Adventurer

Hi
We have the Where to Live in Auckland book and although useful it is very difficult to appreciate what it may be saying and I am sure one can easily be misled.
We have very young children and we are looking to buy a property asap.
Having now exchanged on our house in UK (YIPPEE) we have a highish budget available for NZ. We would love to have a modern largish house with good size gardens (part flatish for games and sports). In fact we are happy to have a lot of land provided there is minimal upkeep. But we do not want to be too remote and certainly not isolated. Also easy access to schools and shopping etc..
We have been browsing for months.
We have just come across some seemingly fabulous properties in Manakau City in the area of redoubt rd and tuscany estates and nearby.
Now Where to live in Auckland gives a pretty poor report on Manakau city including schools. I presume most areas have good and not so good parts.

I have been a bit long winded.
Anyone any opinions on the area I am talking about??
Or any tip top suggestions for the Auckland area?
Thanks

annaerb

The areas that you mention do have some great houses. The problem is the schooling zone. Some people in this area(Redoubt Rd/Tuscany) put there children in out of zone schools, which you have to apply for. The best schools (primary/College) are zoned 10 and the poorest 1. Manukau City covers a big area. Don't believe all you read and hear. The best advice that I can give is for you to have a look at all areas so that you can decide for yourself. What appeals to one person doesn't always appeal to the other.

If there is anything else you need to know just ask.

thebears

You will probably best look at Howick, Bucklands Beach and Pakuranga.
Good schools are Macleans, Howick, St Kents (boys).

The problem with Redoubt road is or was its proximity to other suburbs (read between the lines).

Manukay City is big in area so dont take everything in the report to heart. Alot would also depend on your budget - for example my parents just sold one of their houses for £750K ($2.2m) where another house nearby sold for £450K ($1.3m). You will also find areas/roads close by for £200K ($600K)

I would suggest resisting the buying fever and rent for the first year - ideally in a type of house and location in which you intend to buy. This will allow you a chance to see if this is really what you want.

Sometimes living across the road from the beach is not as desirable as it looks - my preference is a few streets back where it is quiet and I prefer to pay more for a view.

Good luck

Kiwi
PS Check out Devonport (I come from Bucklands Beach but if I returned would live in Devonport)

Apple12

If you were moving to another part of the UK for example you live in the SE and are moving to Edinburgh, would you be expecting to buy a house based on a book and opinions on a forum?
Sure research is all very good, but you honestly won't know what things are like until you get here. If you use your research for areas and then rent for a year in that area then you won't get caught out when you realise that all the jobs for you are in another part of the city, or whatever. Immigrating is hard enough without putting pressure on yourselves to find the perfect place to live before you even leave =)

annaerb

You will be surprised at how all the areas you used to live or know of have changed. We have been back 7yrs now, they had changed somewhat then but know it has changed heaps. St Kents is now a co-ed school but still comes at a high price for fees, kids have to have their own laptop etc.
Any house I think with a view is a good investment .

IainW

I presume you are referring to decile ratings. A common misconception is that the decile rating is a measure of how good a school is. That is incorrect. Decile rating refer to the socio-economic background of the catchment area. Decile 1 = a poor area, decile 10= a wealthy area. It is used to allocate additional government funding. The lower the rating, the higher the funding. So a decile 1 school could receive up to $690 per child additional funding, whereas a decile 10 school would get nothing.

Some people would prefer their children not to be educated alongside children from poorer backgrounds, their choice I guess. However, there are plenty of outstanding lower decile schools, and plenty of complacent and not so good decile 10 schools.

A more accurate guide would be to refer to the schools most recent ERO report. The best way of judging a school is to ignore what other people say and go and visit yourself.

I'd echo what other people have said here, don't buy until you've been here a while and got to know the ins and out of an area.

thebears

St Kents has Chicks

Whoah