davros1984

Very valid point - it is quite a shock when you get to Auckland and realise that the transport system isn't very well connected and you could be very reliant on a car. If you are from any major or well-connected city, this will be quite a shock - especially those who are used to commuting.

I'm sorry you two, but Bo-Jangles here really does make a very good point. You move to NZ/Auckland for a better "quality of life" or "work-life' balance, many keep telling you how much better it will be. A 30-minute commute is the edge of my commute limit, anything over that and suddenly your life is dominated by work (especially if doing it 5 days a week).

So yes, don't come to Auckland thinking your commute (work-life balance?) will be better, as with the lack of transport options - there is a good chance it will be worse (as highlighted by Bo-Jangles).

Robbo25

Well you must have had one hell of a career to match that lifestyle to be that close to London and afford it, where are we talking about here?

PS
I couldn't have imagined living anywhere being described when I left the UK after a career in senior sales management, so not a vision from afar at all

Robbo25

A little over dramatic, as surely be expected to answer your phone into your evening, expected to do emails at weekends and working late in the office everyday is more of an issue with regards to life being dominated by work?

Having a maximum 30 min commute into a major city location anywhere is something special in my humble opinion, especially if you can afford a decent property.

marblep

PPS - I'll agree with Robbo. What made you guys leave the UK if you were so well paid and had such a short commute?

marblep

Quote:
Originally Posted by davros1984 View Post
A 30-minute commute is the edge of my commute limit, anything over that and suddenly your life is dominated by work (especially if doing it 5 days a week).

Davros - I fully appreciate how much the Auckland housing market has pissed you off. And it's pissed me off at times too. But then you post something like this which just proves you expect it all on a plate. Welcome to the whole wide world. Don't forget most people are on their phones and computers well after that magical 5pm time. It's called doing a full time job. Many are still on the phone and commuting well after hours. It happens in every country. It's also called having a career.

Assanah

Well, I can relate. We often imagine how great things are if only this or that happens. How much better our life would be. But of course one can never really know if that is true unless it happens. So either you keep on dreaming or you try it out. We decide to try it out. And NZ is nice but so is Germany. We often speak about how stupid we were to not appreciate Europe and moan about our lives there and leave for NZ. What I can say for sure that thanks to NZ I am not hoping for anything better now. I am reconciled with Europe. In fact, I am suddenly a big fan of Europe knowing how our life was in NZ

pippalonghorn

So shouldnt we all agree that well balanced, truthful posts are a necessity which highlight the problems that will be faced by new immigrants who wish to find a better life in NZ. It is not all about negativity. There are plenty of posts on other threads which highlight the positives about NZ.

This post was created to highlight the high deposits required to buy already over priced property and so people should be left to express their concerns to others who are actually after facts, good and bad.

Mark Smith

Agreed I like to read good and bad, but like a rusty NZ 1982 Toyota Carona this thread just keeps going on and on. Add something new rather than rehashing whats been said a million times already.

Robbo25

Totally agree, but neither should people post things that appear to be in the realms of fantasy, you are correct balance is the key in my opinion.

bearskin

This may be a really obvious thing to ask, but if you want to move to New Zealand and cannot afford to buy a house in Auckland - why not live somewhere else in New Zealand?

Assuming you are moving from the UK, isn't your desire to come and live in NZ, not just Auckland?

to my mind, Auckland is fairly unrepresentative of NZ as a whole
- the cost of housing is prohibitive
- it seems to have some the crappiest weather around (maybe with exception of parts of SI West Coast)
- the population is very migrant-centric...
to name just 3 things.
I'd say somewhere like Gisborne, or New Plymouth is much New Zealand-y for North island, or Blenheim or Dunedin for South Island?

If I moved to the UK, I certainly wouldn't try to move to London and then find I couldn't afford it/found it not what my 'vision' of the UK had been - and leave again.

MOSO

Great post Bearskin

Very true - move out of Auckland/London/Paris/Sydney/Melbourne etc. and your house prices will reduce. I note none of the posters who have returned to the UK have gone back to London/South East where the issues would be the same in terms of house prices affordability to wages.

Not sure I'd move to Gisborne though, even though OH is from there

garethwm

But arent the property prices set by what people are willing to pay for them? Although the average price of Auckland houses are steep, and I dont think they can keep going upwards at the same rate forever, there are thousands of people willing to pay those prices. When a house goes on the market, it is snapped up before the paint on the For Sale sign is dry. And there doesnt appear to be a mass migration out of Auclland due to people unable to afford to live there. In fact, on a percentage basis, I dare say it is probably one of the faster growing cities in the western world. On the other hand Invercargill property is cheaper because its not such a sought after destination. The prices are dictated by the market. Perhaps if people start voting with their feet, prices may fall, but that seems unlikely at the moment. The majority of people seem to like living there

pippalonghorn

I am not criticising Auckland at all. The properties do sell very quickly and that's great if you can afford one. Auckland is a beautiful city. It has great beaches, scenery and lots of jobs. So I don't dislike Auckland or NZ at all. I only fully understood the property market when we lived in NZ. There are not many posts highlighting the problems at auctions where properties sell for a lot more than their CV. We looked at properties online and thought we could afford some but were shocked to discover that they sold for way more than the CV stated. Unluckily we found this out when we had moved to NZ. But I wouldn't change our experience at all. We were very lucky to have had the chance to live in another country and follow our dreams.

pippalonghorn

When we first arrived in Auckland we knew we wanted to live somewhere more affordable and quieter. Believe me when I say that we applied for hundreds of jobs all over NZ. We even applied as far as the South Island. 1 year on and we had had no success. Hubby could get temporary jobs but with a little one in tow that was not an option. She was of school age and I didn't want her moving around to different places. I didn't just apply for practitioners jobs, I applied for anything connected to that field with no success.

The money was dwindling away, we were unhappy with our situation and so decided to leave. It's not easy to pack up your life, move to another country and then return home. It's not as easy as having a 'vision' not being met and deciding to leave. I don't like it when people make it sound so easy and selfish. Especially when you've spent months not sleeping and mulling over the same stuff.

That's why it's important to have these posts even if they go on and on! It's not about point scoring or UK verses NZ. It's about honest experiences that we all have had. You can tell by the title of the thread that it is going to be about high house prices.

bourbon-biscuit

I must say, I am surprised you didn't know this before arriving as variants of "Auckland home sells for X times CV", and "House prices in Auckland rise 500% in two days", and "Look what you could buy elsewhere in NZ, JAFFAs" are front page Herald news quite often - there is a bit of a national obsession with Auckland real estate!
We knew Auckland was out of our league when looking 8-10 years ago and I still often think it's a shame as I would like to live somewhere less retirement village-like than Cambridge.
A daily read of the national newspaper in the research phase of emigration is a good idea, I think; certainly more useful for getting a handle on a country than a forum, imo.