By Zoe Hunter,
Sections as small as 200sq m to 300sq m are being sold in Pāpāmoa.
The development of a large area of medium-density housing in Golden Sands has proved a lifeline for first-home buyers struggling to get on to the property ladder.
Tauranga building companies have noticed a boost in first-home buyers aged between 20 and 30 in the past few months, particularly in Golden Sands.
They say a drop in section sizes from 500sq m or 600sq m to about 270sq m or 300sq m had made a big difference for those wanting the keys to their first home.
Barrett Homes had 12 new agreements signed in the past five months for buyers aged 30 or younger, the youngest of whom was 22. The average age of all buyers was 24.
Director Grant Eynon said Golden Sands was normally priced at a level first-home buyers, in particular, could not afford.
However, Eynon said work between local developers such as Bluehaven, SmartGrowth and Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty councils to build medium-density housing had started to pay off.
“There now looks to be an indication that this work is starting to pay off, with younger generations using these medium-density housing developments to get on the property ladder,” he said.
G.J. Gardner Tauranga franchise owners Kirsty and Shane McConnell said they had experienced a similar increase in interest from young first-home buyers in the past three months.