# Buy or build



## Amt70 (Oct 28, 2011)

HI all, when we are eventually ready to buy a property in tauranga area, is it more economical to buy a property or buy a section and build one?? 
I'd like to have around 2000 m2 garden with a reasonable 4 bed house plus a 1-2 bed flat for my parents. 
Thanks for any replies or advice.

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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

Amt70 said:


> HI all, when we are eventually ready to buy a property in tauranga area, is it more economical to buy a property or buy a section and build one??
> I'd like to have around 2000 m2 garden with a reasonable 4 bed house plus a 1-2 bed flat for my parents.
> Thanks for any replies or advice.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


At the moment, I'd say that it's cheaper to buy than build - simply because the housing market is depressed.

HOWEVER building your own won't be that more expensive and will give you a few benefits that you may think override the cost. For a start, you'll have a property with current building standards - and these are good compared to the past. It will be well insulated, and double-glazed for a start. And you get to build exactly what you want. The down side is the potential stress of building - so make sure you pick your builders carefully. And of course just the costs of landscaping, etc, which all add into the cost.

A good compromise might be to look far a house that's just a couple of years old. That's what we ended up with, and we're very happy with it.


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## Amt70 (Oct 28, 2011)

Cheers top cat, I just worry about "leaky mouldy" houses that you hear so much of. I must admit I do not like being cold!!!! So good heating is a must. I think I need to do some research on what to look for/ what to avoid when looking at houses.

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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

suggest you take your time, have a look at existing houses to get an idea of what to expect in NZ homes - and how they may differ from UK ones - different building materials, ideas on heating, energy conservation. Maybe you'll find your ideal house already pre-built, or else come away with a list of 'must haves' if you choose to build.


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## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

Always a dilemma, & sometimes hard to find a tailor made house to suit given your requirements.

We may be moving to another part of NZ next year & after making many changes to make our old house comfortable we find ourselves now weighing up the pros & cons of building to get exactly what we want or buying in the hope it will be comfortable in all seasons. Something only living in a house for 12 months can answer.


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## relocatella (Nov 27, 2011)

Anski! hold on and wait until we arrive before you move so we can buy / rent your well insulated, comfortable, perfectly located house 

I don't know how much of an extra cost certified passive houses can be


> Work has begun in Auckland on Australasia's first certified Passive House.
> 
> It's being built in Glenfield by Philip Ivanier.
> 
> ...


(sorry, I am not entitled to post links yet).


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## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

relocatella said:


> Anski! hold on and wait until we arrive before you move so we can buy / rent your well insulated, comfortable, perfectly located house
> 
> I don't know how much of an extra cost certified passive houses can be
> 
> (sorry, I am not entitled to post links yet).



Here is the link not much information, I would be interested in finding out more.

We are not ready to sell until late next year so plenty of time yet.


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## relocatella (Nov 27, 2011)

Let's keep in touch Anski! We are planning to land end of sept 2012 the latest. (for my part I wish we were already down there  )

Regarding certified passive houses, every information I could find on the web seems to be pretty much the same. Looks like there was one press release that every media copied and paste. Foundations laid for New Zealand?s first Passive House


> Foundations laid for New Zealand’s first Passive House
> 12/12/2011
> Forward-thinking Aucklander Philip Ivanier has begun work on Australasia’s first Certified Passive House in Glendowie. His move is applauded by Auckland Council which is working on initiatives to improve Auckland’s existing housing.
> Passive Houses are increasingly common around the world, receiving a boost from TV shows like Grand Designs. They make maximum use of the sun, internal heat sources and heat recovery to create a dry and warm house, drastically reducing home heating bills. The house’s thick insulation, limited thermal bridging and an air tightness layer combine to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer.
> ...


Philip Ivanier can easily be found on Linke***, maybe he can be contacted directly this way and addressed with questions.


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