Spot

Hi all,
I am looking to make the move to Auckland this summer, pending a job offer at the University of Auckland.
I'm going to spend 3 weeks out there in Feb/March to figure out where I want to live as I would like to buy a house pretty much straight away if possible.
The way I did this when I moved to America was to call up a local real estate agent, explain to them what I wanted and then I turned up at their office. They drove me around, showed me areas that I would be interested in living in and took me to view a couple of houses.
The did this because buyers agents get a commision when a house is bought that they brought them to, so my realtor ended up getting a few grand at the end of it which came from the house seller.

If I could do this in Auckland that would make my life much easier, and hopefully I could get things rolling for when I move out there this Summer.
So my question is - can I do this?
If so, does anybody have any suggestions for a real estate agent that they know who is willing to put the time in now for a purchase that will not happen until May/June.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Michelle

P18PPS

Hi Michelle

I'm pretty sure the majority of big names work the same way out here (just not so sure about a new company called the Jones') - but major ones are:

Barfoot & Thompson
Ray White
Bayleys
.... I'm sure there are a few others that someone will chip in with.

Probably best to work yourself around the city and choose the sort of area you like (it's a very big place), then go into the local estate agents and talk to them about what you want. Once you've then got a local contact they'll be able to show you what their company has to offer in your chosen area.

As far as completion later in the year is concerned you can write this into the contract as a condition on the sale, and providing the seller agrees it shouldn't be a problem - when you put in an offer over here you sign the offer and if both parties agree on the price and conditions it is legally binding.

good luck!

Jude J

Yes you will find they will put the work in, we did the same when we got here although we didn't buy a house until 3 years later.

Batty

Hi there. I'm a PA and work for Bayleys. You're best to wait until nearer the time you get here and then contact someone. The best thing to do is contact the agent if you see a house you like on the internet and then arrange for them to meet you when you get here.

The main property websites are

www.realestate.co.nz - this has every property that's listed on every estate agency's website as it's fed through automatically as soon as a listing is entered.
www.allrealestate.co.nz - this doesn't always have every property as the listing has to be inputted manually and it depends on the end user

www.open2view.com - again, not every property as we can only use their photographers and they're not always, the best, shall we say?

and of course www.bayleys.co.nz I work for http://www.bayleys.co.nz/Agent/ADMAR...&mode=regional which is 'interesting' to say the least

Spot

Thanks for the advice guys.
I think my problem is that I am not sure where I want to live, and internet research is fine to start with, but somebody who knows the area can usually give you their true opinion in seconds.
Also housing is so different, I wanted to "feel" the difference between a new terraced house and an older detached property.
I think I will just plod around for a week, and try to get a feel for each neighbourhood, then maybe find an agent to show me some properties in the regions I like.

One final question.
Is there a time limit from putting in an offer to getting the keys?

Thanks again,
Michelle

Markk

Hey steady on Batty! You should see the photos they take down here in the Bay of Plenty....take a look at this one:

http://www.nz.open2view.com/Property...rch_id=3916490

There's a picture of the photographer at the bottom of the listing....handsome devil eh??!

Mark

Batty

Hey, they ARE good I'll send you a PM

Maz

Not to mention modest.

Markk

When you're as ugly as I am, you need to be!

whitesand

Barfoot and Thomson seem to be the biggest one around Auckland and seem to have lots of places to rent. We got our unit from them and have no complaints.

However, I think there is no better way to get a place than to do the hard graft of looking yourself when you get here, as I tend to think that those who book before they get here pay much, much more than those who get here, look around and get to know the market for themselves. Unlike the UK, there are hundreds of places for renting out here.

lardyl

wot? academics are notoriously lazy.................and exceedingly rich.............with no time on their hands.................as well as being totally down to earth....................
plus they believe that the world revolves around *them*............(just re-read the OP)
ah, and I should read the OP's next post - doh! but why let a good bit of banter go to waste - we'll leave it to BEVS to moderate out!
Hehe - off to bed now and sweet dreams of business plans, GST and marketing strategies.......






only joking, some of my best friends populate the SCRs and coffee rooms of the great teaching/research institutions..........

whitesand

I also got confused with the o/p. Thought you were looking for a rental. Why would you want someone else to find you a house purchase without first knowing the place yourself?

Batty

You'd be surprised how often that happens People can be either very trusting or very stupid No offence to the OP. They tend to develop a relationship with an agent and hey ho off they go!

Spot

As much as I would like to rent, I have two medium/large dogs and I know how difficult it is to get a rental place with my two in tow.
Sure, if I can find a place that will take my two dogs then renting is an option too, but I was hoping to zoom in on a neighbourhood that fit in with my lifestyle and buy within the 30 day quarantine period that the dogs will be in the kennels for.

For those of you who know the neighbourhoods, I am a young nerdy Professor who has an adrenaline seeking side, needs to be outdoors a lot doing something active and is a single female, so safety is a priority.
Any suggestions will be great. I have ordered the book about where to live in Auckland, but I am still waiting for it to arrive.

Thanks again for the suggestions

Batty

Hiya. To be honest, your budget and where you will be working will determine where you live. I live in Glenfield on the North Shore which is not far from the city and the sections tend to be bigger than other, more expensive, areas closer to the beach. I can put you in touch with an agent in any area and at least I'll be able to suss them out before giving you any names - I wouldn't want to see you making a costly mistake.