10 KiwiBuild homes, 20 entries
The Government says there has been ‘‘good interest’’ in its KiwiBuild homes despite extending the deadline for the ballot on its first 10 KiwiBuild homes in Wanaka.
The ballot was due to open on October 8 but only 20 entries had been received so far, prompting the deadline to be pushed out until November 18.
A KiwiBuild spokesman said the level of interest in KiwiBuild homes ‘‘varies from place to place and house to house’’.
The extended deadline would give people more time to pre-qualify and enter, he said.
‘‘This is good news for first home buyers in the Queenstown Lakes region. They have a good chance of getting a brand new KiwiBuild home in Wanaka at an affordable price between $565,000 and $650,000.’’
A local real estate agent, Anna Findlay of Ray White, said there were not many entry-level houses in the WanakaAlbert Town area and most were priced higher than $600,000.
‘‘There’s certainly demand for it. There’s definitely a short supply of stock available on the market and anything we get on the market at that level... is pretty limited.’’
The homes are being built within the 800-home Northlake development, 211 of which are poised to become KiwiBuild homes over the next two years.
They are priced to align with the price cap for Home Start and Welcome Home loans in the Queenstown-Lakes area.
Both Wanaka and Queenstown have become steadily less affordable in recent years. According to QV, the median house price in Wanaka is $1,175,850.
The Government’s KiwiBuild policy aims to build 100,000 affordable homes in the next decade, with 1000 ready by July 2019.
Currently just 18 are completed in south Auckland.