9 Gore Street, Halswell, Christchurch City, Canterbury

Auction on site Saturday 2nd May at 12 noon (unless sold prior)

Nine years ago, two people bought this house as their first home.

They liked the sun. The quiet street. The fully fenced front yard. The north-facing deck that catches the afternoon light and doesn't let go. They figured they'd stay a few years, get comfortable, see what came next.

What came next was three kids.

The home that once felt perfectly sized now has small shoes at the door, drawings on the fridge, and not quite enough bedrooms. It's been a great nine years. But the family has outgrown it, and they need someone else to love it as much as they have.

That someone is probably you.

The layout is simple and it works. Three bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and dining at the centre of it all. There's an extra space off the dining — the current owners use it as a play area and a home office, which tells you something about how well it works for the day-to-day. The deck sits off the living area, north-facing and warm, with the afternoon sun moving through the dining room behind it. Step outside and you stay in the light.

– Solar hot water heating – Four heat pumps (yes, really) – Ceiling and underfloor insulation – North-facing deck and fully fenced front yard – Freehold, 588m² section – Zoned for Oaklands Te Kura o Owaka

Halswell is the kind of suburb that gets better the longer you're in it. Halswell Domain is close by — miniature trains, parks, and playgrounds. The local library is nearby. The chippy is walking distance. Halswell shopping centre handles the everyday essentials, and The Acres, a new retail and hospitality precinct, opens later this year.

The owners started here. It was a good place to start.

Come and see it on a clear day. The north aspect sells itself.