davidmac75

Hi There, i have a job interview in Henderson next week so i will be flying over from Scotland, all going well my wife and 2 kids and i could be there quickly. Can someone let me know where the affordable areas are to buy/rent ? any help would be appreciated.

Bo-Jangles

Can you define affordable?? i.e. How much can you afford?

Henderson would be one of the most 'affordable' suburbs but looking quickly the median house price there is still $600k and doesn't generally feature very highly on the list of 'desirable' locations for expats.

Hobsonville would be worth a look - all new suburb of supposedly 'affordable' housing (still some serious wedge required to get in there) but will be a building site for the next decade and hard to imagine how that might look in the longer term.

bearskin

If you can hire a car and have a drive around the West, you are quite likely to find somewhere you like - it's a big area and quite diverse. There are a lot of more traditional suburbs like Henderson itself or Massey but a few waterside areas like West Harbour and Hobsonville Point; and then there are the seaside villages like Piha, or Titirangi which is quite unique with houses in amongst the bush. Also, places like Kumeu are considered 'West' and drivable to Henderson

I like West, I could definitely live there.

Louiselouise03

Hi. Henderson would be a great location to work in, you would avoid the usual commute. Henderson town centre isn't the nicest place so I always thought I would avoid the area, but having got to know the surrounding residential areas this year, I think there are some really nice pockets and you definitely get nicer houses for your money. It depends what your budget is,affordable means different things to different people. Also, what kind of area do you want to live in? an estate of townhouses? Leafy bungalows ? Bach- like in the bush ? I agree that it'd be good to drive around the west. People keep telling me it's friendlier out west, and I think it might be.

davidmac75

Hi Thanks for the replies, i was rather vague on the affordability, TBH we would be at a push the 500k mark, as for housing, front and back garden, 3 bedrooms, nice area...too much to ask ? unsure of areas really so will need to do some more homework.

Louiselouise03

Sometimes I think online when people say 'nice area' its code for'Middle class area'. I could be wrong here. For that price I don't think you'd find find that kind of house in one of those areas.
You would be able to get a house but it would be in a more working class area, and be quite poor quality, compared to the UK. Depends on what you are used to in Scotland. Also, it all depends on what's important to you, your house or other things.
Auckland housing is really over priced, like South East of England I guess.

desmondo84

500k would be tough a reckon. maybe if you head out of the city a bit, out west?

Bo-Jangles

You might find some less than desirable places on the list with sub $500k price tag but then you'd have to ask yourself why the prices are lower and is it really somewhere you would want to live. Ask yourself why would you want to uproot your family and bring them half way around the world to live there; particularly if you have a perfectly nice / okayish place to live in already.

Auckland suburb report - October 2015 | Barfoot & Thompson

barnsleymat

If like us you'll be earning average NZ wages I'm afraid to say areas that are affordable don't exist in Auckland, even the crappy areas are unaffordable. It's one of the reasons we left Auckland in 2012 and since then it's got a whole lot worse. We actually lived in Henderson, I wouldn't recommend it. It's a pretty boring uninspiring place with lots of expensive rubbish housing and almost no pubs but more fast food restaurants than you can shake a stick at.

Justcol

In that case I see absolutely no reason to ever go there !!

The Weezer

Hi,
I don't think you'll find anything in a "nice" area for that price.

You might find a unit, or a 3-4 bed house in what's considered an undesirable area (for expats, at least), but even in the most inexpensive suburb, that price will get you the least desirable house on the block. Also, houses at that price ($500,000 and less) are extremely unlikely to be fully modernised or properly insulated and heated. You would suffer in the cold and damp. Actually, many expensive houses in so-called desirable areas aren't properly updated.

According to the Auckland suburb report (the link in Bo-jangles' post) you could possibly find a place in Otara, but before you think it can't be that bad, I suggest you sit down for a revelatory viewing of the film "Once Were Warriors."

Also, you'd have to think about school districts. I can't imagine you would want to send your children to schools in those "affordable" areas.

You'd probably want to rent at first anyway, and have a look around. Unless there's a considerable market crash, I can't see houses becoming affordable anytime soon.