Family branches out and thrives in O¯ taki
Real estate agent Derek Kelly’s wha¯nau love their 1 hectare spot in O¯ taki so much, extended family have now moved onto the land as well, writes Sharon Stephenson.
It’s not unusual to find 13 people around Derek Kelly’s dinner table. The Australian owner of O¯ taki real estate agency Kelly & Co says Rahui Lodge, the 1ha home he bought eight years ago with his wife Hanna Issac, has been like catnip to his extended family.
‘‘We turned the old stables into a unit for my father-in-law and six months ago we relocated an old house [we found on] Trade Me onto the section, which my brother-in-law and his family now live in,’’ says Kelly, 52.
With their children, son Augie, 11, and 9-year-old daughter Elliot – and Issac’s mother and her partner who live nearby, space is often at a premium for the Sunday roasts Kelly regularly hosts at the villa.
‘‘Intergenerational living might not be for everyone, but it works for us. If you can happily co-exist with your in-laws or siblings, then it’s a great idea, especially in the face of the cost of living crisis and rising interest rates.’’
Kelly says the relocated house cost $50,000 to buy and another $30,000 to relocate from Petone.
‘‘Once you add in the cost of piles and the consent process, it probably cost us $150k all up. It works well for my brother-inlaw, who moved back from Australia with his family.’’
The 250m2 Rahui Lodge is the second property Kelly and Issac, an artist/tattoo artist, have owned.
Sydney-born Kelly met Issac, a Kiwi, in Byron Bay where the couple bought an ‘‘old shack’’ in the Byron hinterland, which was their home for 10 years.
But in 2013, they decided to return to Aotearoa. ‘‘This is a safer place and a kinder country to bring up our kids in.’’
The family lived in Auckland for a year but, unable to afford a house there, started casting their net wider.
‘‘We were tossing up whether to buy in Wairarapa or Ka¯ piti. We looked at a few places in Featherston and then Hanna and her mother flew down to check out three houses in O¯ taki, one of which we couldn’t afford.’’
As it turned out, Hanna made an offer on the house they couldn’t afford.
At the time Kelly, a trained primary school teacher, was
‘‘Intergenerational living might not be for everyone, but it works for us. If you can happily co-exist with your in-laws or siblings, then it’s a great idea.’’ Derek Kelly, left
working in early childhood earning less than $50,000 a year.
‘‘But I came down to see this house and as soon as I walked in, I knew it was right for us. I also knew my life would be lived in a perpetual cloud of regret and disappointment if we didn’t do everything we could to make this our home.’’
That included Kelly making numerous trips from Auckland to interview for jobs. And spending three months apart from his family – splitting his week nannying for a family in Te Horo and another in Lower Hutt.
‘‘Although we had preapproval to buy in Auckland, we didn’t have it for Ka¯ piti, so I had to come down here and work for three months so I could show local payslips to the bank.’’ Even then, the bank said no. ‘‘There was a lot of anxiety, but I eventually found a lender who said yes. I’m still in touch with that lender and every year on her birthday I contact her to say thank you for being such an angel and changing our lives.’’
Built in 1902, the threebedroom villa once belonged to the O¯ taki Ma¯ ori Racecourse. It had solid bones but needed refreshing, which Kelly has now completed, having renovated one room a year.
It wasn’t just a family home that Kelly got out of the transaction – the estate agent who sold him the villa asked him to come and work for him.
‘‘I’d never, ever considered being a real estate agent. I’ve always been a socialist, so when friends heard I was going to be selling real estate they were incredibly surprised.’’
Five years after making his first sale, Kelly started his own agency. Within a year, Kelly & Co had recorded the highest number of sales in the Ka¯ piti region. The Te Horo property, with an asking price of $1.6 million, is one of his current listings.
‘‘Ours isn’t your typical real estate model,’’ he says of his business, which now employs six staff members.
‘‘Everyone who works on a listing gets paid, which means that there’s no competition in the office. That creates a much more harmonious work environment.’’
Kelly is also a big believer in giving back to the community, sponsoring events such as the
O¯ taki Kite Festival, the
Ma¯ oriland Film Festival, and the Te Horo Gala.
Kelly recently bought The Arcade, a 1950s former furniture store in O¯ taki’s main street, which he is refurbishing for his offices.
‘‘We’re hoping to turn the other part of the building into a restaurant and bar, which I won’t run because that’s not my skill set.’’
When it comes to advice for buyers, especially first-home buyers, Kelly says there’s never a ‘‘best’’ time to buy. ‘‘But if you can afford it, then now is a pretty good time. I think prices are plateauing at the moment, and I can’t see them going much further backwards. I would advise first-home buyers to not wait around but talk to a mortgage broker now.’’
Although he’s proud of his Aussie roots, Kelly has no plans to move back to his homeland. ‘‘I can’t imagine living anywhere else but in this community and this house – it’s the kind of house I hope stays in our family for generations to come.’’