With 40,000 people looking to get on to the property ladder through the government's KiwiBuild scheme, Checkpoint accompanied one prospective buyer to a viewing in Papakura.
About 1000 people are expected to attend open-home viewings tomorrow at the McLennan development in Papakura, with 18 homes on offer.
Twelve of the those properties are three-bedroom homes with a price tag of $579,000.
Mr Veale gave the three-bedroom home he inspected a score of seven out of 10, saying the living areas offered adequate space and comfort.
He was philosophical regarding the neighbour's wall being within arm's reach of the smallest bedroom.
"Beggers can't be choosers to a certain degree, and it does add to your privacy a little bit," he said.
His 6'4 frame also made the bathroom space cramped.
However, the biggest drawback was distance from the CBD and public transport limitations, he said.
"The main limiting factor is the area," Mr Veale told Checkpoint.
"I'd actually probably have to change my job to be able to keep up with lifestyle based from this house, because there's a 40-plus minute commute in the morning, which is pretty much impossible... at peak hours I wouldn't get into work until an hour at least."
Checkpoint discovered taking a Uber taxi into Auckland CBD at 10am would cost about $50. Uber transport into the CBD at 8.30am would cost about $95.
Prospective buyer Robert Veale, 24, was impressed with the KiwiBuild home he viewed, but its location posed problems. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
Public transport options were also problematic. According to the Auckland Transport's mobile app, it would take residents of McLennan one hour and 40 minutes to reach the CBD by bus and train.
Residents could leave their vehicles at Papakura train station at the start of their journey, but it was understood the car park filled up by 7am.
The Auckland homes are the first to be placed on the market, as part of the government's flagship project to address the nation's housing crisis and build 100,000 affordable residential properties over the next 10 years.
From Monday, those registered for KiwiBuild and have been mortgage pre-approved can enter a ballot to buy a property, with the successful candidates drawn in early October.
With 50 percent of the houses planned to be built in Auckland, likely areas of development in the city include Crown land sites, brownfield development sites and greenfield growth areas such as Whenuapai and Kumeu.
Standalone houses in Auckland and Queenstown have been price-capped at $650,000, with apartments and townhouses under $500,000. Outside of Auckland, houses were price capped at $500,000.
