thisnaturaljourney

Hi all,
I'm after a bit of advise on renting (we've never rented before!) firstly... We are a family of 5 preparing to move to NZ in September, my husband has a job in Christchurch and we are interested in the area of Sumner? Does anyone know this area, I would appreciate opinions, advise on this location and any info on the local schools (my 3 are all primary age) We have been keeping an eye on types of properties available to rent but I've just seen one I really like! It sounds mad without looking at it in the flesh but I already feel like contacting the agent to express our interest? The likeliness is it'll go before we get ourselves out there but I just wondered what you thought? We would be happy to pay a deposit etc but do you think we should just wait until we can view places? What did others do? I would ideally like to get a home ready for us to arrive to & not stay in temporary accommodation until something comes up... I just want to grab this one while I've seen one that ticks all the boxes kinda thing!! Although it is maybe too early as we haven't had our visas approved!! What to do, what to do??
Thanks in advance

MrsFychan

never a wise move to get into a contract without seeing the product. photos can be very misleading. on top of that the agency would probably just ignore your emails as you are not in the country.
you really do need to see the place in person, does it have heating, does it have dampness, does it have holes in the walls from previous tenants, is there mould in that top corner, does it have mice/ants/cockroach infestation? etc.

you also need to look around some areas and get a feel for places, does it have parks for the kids, visit schools, do you want to be near the sea, how affected by the earthquake is it still? again etc.

Stormer999

Def wait until you arrive. There are plenty of rentals around now the rebuild is in full swing.
Property search results - Find real estate on Trade Me Property

Camera's don't always tell the full story and Sumner was hard hit.

thisnaturaljourney

Thank you both for your comments, most appreciated & as I first thought, not a good idea. Definitely should not be going by the photos... Just feeling like I want everything in place but I shouldn't rush it and make a big mistake especially entering a contract of a property we would have to live in for a minimum of 6 months!! Thank you! That was the slap in the face I needed

Where is best to look for temporary accommodation? I've been looking at airbnb?

Anyone visited Sumner?

Thank you

Stormer999

Silly as it sounds temp accom will be more of a problem than house renting as we have a lot of builders using up quite a few motels etc. If you come in tourist season then you will need somewhere set up to stay whilst you decide on a rental. North and West of the city centre was less hit in the bang and we eventually rented and bought in Burnside, which is an excellent school catchment and nice place to live.
Sumner is accessed by driving around the bottom of the cliffs (Redcliffs) past the stacked containers designed to stop/catch more landslides. It has been a traffic problem since the EQ because of bad damage to the Heathcote river bridge, however that is now repaired and things move easier. Sumner is well away from the city centre and I think there is a problem with local schooling due to dangerous cliff overhangs.It is well served by buses to the city and has a nice beach.

Redcliffs School to fight closure decision | Stuff.co.nz

Zoom out and use this map to show the red zones (wasteland now and not fit for build) it is useful to see the different areas of Chch.

The CERA Map

TC1 land is less chance of EQ future damage and where to look for a house buy.

thisnaturaljourney

Thank you so much for this information... I really appreciate it. The unknown!
We have read into the damages of the earthquakes & the effect it's had on Sumner but I guess we can't really tell until we are there! One thing we know is that we'd really like to be by the sea We are from the SouthCoast, Dorset, just a 10 min drive from the beach so we would like this to remain the same, closer would be preferred

Stormer999

Look at the red zone map and you will notice the red bit follows the Avon river. Anywhere in the city next to water suffered to worse. The EQ lifted the river beds so now we also have flood zone problems.The east coast has a sand beach going North further than you can see and easy access and empty of people all within easy access from the city. In less than 15 mins I can be salmon fishing at the Waimakariri mouth and a 5 km beach drive to get to it with not a beach brollie, wind break or deck chair in sight, just drift wood. Get here and rent where you fancy and see what floats your boat. Chch is a city in NZ terms but just a large town in UK terms. The city has a large population but little if any satellite townships/villages/hamlets surrounding it so not comparable to a UK city of the same size.
Sumner might well suit you or maybe North Beach up by Bottle Tree lake.

jjg

Sumner has a really good vibe to the place and is full of expats lol.
There are no issues with Sumner School, it is one of the better primary schools.
They are repairing the cliffs and removing the containers now.
It can get really busy in summer so the traffic can be a pain.
Hope that helps.

thisnaturaljourney

Thank you Stormer999 great info and tips... I shall look these up! Many thanks

thisnaturaljourney

That's what we had hoped... A good vibe! We've looked in Sumner school & looks pretty good from the website. Can't get any more busier than our seaside town of Bournemouth! Thanks for the heads up