Melissa Wilton - Hartles & Co.

24/09/2026

I think every good kitchen needs somewhere for the people who aren't doing the cooking, and at 11 St Winifreds Avenue, that's the island 🍽️

It's huge – the kind of bench people naturally gather around while dinner is being made, drinks are poured and whoever's cooking gets plenty of company🥂

And I can imagine that's how a lot of evenings here begin.

Eventually everyone moves the few steps across to the dining table, and on a sunny evening the French doors are open to the deck and people drift in and out ☀️ In winter, the gas fire in the heart of the home keeps everything warm while dinner carries on inside 🔥

It's not hard to picture a full table here.

Friends staying longer than planned, family coming back for seconds, and plenty of conversation still happening around that island long after the cooking is finished 💛

https://www.hartlesandco.co.nz/current-listings/11-st-winifreds-avenue

23/09/2026

First-time sellers hold a special place with me. They walk in nervous, not quite sure what they've signed up for, and I get to walk beside them through the whole thing and watch them come out the other side lighter.

The owner of 1086 Hazelmere Crescent was one of those. She trusted me with her very first sale, and honestly, moments like this are why I do what I do 🥂

22/09/2026

11 St Winifreds Avenue is ready for its next family.

This is one of those Hamilton East streets people choose on purpose. The family here did exactly that back in 2003, and they've spent more than twenty years on a quiet cul-de-sac, in a partially double-glazed 1920s weatherboard full of the character you only get with time, with a garden that keeps giving feijoas, citrus and berries through the seasons.

It's been loved and looked after, the hard work quietly done, so the character is simply there to be enjoyed. A sun-filled kitchen ☀️ that opens onto the deck, a main bedroom upstairs that feels more like a retreat, and 809sqm to spread out on.

For those of you with an eye on school zones 🎒 this month, this home sits inside the enrolment zone for Hamilton Boys' High School, an easy walk from the front door, and Hamilton Girls' High just a short drive away. If the new school year is on your mind, it's well worth a look.

The feijoas will still fall this autumn, they just need a new family to pick them up.

https://www.hartlesandco.co.nz/current-listings/11-st-winifreds-avenue

19/09/2026

18/09/2026

4 bedrooms, beautiful character features and zoned for Boys' High, this gorgeous home is coming to market early next week and will absolutely be one to watch 👀

17/09/2026

I helped Emma sell her parents' home a few years before, and when it came time to sell her own, she chose me again 🤍

Fun fact: I grew up in Te Awamutu, so this one felt close to home for me too 📍

It ended up going to multi offer, and the couple who won it were an absolute pleasure: warm, straightforward, genuinely excited from the moment they walked through the open home. First home buyers themselves, stepping into exactly the kind of beginning Emma once had.

One home, two chapters, and huge congratulations to you both! 🎉

04/09/2026

The real test of a kitchen isn't how it looks empty. It's Christmas, with three things in the oven and snacks taking up the entire bench.

The kitchen at 44 Te Huia Drive holds up to that. It sits open to both the dining and the living, so you're never stuck out of the conversation while you cook. And when it all gets away on you, there's a scullery behind it with its own sink, ready to take everything you don't want anyone looking at.

You can have twenty people over and still have a kitchen you're happy to stand in. That's not a small thing. That's how a house earns its keep.

An acceptable offer has come in, so the deadline for 44 Te Huia Drive has moved forward to Tuesday 8th September at 2pm.

If you want a chance of owning it, join me this there this weekend at an open home or private viewing 🏡

https://www.hartlesandco.co.nz/current-listings/44-te-huia

03/09/2026

There are some sales that stay with you well after the paperwork is signed, and this is one of them.

"Melissa kept us informed throughout the entire process, was always available to answer our questions, and went above and beyond to make everything as smooth and stress-free as possible."

Handing over a family home is a big thing to trust someone with. That part is never lost on me, no matter how many times I do this.

Thank you to this family for letting me walk it with them, and for words like these 💛

01/09/2026

Every corner of 44 Te Huia Drive has been touched. Not lightly, either.

The kitchen was rebuilt properly: engineered stone waterfall benchtop, an induction cooktop, double wall oven, soft close drawers and beautiful tiling. European oak floors run the full length of the living spaces, and custom barn doors close everything off when it needs closing.

Out back, the backyard got a heated mineral pool with an integrated cover. Extensive decking and beautiful landscaping create a private sanctuary. Even the old fifth bedroom has a new job now: it's the walk-in wardrobe.

This is what happens when a renovation is done with real care, not just a fresh coat of paint.

https://www.hartlesandco.co.nz/current-listings/44-te-huia

01/09/2026

49 groups through in under two weeks, a multi offer campaign, and a buyer who knew after one viewing they wanted it. That's what a market ready presentation and the right buyers in the room can do.

A lovely family, off to their next chapter in Christchurch (we even phone bid together for their new home along the way). Grateful they trusted the process every step of the way!

This pocket has such a great sense of community, and it showed in the interest. We've still got buyers keen for one just like it, so if a move is on your mind, we might already know someone looking for exactly what you've got 👀🏡