Ryan and Laura have opted for quality and proximity to great amenities over size in choosing the perfect first home for their young family at Hobsonville Point. The couple bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Te Uru apartments by Fletcher Living for themselves, three-year old Evie and three-month old Marlowe.
Combined with their savings, a First Home Grant of $10,000 and their KiwiSaver withdrawals got them over the line, helped by the fact they were eligible for KiwiBuild, which capped the purchase price for their new home at $650,000.
Ryan says whilst it wasn’t something they considered during the buying process, “we’re finding having a smaller, higher quality place means there’s less time spent on cleaning and maintenance, so we’re spending a lot more of our time doing things as opposed to cleaning things.”
And they find plenty to do and enjoy at Hobsonville Point. He and Laura love to make the most of the Catalina Bay waterfront. They’ve discovered many local gems, and are “quite partial” to the Portuguese tarts from the Catalina Bay Farmers Market – a regular weekend treat – and to the coffee from Squadron Coffee’s bright yellow cart.
“We’ve discovered lots of cool little parks tucked away to take Evie to,” says Ryan. The variety of playgrounds at Hobsonville Point provides Evie with trampolining, water play, a giant slide in the shape of a bird, and plenty of opportunity to make friends, as there are lots of young families living there. Once she’s older, Ryan is looking forward to joining the sailing club and getting her out on the water.
Ryan says their top floor apartment has views of the harbour and the Sky Tower and they get the sea breeze coming through. It doesn’t feel too small and it supports them to live a simple life.
“We’re just going to play it by ear and see how long it takes for our family to organically outgrow the space. With young children it works very well, and we’re finding all the amenities close to us are proving to be pretty fantastic.”
