Original subtitles

- I'm on a hunt to help find everyday Kiwis their perfect country house.

Things are a little different out here in the country.

You still have the hustle and bustle.

Your neighbours can sometimes be a bit noisy.

Time moves a little slower.

But you don't get this...

in the city.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024

Today we're in the Bay of Plenty with Candice, Brent and their two kids, Zara and Oliver.

Now, Candice originally hails from Africa, so she's expecting a lot of family visits,

which means they're after a place with a great guest space.

These two, they know what they like, which means they're not gonna settle for anything less thanthe best.

But I'm up for the challenge.

Let's see if we can find them a home that suits.

Today we're heading to Tauranga with Candice and Brent.

I'll be helping our couples search for a new home for their young family.

The ideal home will have outdoor spaces for entertaining and a manageable garden.

I'm just thinking, how would you mow the lawns, you know?

- You'd have― You'd have to get a cow or something.

- Or some goats. Yeah. - And maybe a couple of pigs. - Couple of― yeah.

Couple of pigs, maybe a horse.

So it might be a big lifestyle change.

- And while we're at it, what about a fruit tree or two?

Huge property. Avocado orchard comes with the place as well. - Yeah.

- So... - Wow, that's so you, eh? - I love avocados.

- Avocado on toast single morning. - Every day.

- I can't wait to join Candice and Brent on their hunt for their new dream home.

Now let's learn more about our couple.

Candice and Brent are parents to two children, and they're engaged to be married.

- Yeah, we kind of did everything a bit backwards. I had the kids first.

- The couple met it work and almost didn't get together.

- Yeah, he asked me out on a date, and I have a strict no dating clients rule,

but I made an exception, and it's paid off.

- I guess the rest is history. You know, it was a successful date. It was good.

- Tauranga appeals to Candice and Brent for multiple reasons.

- The climate for me. I'm from Africa, so the sunny, warm climate is just... yeah.

- Central, close to Auckland ― it's perfect.

- They're an outdoorsy family enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer.

- Well, you gotta have a bit of fishing. Just hanging out with the kids, eh?

You know? Game― bike riding. - Hanging out with the kids, bike rides, and we go out on the boat,

and, like, little harbour tours to see the ships as they come in.

- Tauranga is a seaside city situated on New Zealand's North Island,

about one and a half hours' drive from Hamilton.

The city is nestled against the stunning Mount Maunganui in the Bay Of Plenty region,

and boy, does it have plenty to offer ―

beaches, a marine harbour, and for the more adventurous, a skydiving centre.

Whether they're enjoying the relaxed town centre or out on the water,

Candice and Brent are going to love life in Tauranga.

Get ready for house number one.

This colonial style house is set in a stunning location adjacent to the wetlands,

but is it the right fit for our couple?

Candice, how are you? - Hey, Matt. Nice to meet you.

- Lovely to meet you too. Gidday, Brent, how you doing? - Hey, how are ya? Yeah. Good,good.

- How excited are we to be hunting houses today? Brent?

- It should be good, yeah. - Very excited, yeah.

- So, looking at what we are looking for in terms of a home for you,

I know there's a few things that you'd be really keen for.

Country views, space for the kids to run around... - Yes.

- ...and places for guests to come and stay as well, cos... - Yes.

My family's in Africa, so when they come over, it's the whole tribe. - OK.

And we're working with a decent budget.

We're gonna be looking at around the $2.5 million to $3 million mark today?

- Yeah. Look, flexible. Depends on the property, really.

- Let's talk about the place that I brought you today. I mean, just look where we are.

It is absolutely stunning. It's beautiful. - It's a stunning location.

- I mean, you hear the birds whistling. It is fantastic here, eh? - Yeah, exactly.

Now, believe it or not, it was actually built in 2006.

It looks like a classic country charming house, but you get all the benefits of a new build.

Four bedrooms, you've got a wraparound veranda, huge property, avocado orchard.

- I didn't expect the avocado tree, so that was quite exciting.

- A little bonus. Avocados for breakfast. - Yeah. Yeah.

- How does it appeal to you though? Obviously from here, just looking at the property, what do you think?

- This look of a property is just my taste.

I love the big windows and the wraparound balcony. It's looking gorgeous.

- No expense was spared building this place. - Yeah, nah...

it would've― would've cost a bit, I imagine.

- All right. I think we've looked at it from the outside enough. Let's have a look inside, eh?

- Yeah. - Let's go and do it. - Come on in.

Welcome in. It really is just a charming, classic country kitchen.

Big island in the middle here, the parquet floors.

You'll notice all the wooden joinery with the brass handles throughout the house.

How does the kitchen look to you guys?

- I like it, I think it's― That's one of those beautiful, sort of, country style kitchens, youknow?

- Yeah. - Lovely high ceilings. Just gives it a feeling of more space.

- Yeah. - And the beautiful windows all around, it's lovely.

- Plenty of cupboards, pretty good. - Good storage.

- One really nice feature is those doors open up into a little breakfast area

out there with some beautiful sliding doors.

It's gonna be a pretty idyllic spot. - Yeah, it's very nice.

- That's just the start. We've only seen one room.

There's so much to like about this house, so let's head through there, I reckon.

- All right. Welcome to this beautiful room.

Isn't it stunning? So much space in here in the lounge and dining area.

- Yeah, it's amazing, eh? I mean, the view is spectacular. It's really good.

- It's gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. - Yeah.

- And I love those bifolding doors out on to that veranda that wraps all the way around the house.

- Yeah, yeah, it's pretty impressive eh?

You can see yourself sort of sitting out there in the morning and...

- Just gorgeous. - ...or at night having a wine. That'd be pretty cool.

- So it's an absolutely stunning room,

but would it last like this with a young family?

- How do you feel about the white carpet?

- I know, I'm a bit worried about the white carpets.

- Nice. - It'll be a bit stressful with white carpets.

- Incredible space, this one, but so much more to see.

So, down that wing of the house, all the bedrooms, four bedrooms.

Go and check those out. See you in a little bit.

- Sounds good. - OK. - See you soon.

- Oh wow. This is...

this is lovely.

Imagine waking up to that every morning.

- Nice, eh? It's a nice― Yeah, beautiful view. - Absolutely beautiful. Yeah.

- Nice space, eh? Expansive. - Good space.

These windows are stunning. - Yeah, high stud.

- Good-sized closet. Yeah. - Yeah. It's nice. - It is nice.

- Good en suite. Yeah, nice tiles. Nice and warm. - Nice.

Beautiful. Very lush-feeling room.

- Look, I mean, the house is... it's nice, eh? It's a nice, spacious house. I like the design.

- Ah, there's just something to like about every single aspect of this house, isn't there?

Gorgeous gardens. You've got a fire pit.

- I love that. - Bit to do, bit to do.

- Yeah. In terms of the gardening,

would that be something you two would be interested in keeping up yourselves?

- No. Nah. Nah. - No. No. - Nope. Easy.

Two young kids, away for work a bit. - Yeah.

- Good lawn. - Maintaining it yourselves might be pretty tricky.

- Yeah, but with a ride-on mower, you'd be all right, you know? - It'd be a bit to take on.

- Lots to do. - You'd have to do the lawns.

- It does have a really great vegetable garden as well.

Lots of raised planter beds around the corner, around this side of the house.

- That is a dream vegetable garden right there.

Yeah, it looks amazing. - Yeah.

- So it would be really handy to have that already set up

and just get stuck into it. - Mm-hm.

Well, knowing your budget, where do you think this one would sit in the market?

- Maybe mid-2s, round that mark?

- Yeah, I kind of thought the mid to late 2s. - Mid to late.

- There is a lot of house, so it does cost a little bit.

It's going to be $2.5 million, around that mark. - Right, OK.

- How does that make you feel? Is that all right?

- Oh look, Matt, I think it's― - Kinda where we thought, eh?

Yeah. - Yeah. Pretty much, yeah.

- Yeah, It was a bit lower than I expected.

I think for value, you're getting more than you could ask for.

- Yeah, well, you couldn't build it and whatnot today. - Yeah.

- I still have two great options for you, so let's hit the road.

- Look forward to it. - Great.

- Well, I think Candice is ready to move in tomorrow, but there's still more to see.

I can't wait to show Candice and Brent house number two,

a luxurious family house.

- Today, I'm touring several luxury properties with Candice and Brent,

who are looking for a new family home.

House number one was unforgettable, with plush interiors and a wraparound deck.

But contender number two is a real standout,

with a generous swimming pool and really functional open-plan living.

Let's see what our couple think.

OK, welcome to house number two.

It's a classic-looking home, but a real modern feel as well.

- Yeah, it's like a modern country home. - Mm.

- Already I love the schist and very different feel from the first house, so this will be interesting.

- Yeah, for sure. What do you reckon? - Yeah, no, I think it's pretty― pretty cool... Solid.

- Definitely solid. - Looks like it's well-constructed.

- I know you like your solid homes. - I like solid. - Yep.

- You know, it's a beautiful, solid, warm... a really nice home.

- It's a good-sized property as well, this one. Just under an acre, and the home itself, about 380m2.

Do you two normally agree on the style of the home that you're looking for?

Have you got a particular sense of style you're after?

- We know what we like, but it's not specifically something and we're rigid on it.

- So you'll know when you see it? - Yeah. - It's like any good home, I think.

You walk in, and you just know it. You know, you think― - You get the feels.

- Yeah, you get the feel, yeah.

- Let's see if you feel it at this house. Come on in. - Absolutely.

- Here we are. Such an amazing space, this one.

This kitchen, dining and lounge area is just fantastic.

Beautiful modern kitchen, stone benchtops. Scullery is absolutely gigantic.

Another really great feature of this house is the solid timber floors in here

and underfloor heating throughout the whole house.

- It's magnificent home. It really is.

I love the high ceilings.

Big window there. It's really stunning. - Yeah.

- You can sort of see how you'd easily have friends here, eh? - Yeah.

- You know, friends and guests and kids running around. I mean, it's all sort of open.

- Well, you can see opening those doors up

how much room you've got, really, with that indoor-outdoor flow.

The house just flows beautifully out on to that deck towards the pool as well.

One other advantage ―

kids running around on this floor, I don't think you're gonna get too many issues with the whitecarpet

like the first house. ― No, that's what I thought as we walked in. I was like, 'Yes!'

- Some nice touches all throughout this house.

There's a lot to like about it, and there's something I think you're really gonna like

that I'd love to show you next. Come with me. - All right. Will do, yeah.

- How about this? - This is cool.

- Your very own home cinema setup. - Wow. - Crikey.

- So the weekend you move in, you'd be watching whatever you like on that gigantic TV.

Blackout curtains as well, so day or night, perfect picture.

- Jeez, it's pretty cool, eh? You can imagine the kids here, actually.

- Yeah. The kids will love this. We'll be fighting them for this room.

- I like the colour, you know, it's sort of quite different from the rest of the house.

- This entertaining setup is pretty perfect, don't you think? Yeah. - Yeah, it is. Itis.

It's nice how everything's at one end. - Yeah.

- Your own home theatre room, pretty incredible, but there's more to see as well,

so I'm going to let you guys take a good look around the house

and I'm gonna be out, I reckon, by the pool.

- All right. Awesome. Cheers. - See you in a second. - OK. See you.

- What do you reckon?

- This is a really big, good-sized room,

and have you seen the size of the walk-in closet? It's huge. - It's huge, eh? No, it's huge.

- Well, we need it with all your clothes. Crikey. - It's pretty― Oh, well.

And I do love the double basins in the bathroom. - Mm-hm.

- Yeah, no, it's really, really nice. - Sit outside there for a wine.

- I wonder what it's worth. What do you think it's coming in at?

- Look, I would say it would have to be around 3.

- Yeah, probably, eh? - Probably― Probably late 2s, 3.

- Yeah, probably closer to 3, I'd say. - Yeah, I'd say.

- Location-wise and just the quality of the home.

- Such a magnificent home inside matched with what you get to see here outside.

I mean, what a fantastic place for entertaining, like you guys like to do.

Heated pool. You've got this beautiful covered area for barbecues.

All year round you'll be out here, I reckon, with that fireplace going, the open fire.

- This pool area is fantastic. - Yeah.

- You can see the pool from the kitchen.

You know, if the kids are in there while I'm cooking, I can just keep an eye on them.

- I quite like how all the living's up this end...

- Yeah. - ...and you've got the bedrooms. I mean, you go to bed to sleep, right?

- Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah. Yeah. - Most of the time

All the living's down there.

- So, knowing what we looked at for the first property, comparing it to this one,

where do you think this one sits?

- Price, it's probably sitting, definitely in the late 2s.

- Yeah, I kind of feel closer to 3 on this property.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- It is closer to 3. They're looking at about 2.875.

- OK. - OK.

- So, it's right up there towards the top of your budget. - Yeah.

- It's a lot of home for your money, eh? Yeah. - Exactly.

- I actually thought it would be a bit more with this location.

It'd cost a bit. - And, I mean, it's value for money.

To build this today would cost you a lot.

- Yeah. - Cos it's close to, what, 400m2?

It's a big home and a big section. - Big home.

- Location-wise, it's probably good value for money. - Yeah.

- All right. Two down, one to go. - All right.

- Let's head out. - Let's do it.

- What a luxurious family home.

It's thoughtfully planned, and who can go past that cinema room?

Next up, though, we visit house number three.

It's a modern build with a clean, art gallery feel.

But before that, I muster up the courage to visit my mate Tristan at Skydive Tauranga.

So stick around to see this scaredy cat doing something daring.

- A visit to Skydive Tauranga has got to be the best way of experiencing the Bay Of Plenty.

So, join me for this once in a lifetime adrenaline rush.

I'm not nervous at all.

Honest.

Tristan, you must see a few nervous people in your line of business.

- Yep. - I am definitely one of them.

This is the first time I will skydive. - Yeah.

- So, what are people normally like when they come and visit you for the first time?

- Oh, for sure, 99% of people are freaking out.

- Yeah. - So it's kind of our job to calm them down a little bit.

- I've never done this. This is a whole new experience for me. Can anyone skydive?

- Yep, pretty much. I think most people are reassured by the fact A, we're so high.

So it's not really like a bungee jump, you know, where your tiptoes are over the edge,

and the ground comes rushing at you.

- So the height helps? - The height helps.

Also the fact that you're also attached to somebody else who knows what they're doing.

The control is not really in your hands; it's in the person you're strapped to.

- And the person I'm with today is you. - Yes, that's correct.

The views here are pretty spectacular.

Not only have we got the city of Tauranga that we fly over.

Mount Maunganui, obviously the expansive white sand beaches all the way down

towards the Eastern Cape and right the way up north of the Coromandel.

And on a clear day you can see Mount Ruapehu, Mount Egmont, all the way up to the Coromandel.

- Wow. - Yeah, expansive views as well.

- Afterwards, what's it gonna be like for me? What do you reckon I'm gonna feel?

- Most people wanna go straight back up and jump again.

We get a few that are like, 'Probably wouldn't do it again.'

But I would say you'll probably wanna go straight back up in the plane and do another jump.

- That was awesome.

But let's get back to our house hunt.

House three is a gorgeous, modern build, but will it be the winner for Candice and Brent?

All right, house number three. This is a special one.

We're up the back of Welcome Bay, up on the hill.

You got 1.68ha of land as well, so the two paddocks down the front would be yours.

And... he's even at the moment got a little chipping green.

- A chipping green, and so you say, 'I need to work on my chipping game', right?

- You do need to work on your swing. - Yeah... - Absolutely.

- Certainly looks good, eh? I mean, it's a nice-looking home.

- Should we take a look around? - Yeah, let's go. - Yeah, why not?

- Come on in.

- Wow! - Yeah.

It's pretty incredible, isn't it?

First time I walked in here, it kinda gave art gallery vibes. Yeah. - Yeah, almost. Absolutely.

- Obviously, so much space for art on the walls. - Mm.

- It's got the polished concrete floors throughout the house... - Mm-hm.

- ...and that kitchen is really stunning as well.

Every single element in that kitchen was imported from Germany.

- I really like it, eh? I quite like that modern style. - Yes.

- I know you quite like the colonial stuff, eh? But this whole... - Yeah.

Yeah, it's a bit different from my kind of style of a home.

- What do you like about this room, Brent?

- Well, I have to say, I think that fireplace as a feature.

- Yeah, it's pretty cool. - I mean, that's awesome. It goes right through.

That's pretty cool. - It does, yeah. You can see through to the― the bedroom there,

and that basically means you pump out 70% of the heat this side and 30% into the bedroom.

- Oh wow, that's cool. - Yeah. Cleverly designed.

To be able to light it and then go to bed and have it sort of work and then switch off,

I think that's fantastic. Yeah. - Yeah.

- Really interesting touch is this little extra kind of a bar space that's been put in here.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. - Yeah. So, again, as entertainers,

I mean, that would be the place I reckon you'd be gathered around.

- Well, you can swing it around, right? So you can move it. - Exactly. It does swing, yeah.

It moves around, yeah. - Yeah. Yeah. - Cool.

- Yeah, nah, I could see that being used. - Yep, nice.

- Well, I will leave you to it for a little while.

I'm gonna head out to that patio area.

So, check out the main bedrooms, ensuites and two of the bedrooms.

So, you'll enjoy those, and I'll be out there when you're done.

- Yeah. - Yeah. - See you soon.

- What do you think? White carpets.

- I know. - I know. - I know.

- It's a worry with the kids. - We've been there, right?

Look, I don't know about the carpet. They would probably have to look at that.

- Yeah, the white carpet's always a challenge, isn't it?

- Yeah, it's always a challenge, but it's beautiful, you know? - Yeah. Yeah.

- I think the design is fantastic, you know? - Yeah.

- And just the way they've got it facing is really, really quite well done.

- OK. - What do you reckon it's worth?

- I don't know, it's a bit of a tricky one.

I'm gonna say it's around 2 million.

- It's got a lot going for it. I reckon to build it today would be pretty expensive.

It's been done well. You know, I'm not sure what land's worth here. - Yeah.

- I'd-I'd probably say 2.2, 2.3. - Yeah.

- It's a really amazing house, isn't it? Yeah.

Not only all that incredible space indoors,

but as I mentioned at the start, two big paddocks out the front.

I'm just thinking how would you mow the lawns, you know?

― You'd have― You'd have to get a cow or something.

- Or some goats. Yeah. - And maybe a couple of pigs. - Couple of― Yeah.

- Couple of pigs, maybe a horse. - It might be a big lifestyle change,

- you know, this property. - You never know. Yeah.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- And again, the outdoor area really is where it comes to life with that view.

Do have an outdoor fireplace here. - And the outdoor fire we like.

- We do like a fire. - Interesting all homes have had that,

which is good. - They've all had it. - Yeah. It's true, all three, yeah.

Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah.

- So, three really stunning properties.

We need to know what this one's worth before we move on, though.

So, what's your best guess?

- I struggled to put a value on this unique European-style house,

so I've gauged it at around the 2-mark. - Mm.

And I was sort of looking around maybe 2.2, 2.3.

- Brent wins this round.

- Does he? - Yep. - Oh really?

- Round about the 2.3 mark is what they're look at for this property. - Yeah, is that right? Yeah. OK.

- Yeah. - Yeah. I think it's about right. - Yeah.

- So you thought it was around 2, and I said 2.3.

I reckon 2.3's probably a fair price. - Yeah, it is―

It is probably more― closer to 2.3. - It's a lot of house.

- I think you guys have got a lot to think about. - Yeah.

- Absolutely. - So, why don't we get together again in a little while

and see which way you're going? - Yeah, sounds good.

- All right. Hey, thanks, guys. - Good on ya. Cheers.

- Great. Thanks so much, Matt. It's been awesome. - Thanks, Candice. Cheers, Brent.

Well, we've checked out three luxurious family homes with Candice and Brent.

This discerning couple know exactly what they want,

and I'm keen to find out if one of our properties made the grade.

A couple of weeks have passed since we toured our three glorious homes.

Candice and Brent have had their work cut out for them,

deciding between colonial, family style or a modern home.

And I'm pleased to share that Candice and Brent chose house number two.

Congratulations to you and the kids.

I really think that's gonna be the best fit for you and your family.

Good luck!

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024