First in line snaps up section

Ryan Larsen (L) was first in line to buy a section at Ti Toki Beachlands after queuing overnight. His brother, Troy Larsen (R) as second in line. Photo / Michael Craig, Herald on Sunday

Securing the "keys to the door" of his own property, it was a 21st to remember for Troy Larsen this morning as he became one of twelve lucky buyers to snap up a sought after section outside Auckland.

Almost 40 people slept in their cars overnight beside a field in Beachlands to be the first through the gate of the Ti Toki Lane development.

Mr Larsen and his brother Ryan were the first two in line, after their grandad John parked his car up at lunchtime yesterday.

After signing the documents and securing their actions the pair said it was "well worth it".

Due to high demand, the release of the third stage of sections at the new Ti Toki Lanes subdivision in Beachlands has been done on a first-in, first-served basis.

The site opened at 9am today and interested parties were given a ticket prioritising their right to purchase a section, priced from $425,000, in order of their vehicle arrival.

Cars started lining up to secure a spot from early yesterday.

Professionals Real Estate agent Michael Black said that two weeks ago, the company sold 18 second-stage sections in 90 minutes. There were also people waiting at the gates for that sale.

As Troy and Ryan walked out of the cabin with their documents marked 'sold', grandad John shouted: "Well done boys."

John Larsen sits in his vehicle at the front of the queue ready for tomorrows auction for sections at Ti Toki Lanes Housing Estate in Beachlands. Photo / Jason Oxenham, Herald on Sunday

It was an ideal birthday gift to himself, Troy said, and truly represented the 'key to the door' of 21st birthday cliche.

It felt "really good" to have secured his future, the police officer said.

"They're pretty hot property, as you can see with all these cars out here, and Beachlands is a bloody good place to be.

You van catch the ferry over to the city and that, and you're right next to Spinnaker Bay, that's been hot property ever since they started building."

The buy meant he could set himself up for the future, he said. "Our dad's been a big influence on that sort of stuff, making sure we get into the property market young, to help us out when we have a family," he said.

Troy finished his shift at 1am, and joined the queue, where his brother Ryan had saved him a position.

Ryan, who works at BNZ bank, spent a "cold" night in the car after coming down at around 6pm after work.

"We just didn't expect it at all, we knew it was going to be busy, but then when dad rang me at work and said, 'hey there's people here already at 1pm, 2pm, we're going to go jump in the queue', I said, 'alright'.

We were planning on staying the night anyway."As first in the line they got pick of the sections, and had already eyed up the ones they wanted before the gates opened at 9am He expected today's sale to be "all over by 10.30am".

The pair were congratulated by owner of Professionals real estate group for the eastern and southern suburbs, Geoff Lovegrove, who said: "Well done, you've waited all night, it wasn't expected for people to wait in their cars all night."

But not everyone was happy with how the sales went - with only 12 cars allowed through the gates, there were a lot of disgruntled would-be buyers.

One unhappy prospective property owner lashed out at the real estate agents, shouting at Mr Lovegrove when he was not allowed through.

Arun Sethi, 39, claimed he was sixth in line, and had been waiting for 17 hours to secure his position, but his wife Preeti had borrowed the car to take their children to soccer practice.

Professionals said because he wasn't waiting in his car, he was not allowed in.

A frustrated Mr Sethi told Mr Lovegrove that it was "not fair at all", and threatened to take his story to television consumer affairs show Fair Go.

"I'm in number six, I'm in number six, and you're just passing me away. What is this, is this racism or what?," he shouted after him as Mr Lovegrove tried to retreat.

Mr Sethi said he and his wife moved to New Zealand from India in December with their 11-year-old twins, a son and a daughter.

Potential buyers wait outside a new development in Beachlands. Photo / Herald on Sunday, Michael Craig

Speaking to media with tears in his eyes, an upset Mr Sethi said: "My wife took away my car to drop my kids to the soccer, I've just one car. I'm a new migrant to the country ... and I just need a house to stay in.

"I want to make my child's future over here because it's a beautiful country, and beautiful people over here, and 0 per cent crime around here. Everybody wants to bring up their child in a good manner, and I'm doing this and what are they doing? I really can't understand."

He added: "This is not good at all, not good. I don't expect this from New Zealand."
Mr Sethi held up his a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of water, to show media he had stayed all night.

He had spoken to the New Zealand Herald on Friday night about queuing for the sections because the Auckland property market was "going like a rocket these days".

Others complained about poor signage, no security, and a lack of clear instructions about how the process for queuing was supposed to work.

A single orange traffic cone was placed in front of the gate, with a sign which informed prospective buyers that Professionals would issue only one ticket per car, on a first-come first-served basis, and to queue in their cars "in front of the cone".

The majority of cars were parked back from the cone, on the left had side of the gate.

However, some had misunderstood and parked on the right hand side, and were denied a ticket.

"Because I parked there I've missed the whole boat," Jen Nath said.

"I've missed it because the queue had to start there and backwards - but it [the sign] doesn't say backwards, it says in front. So we parked there.

"He questioned how hopeful buyers were supposed to know the road cone was put there by the real estate agency, and not a road worker.

A larger, much clearer sign should have been placed on the gate, or the 'for sale' sign which was erected in the field, he said. "This is not a real estate job, this is a butcher job," he said.

Matt Grant, 21, from Whitford, was number 13 in the queue - narrowly missing out on a ticket to secure a sit.

I got here about 3pm yesterday afternoon, so I've been here about 17,18 hours.

"I'm pretty disappointed really, because there was actually a car - two cars in front of me - that left their car unattended for the whole night, which is clearly against the rules they've set," he said.

"Then they've come here about two hours ago and they've just jumped in front of the queue, and I've basically missed out because of that. Pretty annoyed, but what can you do, it's just the way they handled it."

Mr Grant, an aircraft engineer with Air New Zealand, said he would wait in the hope that "maybe somebody decides they don't want one".

"It's probably unlikely but, yea, I'm just going to wait, hold out."

The next release of sections in two weeks time would likely be out of his reach, he said, as it was going to auction.

"The prices are going to be up quite a lot more. I'll probably come and check it out, see how it goes, but it could be out of the price-range."