chc4me

Rolleston: Traditionally a younger family area with lower cost of housing. In the Selwyn District Council zone. Rolleston originally struggled due to lack of infrastructure however over the last 10 years the township has expanded and grown. With the new Southern Motorway linking Rolleston and the city expected travel times are around 20-25 minutes to the city. I expect Rolleston will expand further as there is still new land areas being released and developed. The section sizes in Rolleston tend to be larger (700+ Square meters) and there has been a large number of properties built in the area. The negative side of this is that selling a property in Rolleston can take longer than more established areas or the capital gain is not as high as other areas. Good amenities and shopping area.

Lincoln: More of a country village feel and popular with retirees. Lincoln has experienced a lot of building and residential development over the last 10 years. Travel time of around 35-40 minutes to the city. Part of Selwyn Council.

Halswell: A popular area of the Christchurch suburbs, has also experienced growth and new land development. Closer to the city than Lincoln and within the Christchurch City Council boundary (which means higher Rates). There are a number of new subdivisions in Halswell which are worth looking at.

Worth considering:
Wigram, easy access to the city, good local area with Joes Garage (Bar) and Good Home (Restaurant), coffee shops, medical etc. 15-20 minutes to city (I confess, I live in Wigram).
Prebbleton, expanding village area, popular with retirees, close to the new southern motorway making it easy access for the city.Part of Selwyn Council. New supermarket and a retirement village to be built over the next few years. Lacks amenities but this is slowly changing. 15-25 minutes to the city. All travel times are approximate and are off peak travel times.

Timmy Chch

Defineately consider a properties TC rating, basically tells you how good or poop the soil beneath your house is and so affects future engineering requirements, insurance costs, house value etc. When buying in chch you wanna check on the earthquake repairs that have been carried out on the property, should be on the file. Rolleston and prebbleton is predominantly on gravels, I'd be looking there and avoiding the expensive TC1 land in chch. North of chch is a nightmare to commute to and from chch, south ain't perfect but way better.
Specific and wider TC zones can be checked here, https://mapviewer.canterburymaps.gov...90b1f86cb5a2d3

Reylan

Thank you so much chc4me and Timmy Chch. Really helpful info.