It's a small, fully refundablecommitment that takes your home off the market while you decide properly. Here's exactly how it works — and every way you get it back.
Buying off the plan early is how you get the best price — early-bird discounts reward buyers who commit before a development is built. But when you reserve, the developer takes that home off the market and turns other buyers away, sometimes for weeks.
The $1,000 fee is a token of commitment that makes that fair for everyone: serious buyers get time and certainty to do things properly, and developers know a reservation is genuine. It is deliberately small — a fraction of one percent of the price — and if you decide not to proceed, you get it back.
It shows as Reserved and can't be sold to anyone else while you sign and go unconditional.
The early-bird price you reserved at holds, even if the price ladder steps up.
Time for your solicitor to review the Sale & Purchase Agreement and your lender to confirm finance.
You pay by card at the moment you reserve, and we email you a receipt. That's the only money that changes hands at reservation — your 10% depositisn't due until you sign the Sale & Purchase Agreement and go unconditional, and the $1,000 is credited toward it so you never pay it twice.
There's no way to lose the $1,000. It's only ever refunded to youif you don't proceed, or credited toward your deposit if you do. Even if a deadline slips by, your home stays held while the developer decides what happens next — they might give you more time. Refunds go to the card you paid with.
Yes. If you buy the home it's credited toward your 10% deposit, which itself is part of the purchase price. It's never an extra cost on top.
Yes — you can switch your reservation to another available home in the same development without paying a new fee. Your existing countdown carries over.
Just cancel from your dashboard and the fee is refunded in full. The reservation window is there for exactly this — confirming finance with your lender before you commit.
The fee is held securely and isn't released to the developer until you go unconditional and buy the home. Your 10% deposit is held in a solicitor's trust account under the Sale & Purchase Agreement, as is standard in New Zealand.
Browse developments, pick a home, and reserve it knowing you can change your mind.
General information, not financial or legal advice — your Sale & Purchase Agreement is the binding document, so have your solicitor review it before signing.