Patrick2007

Hi Guys,
Has any of u moved and settled may i add,to the cheaper suburbs of Auckland,Wellington etc? Areas that may not exactly have a good name yet u have found the place to be ok? Why i ask is have any of u found that your budget when you arrived hasnt stretched as far as you thought hence you have had to move into a less desirable place and found it ok? A mate of mine moved to Beachhaven in the North Shore of Auckland (nobody elsewhere had a good word to say about the place) yet found it no problem at all?
I dare say any suburb could be on a par with some of those in the U.K.just a thought......

howden40

I know a few families who have settled in the Henderson Area and really love it. No complaints about schools / Close to many beaches, hot pools, zoo / Commutable to centre of Auckland / sections larger and cheaper / good markets on a Sunday.

When I took my theory driving test the gentleman was an Expat who lived in the Henderson area, been their 30 years and loves it.

Hope this helps
Pauline

lisamnz

Hi Patrick
coming from the UK, you need to know that we don't have big housing estates like you have here. There are some parts of the city that are more social housing that others (Glen Innes, south Auckland for example) but that is rarely blocks or towers; it's usually houses scattered through a street. There's nowhere really that is seriously NO GO, even GI has lovely streets and then not so nice streets, and your money will reflect proximity to the city, style of housing (newer usually cheaper), views, public transport options. Everywhere in Auckland is going to be bigger houses, more land, greener and just generally more 'american style' suburban than you are used to.
hth
Lisa

stasia

hi there, we are in the same position we didn't sell our house in the uk so can't afford nice house nice area what with house prices so high even with my hub's good wage so have been looking at titahi bay, wellington, lovely beach, fab views but lots of govt housing on it, however after speaking to alot of locals about it everyone has said it's an up and coming place and not as bad as people make out.
we've decided to rent for a couple of years see what the market does and hopefully grab a bargain during the housing crash!!!

dazal

Yep, we have. We live in Birkdale which is just down the road from Beachhaven. Been here just over three years and love it. Birkdale was also an area which was considered undesirable but because of the more affordable housing in this area, more families have started to move in which is making the area that much more desirable.

Its commutable into the city. Schools are good. Its a nice green area and safe.

To be honest I really wouldnt take advice from people unless they live in a particular area. Its very easy to run an area down that you dont actually live in and no nothing about.

Good luck

Patrick2007

Well said Dazal,i have lived in a few suburbs in Auckland and its amazing the mentality. People on the Hibiscus Coast wouldnt dream of living on "the shore" what with places like Glenfield. As for Birkdale/Beachhaven dont even go there cos u cant go out at night too violent. Then again Aucklanders did have a habit of completely slagging off the South Island having never ventured out of Auckland?
I also knew of a couple who settled in Birkdale and never had a minutes trouble considering the name it gained for itself.

Patrick2007

Oh Dazal while we are on the subject of Birkdale have you any rough idea what the house prices are for an average 3-bed townhouse in the surrounding area thanks.

jueinnz

Not sure what you consider a town house...a town house over here generaly means, small pokey but modern and no or very little garden....
Have a look on trade me, that will give you a general idea.

dazal

had a look at the local property press and 3 bed properties seem to be going from anywhere between $315,000 to $500,000 for areas such as Beachaven, Birkdale, Birkenhead, Glenfield. So pretty varied really, as the quality would be as well.

The older houses will be the same old story, no heating etc but that can be rectified.

ErikR

Have you thought about renting a property instead? I've compared the NZ mortgage rates (against an insane 9.7%!!) against the costs of renting an upper market piece of real estate and decided against buying (for now). The housing market is going down (as well as the economy!) so prices will probably drop but I don't think that up-market places will suddenly drop 30-50% in market value.

I'm currently paying $550 a week for a really excellent quality property (warm, not damp at all, no crying windows) right at the water front in Eastbourne with stunning views of Wellington and all-day sun. (Plus a fully equipped kitchen, effective gas heating, multiple sun decks, garage and carport, garden and plenty of privacy.) While that's certainly not cheap - it's a lot cheaper than taking a mortgage here rightnow. With the NZ real estate market being so volatile, the current global economic climate and the fact that we probably will move back to Europe in time (due to family, aging parents etc) - we just felt that renting is the right solution for us rightnow. Just my 2 cents