Why Waiting for House Prices to Rise Could Cost You in Retirement
- Longridge Country Estate
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Most people expect downsizing to free up a decent amount of cash in retirement. In reality, it often doesn’t work out that way.
There’s a good piece in the New Zealand Herald right now from financial adviser Hannah McQueen. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth reading. Read the article.
The numbers most people expect do not match reality
Her central point is clear. The numbers most people expect when selling their family home later in life do not match today’s reality.
Many Kiwi homeowners are holding off. They are waiting for the property market to deliver the strong gains seen in the 2010s. That surge turned family homes into large retirement funds almost overnight.
But that market is gone.
Bank economists are forecasting modest or flat movement for 2026. Most expect 2 percent or less. Some are predicting small declines in parts of the country. Many areas remain below previous peaks.
Waiting for the old boom to return is not a safe plan. It is a risk.
What happens while people wait
While people wait the family home gets harder to maintain. The move starts to feel heavier. Health or other changes can force the decision on someone else's timeline.
That is when control disappears and options narrow.
McQueen highlights the need to get clear on your actual numbers now. Base them on today’s market, not yesterday’s peaks
What would you really have left after selling, moving and all the costs. That is the figure your retirement spending will depend on.
What people find at Longridge
At Longridge Country Estate in Paeroa we have these conversations every week. People often arrive still thinking they should wait longer for the market.
What surprises most is what they find here. Real space across 90 acres of open countryside with Coromandel views. Standalone villas with proper space. A way of living that is easier without being smaller.
Our weekly fee is currently $169 (as of April 2026). Once both residents are 75 or older, it becomes fixed for life. That covers council and water rates, house insurance, garden and exterior maintenance, and upkeep of shared spaces.
You only pay for your own internet, power, and contents insurance on top of that. Power is purchased in bulk for the village, which helps keep costs lower than typical household rates, with those savings passed on to residents.
No surprise rate bills. No ongoing battle with maintenance on a big family home.
Villas at Longridge currently start from around $730,000 depending on size and layout.
For many people once they see the place and run the real numbers the case for waiting gets much harder to justify.
The big market boom many are waiting for may not return in the same way
Your current house may deliver less equity than peak era expectations
The longer you leave it the less control you have over the timing
Acting on your own terms is very different from being forced into it
This is not about rushing. It is about not letting an outdated market assumption decide for you.
If Longridge has been on your mind now is a good time to come and see it properly while the timing is still yours to control.
Come and have a look around.