bolton1

Hi everyone - we couldn't manage to be part of the Wanted Down under series being shown ( and they say no !! ) sooooo have decided to follow the same format & come out for 1 WEEK at the end of Feb ( but without the children )
We are going to aim to view houses, see potential employees, schools and have an overall moochie of the Bay of Plenty / Tauranga .

So you lovely people out there - any advise and contacts you may have would be gratefully recieved. We need estate agents who have empathy with those migrating, B&B accommodation , reliable car hire, contacts in construction industry, contacts in social care or mental health (children & young people ), recommended eating out & anything else you can think of ?

I hope this isn't too cheeky or challenging & we are of course doing our own research but you guys will be much more in the know & as our time is so limited we dont want to make loads of mistakes & want a thorough itinary based on recommendations and experience. THANKYOU IN ADVANCE

P2L

I like your thinking

Can I suggest you contact by PM our very own mod Am Loolah; she is the real estate wiki for the area, although not sure if she is actually working these days or not, but she will be sure to have plenty of contacts if not!!!

Am Loolah

Blimey - one week's not long! Combined with jet lag you'll need a few of these to keep you going!

I will PM you re: Real Estate, but just to explain to anyone else it works in a very different way to the UK. It is rare for a vendor to phone a Real Estate Agency and ask for their property to be marketed. Instead it is the agents who chase the vendors and then, more often than not, compete to win the listing. Agents are on commission only and are in effect self-employed. Tauranga is what is known as a conjunctional town for Real Estate. Translated this means any agent from any company can arrange to show you through any other agent's or company's listings. This has it's pro's and con's. A pro is you the prospective buyer only need to deal with one person. You find an agent you like and TRUST (insert own Estate Agent joke/gripe here!) and tell them your budget, areas and wants and they will do all the homework, set up appointments and take you through the properties. The downside will mean if you go through an open home on your own, you then become that agents buyer if you wish to purchase or they can hound you to death!

School will depend on the ages of your children as to whether primary, intermediate or secondary. Almost all are zoned and Primary in particular is very strict on the zoning. Will you be looking Mount/Papamoa side or Tauranga side?

Again this will decide the most practical places to stay. I know of a couple who rent out a self-contained "unit" in Papamoa or you could try

http://www.boatshed-accommodation.co.nz/ who are very nice.

I can't help with the employers situation I'm afraid, but I'll find some links I put on another thread a while back for you.

Rain, Bluebiyou and the Navigator are all ok to wine and dine in Papamoa. The Mount is heaving with cafes, bars, restaurants.

Let me know where you think you'll want to be and what ages the kids are.

HTH.

Loolah

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=557788 This thread has some starters for you construction wise.

bolton1

Am Loolah you truly are an angel - thankyou . I will send you a P.M .