Daisy71

Hi there

I have avidly read many posts on this forum and really appreciate all the advice and insights shared.

By way of background myself, my Kiwi husband and young daughter (currently 4) are in the early stages of planning a move to NZ. The plan is to rent out our house in UK and rent in NZ for at least a couple of years.

We are focusing on the Auckland area as we think that will provide the best opportunities in terms of work (I am in real estate and my husband is a chartered surveyor). Also my SIL is just moving to Warkworth to start a family so it would be nice to be near them. My husband is from Wellington so does not know Auckland particularly well. My preference is the North Shore based on internet searching and a couple of visits but would consider other areas. Being near the beach is important (not necessarily at the beach) and I would like to be close to some shops and restaurants/cafes. We may need to commute to the CBD so a reasonable travel time is key (40mins??) School for my daughter is also very important. In terms of property type we both love the old villas, even better when they have been upgraded a bit but would consider new build. As a surveyor my DH will be well-versed in assessing properties. I like the look of Devonport and Takapuna and also Browns Bay but worried about commute times from the latter. I would like to hone down some areas for further research ahead of a recce visit (when that is possible). Looking at rents I think with a budget of c $900 pw we would have plenty of options but when it comes to subsequently buying areas like Devonport would be unaffordable. Bearing in mind my criteria, where could we buy a nice 3 bed house for $1.2m?

many thanks for your help

nadsg

Hi
We are looking at the same areas and a similar budget, we are also considering Albany. I'm hoping to rent for two years and then buy our own place, and I think at that point I'll have a good knowledge of Auckland property market and pros and cons of different areas to find our permanent home. A good school is also very important to us, as well as being reasonably close to the beach. I'm happy to share notes with you when we actually get there.
Best Wishes

Daisy71

Thanks for your reply. whilst I agree 2 years would be plenty of time to suss out areas I would prefer not to relocate/change schools so trying to suss out the right area but getting advice from others. We will do our own recce before moving over. Definitely be good to compare notes in due course!

Bo-Jangles

You'll be fine for schooling anywhere on the shore: most of the schools are top notch and highly regarded - I have never heard of a bad one and rarely hear any complaints from expats about standards.

You're only issue will be in understanding and affording the Auckland property market. It's an incredibly expensive place to buy and not looking to improve any time soon. For $1.2m I imagine you might get a reasonable but fairly basic / entry level 3 bedroom home or a bit of a project in an older suburb. I hear people going to auctions week after week and being outbid and not being able to afford what they are asking. The more affordable suburbs will likely be where the new 'high density' housing estates are coming up and growing by the day; Albany, Millwater and Hobsonville and the likes. At this stage its not even worth looking at houses for sale as none of them have prices on and you'll just get your hopes up looking at dreamy villa and beachfront properties that you simply cannot afford.

Claire1234

All areas mentioned are great areas. I am also a chartered surveyor. It will just depend whether you intend to use public transport or drive, as this will help you work out commute times. For example Devonport has a ferry service that is apparently really quick but to drive from Devonport it has a single road in and out so it can get really busy (I don’t live in Devonport so this is only what ive heard). I live in Browns Bay but it depends if you get the bus or drive. I was driving daily to work but I’m changing jobs and will get the bus (on the days I don’t need to go to site) and it’s significantly quicker. Again it depends where your work is based. There’s a new motorway under construction, going up to Warkworth so that will improve commute times from there. Albany has the mall and bus station, commute would probably be similar to browns bay. For schools you are best viewing and deciding what is best for your child, a lot of schools here are really sports orientated but really different to how UK schools are when it comes to academics.

LittleGreyCat

Just noting that house prices are still skyrocketing so if you look at what you can afford now it is unlikely to be what you can afford in two years time.

Daisy71

Thanks for the replies everyone, maybe I need to focus on renting initially and deal with buying when the time comes - I was just trying to avoid moving once settled. Seems unlikely that UK prices will keep pace with Auckland at the moment.

On schools good to know that most are very good - as my daughter is only 4 difficult to know what type of school will suit her best but that may become clearer in time - although we are home-schooling due to Covid at the moment and that is definitely not the sort of school any of us need!

Claire1234 - how long does it take you on the bus and to drive from Browns Bay?

Claire1234

Well when I was driving to the office it was in Newmarket but new job I’m going to is in the CBD. The CBD is closer and has express buses NX1 and NX2. The bus lanes run alongside the motorway here but are like a separate road so cars can’t go on them. I drive the car to Albany bus station then get the bus. You can however get a bus from Browns Bay, I haven’t tried this yet. I think the NX1 takes 25mins from Albany to the city but I then have a 10min walk. There’s an app called AT Mobile, download it and you can put in your route and times and it will tell you the best options. There’s another bus NX2 that might be quicker for you depending where you are working. The car can take anytime, it depends what time you are leaving and whether or not schools are on. I always find Friday traffic is significantly quieter. Do you know roughly what time you need to be at work and what area that is in?
The traffic doesn’t start until Oteha on-ramp so you may find going slightly further out won’t have a huge impact on your commute times.

Daisy71

Super helpful thanks. I have downloaded the app which will be really useful for my research.

Good luck in your new job!

No idea on location or timings for work. We will either move before jobs or my husband will go out ahead of us and I want to have a good handle on areas.