19 July 2022
For the love of lifestyle: the benefits of living rural
Lifestyle properties. They’re known for offering space and privacy in an often-idyllic country setting. And yes, while these 5,000sqm+ sections may also bring with them more maintenance than a lock up and leave townhouse, the benefits lifestyle properties offer go some way to explaining just why they’re so popular… and in demand.
Lugtons Rural/Lifestyle Consultant, Kristen Gould looks at the added extras lifestyle properties can offer.
1. Community spirit
Living in a rural lifestyle setting means neighbours are down the road, rather than simply over the fence, but that doesn’t hamper the community spirit. Popular areas around the fringe of Hamilton, such as Tamahere and Matangi have strong communities, due in part to the country schooling on offer.
“For young families seeking the space lifestyle properties provide, schooling is a big consideration,” says Kristen. “And Tamahere and Matangi have strong school communities. So too does Horsham Downs and Puketaha to the north/north east of Hamilton and Rotokauri out west.”
“Ngahinapouri and Rukuhia are also becoming popular for their lifestyle offering and community network as well as being a handy commute into Hamilton, particularly for those working in and around Waikato Hospital.”
With recent times causing many buyers to re-evaluate their lifestyles, and with more of us working from home part or all of the week, living on a lifestyle property with the surrounding environment and community spirit, gives rural living greater appeal.
2. Self-sufficiency
As we become increasingly conscious of food miles, packaging and buying direct, the rural lifestyle property with space for the quintessential veggie patch or small orchard certainly has appeal. “Many life-stylers like growing their own produce to a degree and the size of lifestyle properties allows them to dabble in this,” says Kristen. “The past few years have meant buyers are considering how their space can be used and community once again comes to the fore with life-stylers establishing local produce-swap groups.”
Larger lifestyle properties also allow for animals and grazing. “For buyers who are looking for space to have animals, it’s important to do due diligence into what the covenants allow. Some areas with lifestyle properties will have restrictions on the number and types of animals allowed; others will restrict what you can build and what you can do with and on the land,” advises Kristen.
3. Blended living or additional income
The space lifestyle properties offer means it’s not uncommon to find multiple dwellings on a section, allowing for additional income or for blended families to pool resources for purchase.
“We are seeing a lot more of the extended family living situation,” says Kristen. “Lifestyle properties give families an alternative to having two dwellings in the city. Instead, they can enter the lifestyle market and have their own space.”
The extra space is also a bonus with children staying at home longer. With increasing competition in the rental market, lifestyle properties give families the flexibility to enable children to live at home for longer, but with enough space to ensure a harmonious living environment!
Longevity of lifestyle
Given the many benefits the rural living lifestyle offers, why sell? “Selling your lifestyle property is a big decision,” says Kristen. “Most people love where they are. I’ve had homes come on the market for the first time in 30 years because families have stayed and grown with the home,” she says. “But there does come a time when owners are ready to move on, downsize, or move into a country club or village. After years of maintaining a lifestyle property, which has offered space for family and friends to enjoy, a lock up and leave townhouse has appeal.”
Looking for lifestyle?
If you’re considering a move into the lifestyle market, Kristen advises considering the following:
- Do your groundwork. Find out what living on a larger lifestyle property does involve.
- Determine what’s important to you. For younger families, that might be schooling; for others it might mean a larger property with space to graze animals. What’s the commute into work?
- Lifestyle properties aren’t as plentiful as city listings so be patient.
Find your lifestyle property with the Lugtons team. Give Kristen a call today to discuss the lifestyle market and which part of the Waikato could be right for you.
