Homes & Relocation Detail
To buy or not to buy
Migrating is really a series of checklists – find a job, get a visa, sell the house, sell the car, decide what to and what not to take with you, book air tickets ....
In that list there are some things that, in reality, you cannot successfully achieve until you get to NZ – you can do the research and get some ideas of what you want but common sense should dictate a more measured approach. One of these things includes choosing where you want to live. You can certainly do a good deal of leg work on the Internet, looking at locations, access and houses themselves. Most Kiwi estate agencies will have a website and most will cover the areas you will be looking to move into. You will also be able to track down various rental agencies via the Net and look for rentals where you are going. Of course, you should remember that most properties you see will be photographed in their best possible light!
The key question to ask yourself is would you buy or rent 'sight unseen' in the UK? I suspect the answer to that is 'no', so it does beg the question why would you do so half a world away in NZ? For those who have been to NZ before or during the visa process you will have an idea of the difference in NZ housing compared to the UK but for those coming to NZ for the first time NZ housing could be a bit of a culture shock! One story, wooden framed, metal roof and no double glazing or central heating is the norm.
Our advice to new migrants is to book a motel roughly in the area you think you might want to settle. We suggest a minimum of two weeks but perhaps longer. Some people believe this to be expensive but actually, when you take into account power costs, phone costs and so on, a motel will be no more expensive than a rental and most will have cooking facilities in the rooms as well as access to laundry facilities. Having somewhere you can stay which is cleaned daily makes those jet-lagged days more bearable.
Depending on where in NZ you go, you may find that the schooling policy is one of zoning. So, instead of the job dictating where you live, there is a chance that schooling will. Once you know the main dictates for where you live initially then you can start the search for a rental property (note that we are not recommending that you buy straight away). There are effectively two types of leases in NZ:
Fixed term: you lock in for (say) one year. If you want to leave in that year technically you will need to pay for the year or find someone to take over the lease with the landlord's agreement; or
Flexible: this means that neither you or the Landlord agrees an end date. With this type of lease you must give a minimum of three weeks notice to quit and the landlord must give you six or seven weeks notice.
We strongly recommend that you opt for a flexible lease as initially you will not know if you are in the right part of town or when you might find a house you want to buy. At some point you will want to buy your own house. Apart from buying over the Net from the UK (and we know people who have done this!) or within a couple of weeks of being in NZ we would suggest that perhaps six months in you would start looking at property. Before then we would strongly recommend spending a few days looking at the various properties at 'Open Home' viewings (houses open for you to walk around at a given time, usually a Sunday) to get a feel for the Kiwi house and attend at least one auction. In NZ sale by auction is far more common than in the UK.
As previously mentioned we know people who purchased from the internet prior to departure and are now on their fourth move within three years. We started in a motel, went into rented accommodation and then built our house. We know people who came into NZ and within three weeks had purchased a house and now some six months on are wondering why on earth they did that, particularly as they blew through their budget to purchase. Of course we also know people who purchased within a few weeks and are perfectly happy but I would think they are the minority. In fact from our surveys and speaking with people it would appear that a good number of people will move two or three times in the first couple of years of being in NZ. If you plan to make NZ your long-term home there is no need to rush to buy into the property market. If you take some time to adjust to your new country and culture and environment you are more likely to make better, more informed decisions.
Finally, as a word of warning, when buying a property in NZ it is perfectly legal for an estate agent to get you to sign a binding contract to purchase a house (and we have seen this a few times now). Our advice is to never sign anything put in front of you by a real estate agent without first visiting a lawyer to explain the nuts and bolts to you. Most good agents will understand this stance.
It is easy to buy a house in NZ and takes very little time. In some cases you could see it on Sunday and be in on the Friday! So, we urge a large degree of caution on a first purchase.
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