SOURCE NZ Herald
5.00AM Wednesday November 21, 2007
By Wayne Thompson

Snells Beach is becoming more attractive to people working on the North Shore and in Auckland.

Values of homes in the countryside north of Auckland have risen by as much as 61 per cent in three years.

Dairy Flat and Silverdale show strongest growth in capital values in the three-yearly valuations done for Rodney District Council rating purposes by Quotable Value.

A snapshot of the market on September 1 showed an overall average rise of 36.1 per cent in the capital value of residential property across Rodney, said Quotable Value Auckland regional manager Melanie Gallagher.

The overall rise in land value was 58.3 per cent.

Ms Gallagher said all property values increased. Rodney coastal areas, which had extremely large increases in values in previous revaluations, were now increasing at rates consistent to inland locations.

The exceptions were Kawau Island, showing an average rise of 84 per cent in capital value, and Wellsford, Warkworth and eastern bays and beaches, such as Omaha, showing well above average increases.

On the west coast, Muriwai had a 48 per cent rise compared with Piha’s 29 per cent rise and Helensville’s home values were up by 50 per cent on three years ago.

On the Hibiscus Coast, Orewa and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula bays could not match the 52.6 per cent rise of Waiwera, where several big developments are planned and a State Highway 1 bypass is being built.

Land values in areas near metropolitan Auckland showed strong gains.

Dairy Flat land on average doubled in value, Silverdale’s rose by 83 per cent and Kumeu- Huapai’s by 43.9 per cent. Sheryl Campbell, of Bayleys Albany, said recent subdivisions at Dairy Flat were sought after by people who wanted to build big homes without having large sections to maintain.

They were able to have this and still be near to the private Kristin School and Pinehurst School and also primary schools at Dairy Flat and Coatesville.

A home in the Goodlands Estate - a “farm park” of 63 sections - sold for $3 million.

Mark Macky, of Bayleys Orewa, said the opening up of sections at Silverdale had proven popular because it was handy to the Northern Motorway, the Albany Basin employment centre and Hibiscus Coast beaches.

He said a 540sq m section with a September 2004 valuation of $100,000 had sold for $198,000 in March. Greg Allen-Baines, of Harveys Warkworth, said the Northern Motorway extension to Puhoi opening late next year would clip 10 minutes off the trip to the city.

This prospect had fuelled demand for properties from people working in the North Shore and Auckland in addition to people buying ahead of their retirement.

Kawau Island-based real estate agent John Pryor said the island’s properties had continued to rise in value because it was a place where people could “get away from it all” yet enjoy a water taxi link to the mainland.