Notes on building homes that last.
Writing on New Zealand property, development and buying well, from the people who design and deliver Heartland projects. Everything here comes from doing the work, not from rewriting someone else’s market commentary.
Living in Ponsonby and Freemans Bay: a local read on Auckland's inner west
What living in Ponsonby and Freemans Bay is actually like: the boundary between them, the walk to the city, Western Park, and who each suburb actually suits, from a developer who has built on Hopetoun Street.
Read →Sunset clauses: the one contract clause to read twice
The sunset clause decides who can walk away from an off-the-plan contract and when. Here's what it does, the version that protects you, and the version that doesn't.
Read →Apartment or house in Epsom? The downsizer's honest comparison
At the same money in the same suburb, the house buys you land and the apartment buys you back your time. A developer's honest look at what actually tips the decision, and at the obstacle nobody talks about.
Read →Why a two-level home often beats a three-storey townhouse
Three storeys became the default shape of the Auckland townhouse because of how the numbers work on a section, not because it lives well. A developer's honest look at the trade, and who two levels actually suits.
Read →The Double Grammar Zone: what it covers, and how to actually check an address
The DGZ is the overlap of the Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar enrolment zones, and it does more work in an Auckland property search than any number of bedrooms. Here's what it covers and the address check most buyers get wrong.
Read →Living in Epsom: a local read on Auckland's most settled suburb
What living in Epsom, Auckland is actually like: the village corners, the schools and Double Grammar Zone, the parks and the commute, from a developer who has built here.
Read →Buying off the plans: what to check before you sign
A plain-English guide to buying off the plans in New Zealand: deposits, sunset clauses, the valuation gap, and the contract checks to make before you sign.
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