Next is Eketāhuna, average value $411,000, at 16.1 per cent, followed by Pahīatua, average value $465,000, at 14.3 per cent and then fourth is Dannevirke, average value $484,000, at 13.3 per cent.
Boyden says the district is one where people get good bang for their buck. While the number of sales has lessened dramatically since the post-Covid heyday, values are not going down, he says.
“Extraordinary” values achieved nationwide post-Covid were caused by low supply and high demand, and that stretched all the way to his office in Dannevirke: “Even in our small office here it was nothing to have 10 to a dozen offers on one property.
“We’re not seeing that same competition now because supply has caught up with demand and we’re seeing a levelling out effect, but we’re still seeing considerable growth.”
Dannevirke has a range of property types, from around the $250,000 mark to the $1.5 million bracket.
People come because of the central location, good climate and jobs. The post-Covid drift south, from urban to rural, saw people searching for cheaper housing with others motivated by being able to work from home.
Boyden thinks the district has performed well partly because the rural sector has stood out in importance since Covid, and there is other employment.
“We’re very, very fortunate in Dannevirke that we have always had very wide-ranging employment base, from low-skill employment right up to I guess doctors and lawyers.”
The average property price in Dannevirke buys a sound three or four-bedroom older but renovated home on a large section, he says, and with that kind of value for money he expects growth to continue.
