Sandy beaches, rural living, all of the amenities you need, and just a short drive from our biggest city? Northland has it all.

Whangarei Sales Manager Ben Bayley made the move to the region seven months ago, and says he’s been blown away by the area’s beauty.

“There’s so many views and landscapes that you don’t really take into account unless you’re up here, and the market is very strong in so many places too.”

Bayley says deal numbers are up, all of the key metrics seem to be heading in the right direction and the Whangarei area has enough going on that it’s really coming into its own.

“It's great to have the government promoting a four-lane highway up here and hopefully that comes through. It would be great to get an expansion of the port as well, and really grow this town into something that resembles a Tauranga or a Hamilton type sized city.”

Bayley says slowly but surely the demand in Northland is growing, and because it hasn't reached its peak, he believes now is the time to buy.

“We’ve got a government at the moment who are staunch supporters of Northland, so they’re really going to push to improve the region.”

“I see property prices increasing significantly here as our connectivity to Auckland increases.”

Bayley says while the whole region is on the up, there’s four areas in particular that are catching his eye. So what can you expect from each of them, and how much are you likely to pay for a property there?

RUAKAKA & BREAM BAY

Bayley says this area is a much newer part of town with access to the canals.

“Hoppers have done a development there, but it's also got proximity to the beach and boat ramps.”

“It's a really good small community, and we're finding that everything we list through there at the moment is selling.”

Bayley says there’s a huge lifestyle appeal, attracting a solid mix of retirees and young families.

“It’s close to the Marsden refinery, and it’s close to the port up here, so there's good employment.”

“We see it as one of the hot areas.” It’s a hot area that’s growth is only expected to continue.

“There's still more development to come, and over the next few years, it's going to become increasingly popular.”

The area is convenient too, with just a 30-minute drive from Whangarei.

“We're seeing a big migration of people from the likes of Mangawhai and Matakana type areas to Bream Bay, as those areas get a lot more gentrified and grow into actual towns.”

There’s a big range of properties to suit a variety of budgets as well.

“The average sale price out there is probably a little bit over a million for a new four-bedroom, two-bathroom home on a good sized section. But you can get down into the sevens or six hundreds, and we've sold stuff on the canals in the 4 million dollar plus bracket.”

So what can you mostly expect to pay? Bayley says right now the median sale price for Ruakaka and Bream Bay is around $827,000.

DARGAVILLE

The next area Bayley is seeing a lot of traction in is Dargaville.

“Your investment returns over there are really good. It's got the hospital, and a good rural community. It's also an affordable price point for a lot of people.”

Because of that things have been busy, with the Bayleys team doing more than 20 transactions per quarter.

“We're finding it seems to be a really popular place for retirees and for investors at the moment.”

There’s not a lot of new development in the area, but there are a lot of great existing properties on offer.

“A 700 - 800 square metre section with a four-bedroom house is around the $600,000 bracket, and it's nice, but at the same time you go out towards the coast, and you can get a place close to $2 million.”

Bayley says there is some new development in the pipeline, and in total it’s about an hour-long drive from Whangarei.

“There are people who commute from Dargaville to Whangarei on a daily basis for work and enjoy the lifestyle or they commute halfway and work rurally as farm workers.”

All of the amenities you need are there, including The Warehouse, Woolworths and the local hospital.

The median sale price for a home in Dargaville is around $488,000.

KENSINGTON

Bayley says Kensington is one of the more traditional areas, but is definitely a suburb to watch.

“What we're finding is that the Kensington area of Whangarei, is part of your central suburbs. If you're comparing it with Auckland, it's the Ponsonby or Grey Lynn kind of areas that are typically five minutes from town.”

Because of that, you’re close to all of the bigger shops and amenities.

“As people retire, move off a lifestyle block, or look to downsize, having the amenity that comes with being in that Kensington area is perfect for them, and people are really willing to pay a premium.”

“We've been seeing record numbers of people through open homes recently for everything that we've had there. It's a really popular place.”

Bayley says you can easily walk to the supermarket or to any of the major surrounding shops.

With the increase in popularity, higher density housing is slowly becoming more available too.

“We're probably not at that two-level terraced house type development just yet, but chopping up your 800 square metre section into a 400 square metre section with a modern brick and tile two- or three-bedroom home is really appealing to a lot of people at the moment.”

“The price point is definitely under a million dollars too.”

With just a five minute drive or 10 minute walk, convenience is a huge selling point for many.

“There's a great public walk that runs through Kensington and follows the train line the whole way down into the CBD. So you can bike, walk, or scooter there.”

Bayley says right now the median price for a Kensington property is around $563,000.

KAMO

Bayley says in his opinion, Kamo is the most highly sought after suburb in the area.

“It's got the better school zones, and you can live in a suburban area, or you can be semi-rural, so it appeals to a wide range of demographics.”

There’s a big range of pricing too, which means buying a property can be affordable for different budgets.

“Price points there range from $500,000 to $2 million plus - depending on the house and the land size. We've got some great properties coming to the market there shortly, that'll sell well.”

Bayley says the retail offering is fantastic and caters to all needs.

“There’s a small supermarket and a range of takeaway stores. There’s a great high school, primary school, and sports fields as well as walking tracks and those sorts of things that everyone really likes.”

It’s also a convenient 15 minute drive from Whangarei without traffic.

“In traffic it might take you 20 - 25 minutes. So not too much longer.”

So how much would a new place set you back? Henderson says right now the median sale price for Kamo is around $955,105.