Big Gord

Hi there

I'm new to the forum, so my appologies if this kind of post is going to sound like a broken record....

Anyway, after months and months of searching, i've finally been offered a sales job where i'll be based in Auckland.
The plan is that the employer will arrange the work to residence visa and then we'll apply for PR after two years etc.

So, if anyone has any tips or comments regarding lifestyle / nice suburbs / schooling etc then please send me a reply.

Thanks in advance

G

MrsFychan

Congrats of the job offer, fingers crossed it all goes through with little or no problems.

to help people advise you on best schools area's etc it will be helpful to know whereabouts in Auckland you will be working and how long a journey you are prepared to make.

Big Gord

Hi

Thanks for the post.
Sorry, I meant to put that on my post.

The office is in Glendene.
I would like to keep the commute to under 30mins if I can, however, I'm pretty flexible on that.

G

Bo-Jangles

Assuming you had a looked at a map and know where Glendene is -it's a no brainer really, if you work in the West, then I don't know why you would look anywhere else but the West.

Once you have settled on N / E / S / W of Auckland the finer detail and decision on suburbs is most subjective and will vary down to street level and how you feel about places when you see them in the raw rather than from glossy brochures or real estate agents perspective. The final decision will be very much determined by your budget for housing rather than where you would actually like to live.

There's really only a few suburbs in the West that are attractive to expats; have a look at Green Bay and Titirangi.

Stay well way from Ranui and you'll probably want to give most of Avondale a wide berth.

Big Gord

Hi

Thanks for the comment and I'll look into those suburbs you've mentioned.
Yes, I think it would make sense to stay in the west as this would mean avoiding unnecessary traffic or a long commute.
Budget will be around $400k to $550k, but I need to look into this in greater detail.

Bo-Jangles

You'll probably have to dig deep and push to or past the upper end of your budget; example of what $550k will get you

Green in the Bay - By Negotiaton - Mid $500,000's | Trade Me Property

Just thinking another option for you might be Kumeu and Waimauku if you fancied semi-rural and you should look at Hobsonville Point (brand new development) that looks quite promising for more 'affordable' homes.

Big Gord

Hi

Thanks for the heads up on these additional suburbs.
I'll check them out later today.