meercat

We are in the process of applying for visas. Are there any good estate web sites? Are Harcourts expensive estate agents? Can't seem to see anything decent under NZ$650,000. Can you get a decent 4 bed house on the outskirts of Auckland for circa NZ$550,000? Any information would be much appreciated.

Avid

Oh meercat....you are about to enter a world of pain....

Can I be the first person to say the word 'shed' to you? You'll be hearing it a lot from other people.

Quality housing is one of the biggest complaints about NZ.

simonmarkellis

Couple of websites to get you going

http://www.realestate.co.nz/

http://www.open2view.com/

meercat

Thanks Mr Happy. You've cheered me up.....not! Why are they so expensive when people don't earn mega bucks? How many times your salary can you go up to? Don't really want to sell our souls to the Devil.

Avid

It's the great mystery of Kiwi life...but people seem happy out here to take on a big mortgage and spend their whole lives paying it off. There are even these strange mortgage-loans you can have were you can use part of the mortgage for everyday shopping and stuff....it's all very odd.

A bit like asking British people why they think it's ok to be under constant camera surveillance the minute they leave the house.....

Do you have property in the UK? Don't sell it, rent it out if you are coming over here.

Also, Auckland is quite pricey....other areas are a fair bit cheaper.

meercat

Fair point - not only are they on the streets, they are in our offices too!

Thanks for the info.

natpryce

Try these few...
www.trademe.co.nz
www.propertystuff.co.nz
www.realenz.co.nz
The best would be www.realestate.co.nz as it has most listings from all companies.

Good luck!

meercat

Great thanks I'll have a look at those.

lapsed kiwi

What bizarre advice! Property is expensive here (iyo), interest rates are high, so the advice is not to make the most of your UK capital to get a good house and reduce your debt?

I would only follow the above advice if you are moving to NZ half-heartedly and want to set yourself up for a move back to UK in a few years. The best chance you have of being happy here comes partly through living in a nice house, in a nice neighbourhood and with a manageable home loan. Check out the posts of returnees they almost all either struggled financially, disliked their house or disliked their neighbourhood.

lapsed kiwi

And to answer the original question, plenty of OK houses for around $550k in Auckland suburbia. Not palatial and not beachfront, but perfectly OK.

AlbieLittle

for the average kiwi earning a pittance that may as well be $150K.

Trouble with housing market is that prices are too far out of whack with income.

I think the bubble is going to burst soon.

soulflour

The current Kiwi housing market is a bit like the UK one in that ftb are a fast disappearing breed (due to prices) and noone really knows what will happen next.... we have much higher interest rates here too.

Also, for all the 'shed' comments, you'll find lots of people who LOVE the houses here - i know that we do (having done lots of 'do-ups' in the UK) - wooden houses are great! We put new french doors into a wall the other day- done in 2 hours!

I also love the look of them! Sure they're 'ventilated', but you can always fix that with some insulation and a bit of work, i don't really understand the problem, I have to say - but each to their own eh? Personally I hate all the new brick and tile houses going up everywhere, but i know that plenty of people love them and that's great - it's what leads to interesting housing here in NZ, unlike the rows/estates of houses all looking exactly the same that you find in the UK.

I worked in a Real Estate office until recently, and tbh Trademe will be your best bet for real estate - all the real estate co.s advertise on there anyway, and so do all the private sellers.

Good luck!

SF

lapsed kiwi

Just like it did in UK in 2001, 2003, 2003 etc. Oh no, it didn't now come to think of it. But loads of people said it was going to.

AlbieLittle

give it time. It has to! The kiwi dream of home ownership in the current market is all but over. The problem is that migrants are attracted to NZ because it is cheap to buy here, but not for kiwi's.

lapsed kiwi

A lot of kiwis I know (professional people in their 30s) are mortgage-free or nearly so, and/or have investment property. And these aren't expats. So I'd argue that the dream of property ownership is a reality for many.