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Why would I use Opes Partners rather than going to a developer directly?

Here at Opes Partners we recommend New Build properties as investments. And we work with these top 6 property developers. 

So you might think … “you’re about to tell me your favourite developers. Why don’t I cut out the middleman and go directly to them?”

The truth is, you could, and some people prefer that.

But if you do go to a developer directly you do miss out on a few things. If you work with Opes:

• You get a financial adviser
• You get a Wealth Plan (a property investment plan).
• Your adviser shows you properties from lots of developers (not just the 6 on this list)
• Your adviser helps you run the numbers on the properties to make sure you buy an investment that suits you
• You get advice on how to buy and set up your investment property.

You don’t get any of that when you go to a developer directly. Click here to see the full list of extras you get. 

So, if you want to buy a New Build investment property we can help you find the right property, from the right developer. It’s all part of the service we offer.

Right, let’s get on to the top 6 developers.

#1 – Oakridge Homes

Builds: Standalone houses
Location: Greater Christchurch – especially Kaiapoi, Rolleston, Halswell, Woodend and Belfast
Suits: Property investors looking for capital growth and owner-occupiers

Oakridge Homes is a young company (they only started in 2021).

But don’t let this put you off. The brand and the company are young, but the team behind Oakridge Homes is extremely experienced.

My team of financial advisers here at Opes have recommended over 500 Oakridge houses to investors.

And I’ve worked with Oakridge director James Parker for years. We have a close relationship, and Oakridge asks my advice about the best locations to build so properties work for investors.

The company primarily builds standalone houses. They focus on building in outer Christchurch suburbs and nearby satellite towns. This includes:

• Kaiapoi
• Rolleston
• Halswell
• Woodend and
• Belfast

Here's is an example of a recent Oakridge property in Kaiapoi:

#2 – Prominence Property

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Auckland. Particularly North Shore, Central Auckland, Mangere Bridge
Suits: Investors who want better-designed properties. Suits capital growth focused investors

Prominence Property is led by Sharon Tran. Hands down, she builds some of the highest-quality townhouses I’ve seen in the investment market.

So you can expect things like:

• Fully-tiled bathrooms
• Floating vanities
• Feature lighting
• Higher stud heights
• Floor-to-ceiling windows in living areas

Sharon originally built primarily for owner-occupiers, often at price points above $1 million.

But over the past two years she’s worked closely with Opes to make sure her high-spec homes stack up financially for investors too.

For example, three-bedroom homes with garages in strong North Shore locations have sold for between $940k - $980k.

For context, properties in that area often cost over $1 million.

So, that price is sharp for that level of finish and the area. 

Prominence builds properties based on what tenants want in the area. This follows our tenant data and tips from our property managers and this is working to her advantage.

She’s also financially strong. Prominence has a trusted funding partner who backs Sharon’s projects confidently. 

This gives her stability and the ability to move quickly when the right site becomes available.

Opes has recommended 6 Prominence Property developments to investors and first home buyers.

Jess, from Opes Property Management in Auckland, says Prominence Properties has built a reputation as a tenant favourite. 

Why? They build consistent, genuinely high-spec homes that tenants actually want to live in. 

At their 192 Methuen Road development all six townhouses were snapped up by tenants within 10 days of hitting the market.

#3 – Four Avenues

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Christchurch
Suits: Property investors looking for capital growth and owner-occupiers

Four Avenues was started by 3 brothers in 2019: Jack, George and Rob. 

They come from the Clifford family, an established family in Christchurch who accumulated a lot of land over the years. 

The brothers are now developing this land, building townhouses in the Garden City. 

Here’s an example of a recent development in Linwood:

Some of these properties were priced at $519,000. This is for sure one of the more affordable New Builds I’ve seen for a while.

That doesn’t mean they just build cheap shoe boxes; their properties are good quality.

I find these guys one of the easiest developers to work with. They come to me saying: “I’ve got this piece of land, what should we build? What’s going to work for property investors?”

Tom, from Opes Property Management in Christchurch, says Four Avenues’ properties are consistently popular. Tenants love them because they are affordable for the quality. 

#4 – Sandford Property Group 

Builds: Townhouses
Location: Mount Albert, Mount Roskill, Glen Innes
Suits: Investors wanting centrally located, capital growth

Sandford Property Group is a family-owned and operated developer. Opes has worked with them for just over a year.

They have extensive experience building private homes and projects for the government.

From my experience, the team at Sandford is detail-focused. 

Sandford Property is selective about where they build too, and usually its central suburbs. Recent projects have included Mount Roskill, Mount Albert.

Here is Eastview, one of their recent developments in Glen Innes. This was 18, 3-bedroom homes with a garage for $850k. 

One thing that stands out to us is the size of their homes, as they do tend to build above the Auckland average. Where most 3-bedroom homes will be 118-120m2, these townhouses were 134m2.

Because they have good relationships with land suppliers they can buy land at better prices. This helps keep their high-spec homes affordable for investors.

For example, the Eastview development was a lot cheaper compared to others in the area:

Sandford Property works closely with the Opes team to make sure they’re building for investors.

That means helping shape layouts based on tenant demand and property management data.

#5 – Boutique Living

Builds: Boutique-sized townhouse developments (3-6 units)
Location: Christchurch
Suits: First home buyers, investors, owner-occupiers

As the name suggests, Boutique Living produces smaller, boutique-sized projects in Christchurch. They usually build 3-6 units at a time.

They tend to build their townhouses in inner-city suburbs. Places like Spreydon, Somerfield, St Albans and Addington.

Most of their properties have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Trent Brown, Boutique Living’s director, says he doesn’t want to make projects too big for 2 reasons:

1. He likes the idea that future owners won’t have too many neighbours
2. And that investors won’t be competing with each other for tenants

Boutique Living has been around since 2011, but it has only recently started working with us at Opes. I find Boutique Living so easy to deal with. 

We recently recommended 112 Warden Street, Richmond:

This was a small development of 5, 2-bedroom townhouses. All but one came with a garage. 

#6 – Tuakiri Property 

Builds: Boutique-sized townhouse developments (less than 20)
Location: Birkdale, Beach Haven, Birkenhead (Auckland’s North Shore)
Suits: Property investors looking for capital growth and first-home buyers

Ryan Matthews is the managing director of Tuakiri, a strong up-and-coming developer.

This Auckland-based developer focuses on boutique-sized developments on the city’s North Shore. That means smaller developments of 6 to 20 units.

But more recently they have been building over the bridge in Central, West and South Auckland.

The North Shore is a little more expensive than other locations. That’s one of the reasons not as many New Build properties are going up in the area.

This can be a big advantage, because there isn’t as much competition.

Tuakiri properties usually have either a car park, carport or garage.

Here’s a recent example on Aeroview Drive in Beach Haven. 

This was a collection of 18, 2 and 3-bedroom townhouses.

One thing Opes likes about Tuakiri is they are great to work with. 

Tuakiri say they change their properties based on the target market.

For example, properties for first-home buyers will have more premium products. These are things like:

• higher-spec bathrooms
• more design features like large windows and
• enhanced landscaping.

Compare that to property investors. They want hard-wearing materials that are easily replaced if the tenant breaks something.

Jess, from Opes Property Management in Auckland, says Tuakiri is one of the developers they work with most often. They’ve built a track record for delivering consistently high-quality projects that perform.

A good example is their development at 107 Hendon Avenue in Mount Albert. It settled on December 23 (2 days before Christmas) and was leased almost immediately.

And it’s not a one-off. Across their portfolio tenant turnover has been low. When properties do need re-renting, interest levels are high and it’s typically snapped up within two weeks.

Why aren’t the big names on this list?

These 6 developers aren’t the big names you think of when considering an investment property.

You might notice we haven’t included some of the big names on this list. People like Mike Greer Homes, G.J. Gardner, Williams Corporation, Wolfbrook and Brooksfield.

But the person building the “best” property (at the right price) doesn’t necessarily have the biggest marketing budget.

That doesn’t mean big companies build bad properties at all. Of all the developers I’ve worked with, some are very large …. some are very small.

But these are the 6 developers you may not have considered in the past. And several members of our staff have purchased properties from each of these.

If you want to buy a New Build from these developers, you have two options.

You can approach them directly, or you might like to work with a financial adviser here at Opes Partners.