“Three lots are already under offer,” Generation Homes local partner David Barker says.

“With just 17 homes in the subdivision, it will be no time at all until a new waterfront neighbourhood emerges on the site,” he says.

“All the services are connected in the new subdivision at the end of Morley Street, adjacent to the Aquatic Centre and coastal walkway. The next step is the roading and that will be finished in a week or so,” David Barker says.

The land development is the first sizeable subdivision in central New Plymouth for a decade. The development will inject millions of dollars into the local economy through Generation Homes’ close partnerships with many Taranaki construction firms.

Architectural plans of the subdivision show the development has a contemporary feel suitable for the rejuvenation of this central location.

“The concept images show some examples of the possibilities for the new homes in the subdivision. Each customer can choose from a wide variety of Generation Homes architectural designs and tailor their individual vision into a specific plan for their own dream home,” David Barker says.

House and land packages in the subdivision start from $509,000 and Generation Homes’ fixed price includes all fittings and fixtures in the home, landscaping, the letter box, the clothesline, and a 10-year Master Build guarantee.

To celebrate the occasion, Generation Homes is offering a $5000 cash back bonus for any house hunters who sign up within the first month of the show home opening.

Generation Homes Director Paul Marshall says, “I’ll enjoy handing over a $5000 cheque when the purchaser pays their deposit.

“Then I’ll look forward to the final day when we give people the keys to their house and see their faces. I love that. We start with a big pile of dirt and our customers end up with a lovely home with landscaped gardens.

“Building a community of like-minded people is really important for Generation Homes,” he says.

The new show home at 16 Hamon Place is spacious with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large family room, a separate formal lounge, and a double garage.

It is built from Generation Homes’ Opaki plan and modified with a funky linearboard style offset by a prominent schist chimney and columns.

While Generation Homes has many designs to choose from, for Paul customer service is about listening to clients and being flexible about the details.

“Some people prefer the contemporary brick and tile look, while others like linearboard and plaster. Substituting wooden decks for concrete or adding a pergola are other modifications we’ve done lately,” Paul says.

“We bend over backwards to ensure our customers have the home they want and dream of and that’s what it’s all about for me,” he says.

John and Shona McLean returned to Gisborne a few years ago from 40 years spent in Vancouver, Canada, to retire and look after Shona’s elderly mother.

When they were looking for a home of their own, John says they checked out the retirement village option but it was not for them.

“We don’t need their services yet and we don’t want to lose 30% of our capital value instantly when we purchase,” he says.

“We looked at the Generation Homes show home and talked to people who had already moved in to the street who spoke of the high quality standards of Generation Homes,” John says.

The couple had lived in a cul de sac in Vancouver and were seeking a secure neighbourhood where like-minded people look out for each other.

Addison Court comprises eight Generation Homes in a gated cul de sac in the Sterling Park subdivision at Lytton West.

The development started in 2008 and since then new owners have progressively moved in, mostly from out of town.

Generation Homes’ guaranteed completion date gave the residents certainty for planning their move and was a “big plus”.

Now John and Shona are happily near the end of unpacking their belongings and have a lifetime of memories surrounding them in their new home in a community they’re glad to be a part of.

Shelley and John Bowers lived in Matamata for 40 years, but the 10-hour return trip to Gisborne to visit their daughter and grandchildren led to a decision to move to Gisborne for their retirement last year.

They looked at existing and new homes and were attracted to Addison Court because of the security and sense of community that was immediately obvious to them.

“We visited the show home and it felt like a secure area and had a nice feel to it,” Shelley says.

“We were on holiday recently and our neighbours took turns mowing the lawns. It is a nice community and everyone gets on.”

Laureen Tidswell has also returned to Gisborne for her retirement.

Two of her sons and daughter-in-law helped her choose Addison Close and it was the security of the street which attracted her as well as the manageable section size.

“It is a quiet neighbourhood where everyone has got to know each other. It is a good little community and we have had a street BBQ and a get together prior to Christmas and our socialising will be ongoing,” she says.

During the building boom in 2003-2005, it was nearly impossible for young people to buy a new home as their first home because high interest rates made things too expensive for them.

Now interest rates are low and house prices have eased somewhat, so it is achievable for people to build their dream home as their first house. This is particularly good news for young people and those who have struggled in the past to build a new home.

“We firmly believe in the Kiwi right for people to own their own home. It’s a real buzz to hand over the keys of a customer’s very first home,” David says.

Tauranga City Council figures showed November’s 77 new dwelling consents and October’s 73 are more than double the figures for October and November in 2010.

These two months alone had the same number of consents as the preceding three months.
It has been a long time since the local building industry has been so active.

New dwelling consents of this number have not been recorded since September 2008, when an unusual 121 consents were issued, and before that, in July 2007 with 79 new dwelling consents.

Home affordability data also shows the market is more favourable for people now that it was a few years ago. (see  http://www.roost.co.nz/roost-home-loan-affordability-report/home-loan-affordability-improves-as-median-house-price-slips-1st-home-buyers-keen/)

Generation Homes local partner David Barker says it’s the first sizeable subdivision in central New Plymouth for a decade and creating the community will inject millions of dollars into the Taranaki economy.

The new subdivision at the end of Morley Street, next to the Aquatic Centre and coastal walkway, will be developed over the coming months.

It will transform the vacant land from an empty eyesore to a vibrant neighbourhood, David says.

Generation Homes has been operating in Taranaki for 17 months now and there’s a show home at 131 Wills Road, Bell Block.

Many people may be saving hard for their first home and don’t realise they already qualify for a mortgage with our 5% deposit programme. 

Couples who have had Kiwisaver accounts operating for a while may have already reached the necessary level of savings when employee and employer contributions are taken into account.

Kiwisaver rules allow savings to be withdrawn to help pay for a first home. Plus, people may qualify for a Government grant of up to $5000 each.

Often people don’t know the Kiwi dream home can become a reality right now if they use their Kiwisaver savings.

For example, with a deposit of $17,950, people in Tauranga can become homeowners as the house and land packages at Milford Estate in Papamoa begin at $359,000.

In Gisborne, for as little as $15,000, Generation Homes can help people with the transition from renting or living at home to moving in to their dream home as the house and land packages at Sponge Bay begin at $299,000.

Generation Homes is able to offer this programme with mortgage provider New Zealand Home Loans because of our unique fixed price and guaranteed delivery date.

And for those who don’t quite have the deposit now, New Zealand Home Loans can help with a special savings plan to ensure the deposit is achievable sooner rather than later.

Many retirees are land rich, but cash poor, Generation Homes Rodney Director Paul Barker says. People have large sections and much of their equity tied up in their land because their land values are so high. Also they face the challenge of increased living expenses and decades of good health in retirement.

For retirees or empty nesters who wish to free up some extra income, subdividing is a solution which Generation Homes can help with.

There are several potential opportunities for people who choose to subdivide – cash for the sale of the section to an investor, cash for subdividing and building and then selling a new home, or rental property income from either renting out the new home or renting out the older house and moving into the adjacent new house.

For instance, a retired Orewa couple living in the area zoned for high density may be able to subdivide off a section as small as 275m2. The subdivision will cost approximately $70,000 and after building a Generation Home for a fixed price they could potentially take $100,000 equity from the sale of the subdivided house.

People could be concerned about how subdivision would affect the value of their resulting property. With the right landscaping, Generation Homes don’t believe this to be an issue.

The achievement is a smaller, more manageable site and freeing up of equity.

Finding an ideal bach can occupy Kiwi dreams just as much as buying your first home.

Generation Homes has many house and land packages available in holiday locations across  the North Island, so there is a Generation bach out there to suit everyone.

A new Generation show home in Wharewaka, Taupo, has been designed with families and holidaymakers in mind and it may fit the dream criteria exactly.

The show home in Barbary Close reached record numbers of visitors in its first month of  opening and Generation Homes Taupo Director Lyndon Marshall says the high level of interest is indicative of a “change in the air” for the Taupo property market.

With summer around the corner, Lyndon is confident these high visitor levels are only the beginning as holidaymakers attend the show home as they contemplate buying a bach in the area.

Dream baches can also be located near the sand and sea with house and land packages in Papamoa in the Bay of Plenty, on the Kapiti Coast, in the Rodney district, in Taranaki, Rotorua, Gisborne and in Northland.

Directors Rod and Jess Lalich set up the business two years ago and many of their customers are families looking for the superior lifestyle options offered in Franklin/Papakura.

Rod and Jess were introduced to Generation Homes by their own families.
While at university, Jess needed a place to live at the same time as her parents, Dave and Julie Smylie, were looking for an investment property. Consequently, Jess lived in a Generation Home in Hamilton they purchased in 2002.

Now Dave and Julie own nine Generation Homes spread between Hamilton, Rotorua, Karaka and the new show home in Patumahoe Village Estate.

“Our business as Generation Homes joint venture partners in this area is all due to my parents’ influence – they started the Generation Homes connection. But the links also extend through Rod’s side of the family,” Jess says.

“Rod’sparents, David and Donna Lalich, have owned two Generation Homes in Hamilton and his grandmother, Shirley Lalich, has a Generation Home in Morrinsville.

“Plus, the first personal relationship Rod and I had with Generation Homes was as a customer when we bought an investment property in Hamilton,” Jess says.
The customer satisfaction experienced by their families is something Jess and Rod are committed to sharing with all their clients.

There is no such thing as cost overruns and time delays. Generation Homes has a fixed price for every house built and a guaranteed completion date.

The new Patumahoe show home has opened at 2 Searle Drive.

Rod, who is an architectural designer, has adapted a Generation Homes standard house plan called Esprit for the sloping site by designing a split-level home.

The four-bedroom home has two bathrooms with an open plan living area including the kitchen, family room, dining room and a computer nook, plus a bonus three-car garage.
Patumahoe Village Estate has large sites averaging 750 sqm with plenty of room for the trampoline, a swing set and a game of backyard touch.  It is in rural surroundings with the Patumahoe cafes, shops, school and sports clubs in easy walking distance.

Generation Homes has 21 sections in Searle Drive, Vivien Place and Woodhouse Road available with house and land packages starting from $420,000.

A partnership between the Hamilton City Council and Generation Homes will lead to building consents being issued within 48 hours and the number of required building inspections reduced considerably.

The first building development from the elite partnership between Generation Homes and the council is the Edgeview subdivision in Dixon Road in the Hamilton suburb of Glenview.
The initiative is described as a “win-win” for everyone.

Generation Homes Waikato Director Alana Savage says the partnership shifts the emphasis on compliance away from the local authority to the developer, who must meet certain partnership criteria.

Some of these include having a recognised history of excellence in the construction industry, being a member of a recognised organisation that expects superior construction standards of its members, (this includes quality control measures and complaints processes), having sufficient insurances for public liability and professional indemnity, and using local-authority approved sub-contractors.

Alana Savage says Generation Homes has been approved for the Gold Card level of partnership, the top level currently on offer.

“The Gold Card means that not only are we able and committed to processing building consents in 48 hours and are authorised to manage the inspection regime, we also offer a range of recognised sustainability options,” she says.

This could mean solar power, extra insulation, low-flow shower heads and rain gardens, as examples. “The partner company has to have an agreed level of options available to the customer and we are working with the council on finalising that range of options,” Savage says.

Phil Saunders, the building control manager for the Hamilton City Council, says that “without being too clichéd, the partnership is a win-win for all parties”.

“Only top-quality companies achieve Gold Card status,” he says. “The process is streamlined for the developers and home-owners while as a local authority we have the surety that our customers  … and homeowners are our customers … are going to get a top-notch service and product, and that we are going to get improved compliance with the building code.

“Our timeframes will come back, plus we are still getting the best possible quality assurance,” says Phil Saunders.