Buying a section: five checks before you make an offer

1. Slope and access

Stand at the road and picture a concrete truck getting to the far corner. Slope drives earthworks and retaining, and tight access drives everything else. A gentle fall is normal and priceable; a steep site is buildable but should be priced as one before you offer, not discovered after.

2. Services at the boundary

Power, water, wastewater and fibre at the boundary is the developer-section standard across Millwater and Silverdale. On rural and lifestyle sections around Warkworth and Matakana, expect septic wastewater, tank water and sometimes a long power run. None of these are deal-breakers, all of them are line items.

3. Covenants and the fine print

Most new stages carry design covenants: minimum floor areas, cladding standards, fencing rules. They protect the street's value and most family builds clear them easily, but check before you commit, because a covenant that demands more house than your budget carries is a problem no builder can fix.

4. Ground and geotech

The soil under a section sets the foundation design. Sandy coastal soils near Ōrewa usually mean simple slabs; clay and fill can mean engineered foundations. A geotech report answers it definitively, and if you are buying conditionally it is worth making the condition.

5. Sun, wind and the free stuff

North-facing living costs nothing at purchase time and pays every winter afterwards. Walk the section late in the day, note where the sun sets and where the wind comes from, and picture the living room pointed the right way. Good siting is free value and it is decided the day you choose the section.

The easy version of all five checks: take us with you. We walk sections with buyers before they offer, no charge and no obligation, because a good section makes the whole build easier.