Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

If you had the chance where would be a better investment?

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

All other things being equal it'd be New Zealand, we have a peculiarity in our tax code where we effectively have no CGT or Stamp Duty.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Nobody can answer that and what is it worth if someone tells you NZ/UK is the better place to invest if you bought the wrong property in the wrong location, or paid too much at the wrong time?

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Then there is the matter of the exchange rate - if you bought a house in the UK prior to 2016 you could have a property that has increased in value in pound sterling terms, but has fallen in value in NZD terms, because of the collapse of sterling.

IMO investing in a home anywhere other than either [1] where you currently live, or [2] where you expect to live in future, including in retirement, is always going to be highly speculative. So if you live in NZ, IMO it would be foolish to "invest" in a house in the UK unless you have a reasonable expeactation of returning to live there, because there are too many risks, both financial and practical, to owning a house in another country and thousands of miles away.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

There certainly is Stamp Duty in Scotland - only it's called the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. The threshold will rise from 145k to 250k from 31 March 2021.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Ir depends if you want to live in NZ or in UKofGB&NI.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Thank you everyone for your replies, much appreciated. I definitely want to go back to NZ and avoid the second wave in the UK....sorry it is coming. Definitely do not want another winter here 2 summers is the goal :) and a new mini lifestyle block possibly, we shall see.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

The UK's first wave can't be said to be over with numbers of 700+ cases per day and until such time that it is, we're all at risk of further waves. It only takes one case, so even with pretty strict quarantine regime here we're just one wedding or funeral away from a new cluster and a second wave. Unfortunately, it seems that too many of the arrivals that are quarantined can't be trusted to do the right thing and the public at large and businesses seem to have given up on maintaining any form of contact tracing.

Where we go from here on border controls etc. will also depend on the outcome of the election on 19th September.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

To be honest, level 4 wasn't so bad.
I'd rather carry on as we are and drop back a level or 3 if and when neccerssary. It's not feesible to keep the population on high alert when the risk is so minimal.
i think for many, having seen the Rona pass so easily, and affect so few, they wouldn't see it as such a risk. While infection rates climb, death rates seem to be falling. I wonder if many simply don't see it as a real threat anymore.
For me personally, the only thing stopping me from traveling overseas is bring stuck in isolation when I get back.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Have you managed to get back to New Zealand? Did you have pets to worry about? We're wondering the same thing, do we really want to stay here for the next wave? :confused: It's so confusing and unsettling :(

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Not yet, waiting on my evisa as they have reopened in London. Itching to go just like you. No pets just luggage and the dream of those wild beaches again.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

We're fed up with the whole deal here, thinking of retreating back to New Zealand although we've only been here a year. Just getting costs for air travel for our 2 Jack Russell's and beloved cat at the moment. We've only just recovered from the move and being in our 50's worry about employment back there, it's so confusing and stressful.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

Maybe money isn't an issue for you but that seems like a very short time to spend several thousands to move back and end up unemployed + the stress for animals. After all you must have moved for a reason, so maybe give it more time. Other option would be to move to another cheaper EU country temporarily for now and rethink what you really want. Not only can you drive there and is better for animals but at least that will give you more options to rethink before rushing again.

Re: Is it better to buy a house/flat in the UK or NZ now?
 

I got my visa and nothing is keeping me in the UK except.....someone I met a while back and having been getting to know....has made the NZ move complicated. Torn between both places now (not expecting dating advice :) ).
It does seem a no brainer as the UK is being slowly closed down and it seems it will be a long road back to recovery and NZ is getting slowly back to normal and summer is coming....