"There were also supermarkets and shopping centres close by. But really the biggest factor in buying a house in Auckland is price," Rebecca Wotton said. The family looked from Pt Chevalier to Titirangi before buying.
The Roughan family said they faced plenty of disapointment before securing their home.
Sam Gifford, partner of daughter Stephanie Roughan, said the family missed out on about 20 houses before making their purchase.
"I actually can't count on both my hands how many houses we tried for and missed out on. I think I'm running out of toes, too. It was at least 18-20 and to be honest probably more than that," Gifford said.
"From memory, in one weekend we looked at roughly 20 houses, lined up five and ended up missing out on all of them the following week."
The family finally secured a home by negotiation but spent a lot of time missing out on houses they bid on.
The Pearce family, including mum Janette, dad Grant, daughter Atareta and her boyfriend Tawera, chose their house for the size of the section, good schools and proximity to the motorway.
"We were looking for affordability in the short amount of time we had to purchase the house with the rising Auckland housing market," Janette Hamilton-Pearce said.
"This area showed the most promise of price with great-sized sections, and good schools, and near motorways that made it minutes from the CBD."
The family bought their house at auction and said it was "simple, but riveting, dramatic and exciting".
The new series - which this time sees the families' children making the renovation decisions - starts on TV One next Sunday at 7.30pm.
