00 AM

1. 42 Tilden Ave, Hillcrest

2. 18 Pluto Pl, Beach Haven

3. 17 Coronation St, Belmont

4. 7/10 Blomfield Spa, Takapuna

5. 28 Waipa St, Birkenhead

6. 20A Bevyn St, Milford

7. 17D Mizpah Rd, Waiake

8. 6 Maryann Pl, Greenhithe

Barfoot & Thompson North Shore Commercial,

87 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna

COMMERCIAL 10.00 AM

112A Bush Rd, Albany

ON SITE

6.00 PM

369 Paremoremo Rd, Albany