teambwr47

Thanks for reading the posts i think one mentioned wanting to buy a pool and the above one goes on about rent and as for my wifes salary i think that was in a salary post but as i've never thought about its context i can't remember when that was posted.

We chose NZ because we've wanted to try somewhere other than the UK for a long time and NZ fitted the bill. I don't care a jot about what others have or do not we just want to rent a nice house for the family to live in and have nice things for us to use and enjoy (the kids like swimming so want a pool) its got diddly squat to do with who has it and quite frankly i'll buy if we can afford it irrespective of what anyone thinks.

We're trying a different country but that doesn't mean i don't still want nice things be that cars as i love driving,houses for the family to live,pool to swim in or whatever....

Wanting or having those things are in no way at all to make anyone jealous but if someone feels jealousy then thats not our problem........

Why would wanting these things mean 'i'm surprised you chose NZ'?

Whats wrong with choosing NZ but still wanting nice things for your family to enjoy?

Dandy Dan

I for one have never seen the advantage in renting and lining someone else's pocket. Not only do they get the rent but also the benefit of the equity in the property. If you're only renting then where's your commitment to being here? To putting down roots? And surely it's better to acquire the value in your property yourself and know that you can make your house a real home? I wouldn't have rented in the UK. NZ is now home so why rent here and make someone else rich?

Colin in the middle

Could be right since we only have a 30 year mortgage at $148 per week, which is $60 and 20 years more than we were paying for our last place. Given the rent would most likely be $180 per week off season and $600 during the winter season. Kind of made sense to us that buying was better that plus the house prices in the last 5 years leapt in value 250% and since we purchased another 30%

Given the Kiwi mentality is to own a house a batch and a investment property minimum then it made sense to us to buy. Crazy thing is I know of people who rent and own their own house elsewhere.

Kind of jump on the ladder before it gets out of reach philosphy which we had all ready missed as first time buyers in the UK.

Dandy Dan

I asked cos NZ generally isn't a materialistic place. Like I said before, it's more about the people and community spirit and a lot of others emigrate here to escape the rat race and the constant banging on by others about what they've got. The balance was all wrong and a lot of caring and sharing went by the by. NZ has that (least outside of Auckland ). And you do mention rather a lot what you have so I just wondered why you'd wanna live in a country that holds no value for that way of thinking. I didn't say your wife shouldn't provide nice things for the family with her salary. I just wondered why on nearly every thread you say how loaded you are. Simple as.

FishermansFriend

But your initial argument "renting never pays" was generic and you're now backing up your statement by quoting a specific example of buying at the bottom of the business cycle- how would renting/buying stack up now?

Am Loolah

We have a pool, haven't used it yet and it is to be fair only the size of a puddle - but we hope come the summer the kids will love it.

That is exactly one of the reasons we chose NZ, we could never have had (and let's be honest, probably would never have used because of the crap weather) a pool in the UK.

Come on kids, stop squabbling and let's try and play nicely ...

teambwr47

Can't ever remember saying how loaded we are (i wish) but if you get that impression by the posts i've made and they offend or affect you in particular then sorry.

I don't agree with your post in that i think there's plenty of Kiwis who want nice things and go out and buy them and there's also Kiwis with money who are materialistic.....whether you choose to do so or be so is a personal choice.

Colin in the middle

Never really gave this a second thought but I guess been around Kiwis to long not to brag We have a Spa Pool but we never use it

I question the rates put on my property because our area is declining and Property Investors are moving into it. Therefore why should I help line the pockets of the people that the council claims demonstartes confidence in the area who are putting out of reach the homes for those that show confidence in the area by putting down those roots.
We (my area) are also subsiding in our rates the very employer that are supposedly bring these investors to the area, but there is no encouragement from that employer to hire the people who settled in the area prefering to support the ones that rent off of these property speculators.

We dont have a sewage system or road side rubbish collection, public Transport but still pay over $1500 per year for those Rates and nearer to $2000 if we had Sewarage or Rubbish collections.

Either way Renting would be lining these investors pockets, subsequantly making the area less stable maybe.

cypherpunk

The difference between rents and prices is now so extreme that if you do the sums you are usually taking money out of someone else's pockets, especially if you price in risk. At today's interest rates our rental is subsidised by our landlord, and indirectly by the government through tax breaks, at a time when the risk of a fall in house prices is increasing significantly, and meanwhile we're getting 8% interest on what would be tied up in a house. So it's really a pretty good time to be renting.

Colin in the middle

Wher did I write "renting never pays"? I said it was dead money meaning it has no future capital investment.

I dont see it either as "buying at the bottom of the business cycle" its a home not a business. Give that someday its a investment that would be handed down to my daughter and maybe help her buy a house one day or at least pay off her own homeloan.

Colin in the middle

Like I said that would depend on where you are renting, given that a landlord may be losing money they may also be inclined to sell on that risk knowing that the property has gained value or to consolidate their loses.

They sell what happens to you home? Simple you lose it because your nothing but a $ sign to them.

cypherpunk

We work on overlapping 12-month fixed-term contracts so we have that much security of tenure, and our house is the landlord's own so it's a bit less likely to be sold. But it wouldn't be the end of the world if it was, after all we have moved halfway across the world so we can move a few streets over pretty easily and still have a home.

Colin in the middle

In other words your not a permanant resident so you have no fixed future plans.

cypherpunk

Sure am and sure do, just don't need to buy a pile of boards and nails to prove it.

teambwr47

I was just about to say a similar thing.....

Not looked yet as to how protectable your tenancy is if someone decides to sell but its on the list of things to research this week. Like you we will be going for 12month agreements and assuming we get the house we want (pet issues) the house is the landlords own house and they've given a date for their return from canada to NZ (2010).

Home is what you make it i guess and for us its where we and all our stuff is and that doesn't matter if the house belongs to someone else. Ultimately for a long time most peoples houses belong to someone else its the bank

We do intend to own our own house here but want to build and as above i just don't think now is a good time to buy......

May be swung if the 100% perfect plot comes our way but even then i think we'd rent and wait to build.