Australians eager for Banks Peninsula properties

News release
May 21, 2009

Australians eager for Banks Peninsula properties

Property on picturesque Banks Peninsula is attracting unprecedented interest from Australian buyers as trans-Tasman travel becomes easier and cheaper, two local real estate agents say.

Ben Turner and Tracey Nixon, both of whom work for Bayleys Canterbury and specialize in marketing Banks Peninsula properties, say they have noticed a marked increase in inquiries from buyers across the Tasman.

"The trend is quite noticeable - the inquiry level from Australia has rocketed up. They're looking for a lifestyle change and a safe investment and they see land on Banks Peninsula as offering both,'' says Ben, who has dealt with several buyers from Australia.

Tracey Nixon, who specializes in residential properties on the peninsula, says one potential Australian buyer was so interested in a house she was auctioning that he flew into Christchurch and chartered a helicopter so he could inspect the property and attend the auction before flying back to Australia the following day.

"These are serious buyers who are willing to pay fair market value for properties,'' Tracey says. "The ease of travel between Australia and New Zealand these days means it is quite feasible for them to own properties in both countries.

"Many of the buyers that I'm dealing with are looking to the future. They're thinking about retiring here and want to buy in an area that they regard as safe, secure and unlikely to become over-developed.''

Property in Banks Peninsula is also drawing strong interest from Australia-based Kiwis looking to return home.

Jonathan Bakx and his wife have spent the past few years running a consultancy business in Australia but have now decided it is time to move back to New Zealand. They have holidayed in Banks Peninsula regularly and want to buy a large life-style block in the area.

"It's just so handy being only an hour and a quarter from Christchurch and we think it has really good re-sale. We would prefer to have our money in land rather than in the bank at the moment,'' Mr Bakx says.

Sydney-sider Jane Scribner and her partner Ross Pettersson, an expat Kiwi who was raised in Wellington but has lived in Australia for about 30 years, are also eager to start calling Banks Peninsula home.

They fell in love with the area while on holiday in New Zealand and have just bought a property in the Akaroa Harbour basin. They intend using it as a holiday home in the short term but envisage spending more and more time there as their work commitments allow.

"We were taken not only by the dramatic scenery and the fact we're in a rural area with fantastic views of the hills and the sea but we also really like the town of Akaroa and the charm and history that goes with it,'' says Ms Scribner.

"We wanted to live in a semi-rural area but we need to be somewhere near the big smoke as well. This ticked all the boxes for us.''

Ms Scribner says with low cost carriers offering such cheap trans-Tasman airfares and the New Zealand and Australian government close to reaching agreement on easing passport controls between the two countries, it has never been more viable for Australians to own a slice of New Zealand paradise.

ENDS

© Scoop Media