Looking to buy an affordable home? Then look no further than the Northland state houses being sold by Housing New Zealand for well below Government Valuation.
The social housing agency sold 15 Northland properties in 2014 for an average of 9 per cent under Government Valuation (GV) - potting $2,098,000, although their combined GV came to $2,311,000.
All the houses were sold on the open market.
A further 16 properties that sold dirt cheap (but appeared not to have registered or separate GVs) brought Housing New Zealand's sales in Northland to nearly $2.5 million in 2014. Some on that second list were so cheap - several between $2000 and $10,000 - it is thought they were sold only as relocatable buildings.
Labour's housing spokesman Phil Twyford has slammed the Northland sales, saying neither the price nor policy adds up. "Selling off houses in Northland does not make sense," he said.