Industry Videos

▶ 01:48 2022.08.02 Royal Oak — Central Auckland's "Urban Oasis" at the Crossroads of Two Main Arteries Royal Oak is central Auckland's "urban oasis". At dusk, the benches on One Tree Hill are filled with the romance of sunset and starlight, while sheep on the green grass are a daily backyard view. Life here is relaxed: drop by the beloved ice-cream institution, tick off New Zealand's first KFC, and soak up the bustle at Royal Oak Mall and Noel Leeming Plaza. It is superbly connected — Mt Albert Road runs east-west and Manukau Road runs north-south, their intersection placing Royal Oak at the golden point of two central arterial routes, with the motorway ring just a couple of minutes away and a planned rail link adding more options. Education covers every stage: the sought-after Royal Oak Primary, the long-established Royal Oak Intermediate, the private Marcellin College, and quality early-childhood options. Housing spans the elegance of old villas, the classic bungalow and the clean lines of modern developments. Gazing up at Pah Homestead, you can almost touch a century and a half of history, while Monte Cecilia Park holds nature, heritage and culture — and is a favourite spot for dogs to socialise. Life can slow down, but finding the home to hold it can't wait — Royal Oak is a place with views and a lively spirit.

▶ 02:38 2022.08.02 The Two Things NZ Developers Value Most When Buying Land — Location and Demand What do developers value most when buying land to build on? It comes down to two things — location and market demand. Using Epsom and Royal Oak as examples, the video explains: Epsom sits in the central double school zone, home to the century-old Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar, the leading girls' schools Diocesan and St Cuthbert's, plus King's School, ACG Parnell and Saint Kentigern — so buyers were targeted as education-focused, financially capable families. Noticing strong demand for more private standalone homes, the team built six standalone villas at 71 Watling St to fill that gap. In Royal Oak, where new homes are scarce, the developer delivered eight three-bedroom, two-storey brick homes of around 180 sqm — quality, low-maintenance and affordable, popular with investors and downsizers; after a slow launch last year, five sold recently amid multiple offers. The developer, Just Quality Developments, lives by "Quality is in our name", using traditional materials like brick and colour-steel roofs built to last generations. Barfoot & Thompson, the Auckland real estate market leader, works closely with developers to turn a vacant section into someone's dream home.

▶ 02:04 2022.06.02 Browns Bay — North Shore's Beachside Suburb, Home of Rangitoto College Once rated by Tripadvisor as the busiest beach in New Zealand and Australia, Browns Bay was a well-known seaside holiday spot before becoming part of Auckland. After the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in the late 1950s, the North Shore entered a new era and Browns Bay grew into a suburb. It has a Riviera-style shopping village — wander from the beach to the Clyde Road shops, or browse more than 100 stalls at the weekend market for crafts, fresh produce and even antiques. Education is excellent, with Rangitoto College (a top-ten public high school by national achievement), Browns Bay School (founded 1888), the well-regarded Sherwood Primary and Murrays Bay Intermediate. For leisure, a skate park overlooking the beach and Rangitoto Island, colourful playgrounds and the beach keep children busy, while Freyberg Park offers rugby league, bowling, lawn bowls and tennis, and Sherwood Reserve and Long Bay provide a touch of nature. Browns Bay has the largest area of flat land in the East Coast Bays and is the commercial hub of the eastern coastline, blending city, sea and countryside into a relaxed bayside lifestyle. The Barfoot & Thompson Browns Bay branch, at the heart of the North Shore, has held a 40–50% market share over the past financial year — a sign of the community's trust.

▶ 02:01 2022.05.02 Henderson — West Auckland's Best-Value Suburb, Ringed by the Waitakere Ranges Henderson is ringed by the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, putting mountains, waterfalls and native forest within easy reach, with walking and cycling trails for outdoor lovers. Commuting is easy too — State Highways 16 and 18 are close by, and there are two train stations in the area. The suburb blends urban convenience with natural beauty: Corban Estate Arts Centre, set in an old winery site, and Auckland Film Studios, where many classic productions were made, give Henderson a distinct arts and film character, while the WestWave pool (free for children) and Trusts Arena offer plenty of sport and recreation. Amenities are well covered — West City Mall sits a short walk from Henderson station, alongside three Woolworths, two Pak'n Save stores, home improvement retailers and Chinese supermarkets including Golden Apple and Dahua. Henderson Heights is a popular pocket with a 90% owner-occupier rate, mostly solid, low-maintenance single-level brick homes with well-tended gardens; Western Heights and Summerland primary schools are well regarded, and ACG Sunderland private school draws families to the area. Compared with the central, North Shore and eastern suburbs, Henderson offers strong value, with a wide choice for owner-occupiers, investors and land developers, lower buying pressure and solid upside. In March, Barfoot & Thompson held a 50.7% share of the West Auckland market, with homes selling in an average of 35 days and a median price slightly above NZ$900,000.

▶ 02:33 2022.03.02 Auckland City Centre — Average $564K, $645/Week Rents, Midtown Most Popular Auckland's city centre is New Zealand's business, cultural and economic hub. Much of the CBD is built on reclaimed land at Waitemata Harbour, packing Auckland's few skyscrapers into just 433 hectares. The CBD is divided into precincts, each blending residential, commercial and recreational space — notable ones include Wynyard Quarter, Viaduct Harbour, Britomart and the downtown waterfront. The historic Britomart Transport Centre links ferries, trains and buses for seamless city travel. Shopping and dining span high-end brands to local specialties, art lovers can visit Auckland Art Gallery — the country's largest art museum, with collections covering New Zealand and the Pacific — and the city is home to the University of Auckland and AUT. Midtown is the CBD's most popular and affordable pocket, attracting first-home buyers, parents buying for their children's university years, and investors seeking steady income. As at the end of February 2024, the average sale price in Auckland Central was $564,000, up about $20,000 year on year; two-bedroom apartments are the most popular layout, with average rent at $645 per week. Barfoot & Thompson currently holds around 33% market share in Auckland Central, and as high-density residential buildings have increased, more and more people are choosing to live in the city centre.

▶ 01:54 2022.02.02 Auckland Homes Around $1M — Sea Views, New Builds and Rent Covering 30% of Your Mortgage What can around NZ$1 million buy in Auckland? This walkthrough tours homes across West Harbour, FlatBush and Mt Roskill. The West Harbour property is spacious and quiet with a wide frontage: about 300 square metres of land and roughly 220 square metres of floor area, four bedrooms plus a double garage, with room for two to three more cars on the driveway. Three bedrooms sit downstairs for easy, stair-free access. The living areas were deliberately placed upstairs — the home is close to the bay with sea views that shift with the tide and light up at night, so the master bedroom is also upstairs to take in the water. FlatBush has become a medium-to-high density area with new homes and excellent amenities, available from the high $900,000s to just over $1 million — strong value; one listing offers 161 square metres of land across three levels with about 158 square metres of internal space, four bedrooms and three bathrooms, where the ground floor has its own bathroom, room and living area that can be rented separately. In Mt Roskill and similar areas, Auckland's average price is already above $1 million. The video also features a 1930s home renovated into four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a double garage, with a self-contained one-bedroom unit at the rear (small kitchen and bathroom, water and power included) that rents for $300–400 a week — covering roughly 30% of the mortgage and easing day-to-day pressure.

▶ 01:35 2022.01.02 Auckland's Double Grammar Zone — Median Prices from $500K to $2.19M Nine of New Zealand's top 20 high schools are concentrated in just three Auckland suburbs — Remuera, Epsom and Parnell — among them Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar, two of the highest-ranked public schools. Together their catchment is known as the "Double Grammar Zone". These long-established schools are academically and athletically formidable, and enrolment means access to an education comparable to top private schools — which is why so many parents target the area. Because public schools enforce strict enrolment zones, families must buy or rent inside the zone to get in. According to Barfoot & Thompson sales data for January to July 2024, median prices within the Auckland Grammar zone range from $500,000 to over $2 million. Remuera is the most expensive, with a median sale price of $2.19 million, suiting larger budgets and bigger homes; Epsom and Mount Eden record the highest sales volumes, where three-bedroom standalone homes dominate; Parnell's median is $1.5 million, with four-bedroom houses and two-bedroom apartments selling in similar numbers; and Newmarket, Eden Terrace and Grafton offer more affordable options, mainly two-bedroom apartments. Each area brings its own convenience — so if you were buying in the Double Grammar Zone, which suburb would you choose?