Editorial: Buyers need to be more realistic

We need to view affordable housing from a fresh perspective, say Annemarie Quill.

A friend of mine who is a Tauranga renter bemoans rising house prices which prevent her from getting a step up on the property ladder.

She and her partner currently have no children.

Reading Sonya Bateson's article on page five today about more affordable housing popping up in Tauranga, I showed her one of the developments featured in the story, Blake Lofts.

Loft apartments priced under $300,000 with shops underneath, a cafe and a 24-hour gym, all in the heart of the Mount sounded like a good buy to me for a younger demographic.

My first home purchase in London was much less glamorous, a top-floor apartment of a block on top of a 24-hour supermarket.

The view from my balcony was not of a glorious beach and beckoning ocean but ever-changing billboards and a multi-lane arterial route with non-stop screaming traffic.

I loved it as it was in the heart of the action in London.

Wouldn't a first-time buyer similarly jump at a chance to live in downtown Mount Maunganui for a fraction of the price of the Marine Parade mansions?

"No", replied my friend, who said she didn't want an apartment, but a three-bedroom house with a yard.

Perhaps we need to view affordable housing from a fresh perspective.

Some first-time buyers seem to want to buy the same house that they grew up in. Sights need to be set lower maybe than the large section and double garage that their parents had.

City dwellers in the likes of London and New York embrace apartment living. While Tauranga is nowhere near the size of those populations, our town is growing at such a fast rate that we need different options for affordable housing like this type of development.

First-time home buyers need to get more realistic and jump into the market where they can.