– A Christchurch home in New Brighton sold for $830,000, $105,000 above the starting bid.
– The property’s location on Marine Parade was a major draw for the five registered bidders.
– New Brighton’s popularity is rising, with infrastructure investments and affordable prices compared to Sumner.
A deceased estate in Christchurch’s up-and-coming beach suburb nabbed an extra $105,000 at a heated auction this week.
The two-bedroom 1950s home on New Brighton’s main strip sold for $830,000 after homeowners and developers fought hard to buy it.
The auction kicked off at the reserve, $725,000, with Harcourts Parklands agent Andrew Swift telling OneRoof there were five registered bidders in the room.
The 1950s home boasted original decor, including mustard-patterned wallpaper on both the walls and ceiling in the kitchen. Photo / Supplied
Swift said the property’s Marine Parade address was the biggest drawcard for buyers, with Woolworths, New Brighton Club, and the He Puna Tai Moana Hot Pools all nearby.
“You can look down the pier from the lounge window, so you could sit there and watch the fireworks. It had been very, very well maintained,” he said.
“Although the decor was dated, the elderly people living there had really looked after the house. It had a quaint retro sort of vibe.”
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The new owners were from Christchurch and had bought the property to be closer to the beach, Swift said.
“They might just leave it as it is. I think they quite liked the quirkiness of it. They may do some stuff to it because it is a bit dated, but it is the location that was the main attraction.”
They successfully batted off competition from first-home buyers and developers.
The lounge has views directly across to the New Brighton pier. Photo / Supplied
Swift said New Brighton had been an underrated gem for many years, but was growing in popularity since Covid, with people wanting to be near large open spaces such as the beach.
More recently, Christchurch City Council had started investing in infrastructure in the suburb, and the part-deserted mall was finally getting a much-needed revamp, he said. The extremely popular hot pools, which opened in 2020, were also another selling point.
“Finally, it seems to be recognised as a place that’s worth considering, whereas in the past it had been perhaps undervalued a bit by people,” he said.
“People are recognising it has got a good lifestyle out there and that facilities and things are there now. There are some development things starting to happen in the commercial part of the mall, which has needed to happen for a wee while.”
Young families, in particular, were buying in New Brighton because of what was on offer and it was still seen as affordable compared to other parts of the city, Swift said.
Harcourts agent Mark O’Loughlin agreed that New Brighton was coming of age.
“It has great surfing, great fishing, and a lot of people utilise it all the time. You could say New Brighton is starting to be what Sumner was 40 or 50 years ago.”
The prices were also much more palatable, he said.
“The average house price in Sumner is around $1.9m, and the average house price in New Brighton is around $680,000,” O’Loughlin told OneRoof.
“So [more] bang for your buck is attractive for buyers.”
The Government confirmed this week it is committing $38.5m to replace the Pages Road bridge in New Brighton and upgrade the surrounding roads.
O’Loughlin said houses in the suburb were selling quickly, noting that buyers were targeting old rentals and run-down houses for renovation projects.
“People who live in New Brighton say it’s the best beach anywhere,” he said.
O’Loughlin said the downside had once been the cold easterly wind that blew through there, but buyers he spoke to didn’t mind that.
– Click here to find more properties for sale in New Brighton