# Buying a house!



## Stephyj (May 14, 2011)

Hi all, 

My husband has taken up a job in Wellington and we are in the process or gaining PR visas, my questions is does anyone know if there is a timescale on how long you have to be in New Zealand before you can buy a house? 

We want to get settled and be buying within 6 months as we have a little one and want to look for areas with good schools things to do for the family and about 30mins commute (don't mind what form if transport) to Wellington city, 

Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks 
Stephney


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Once you have your PR you are no different to a NZ citizen, in theory you could get a mortgage on the day you arrive in NZ. In order to get the best rate, most traditional lenders will want to see signs of steady employment, usually 3-6 months.


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

G-Mo said:


> Once you have your PR you are no different to a NZ citizen, in theory you could get a mortgage on the day you arrive in NZ. In order to get the best rate, most traditional lenders will want to see signs of steady employment, usually 3-6 months.


We bought a house (well, had the offer accepted) within 36 hours of landing in the country, then moved in 4 weeks later!


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## Stephyj (May 14, 2011)

Thanks for advice I didn't realise it was so different but I guess it's going to be one of the many things that we will learn and love, 

Any advice on areas? 

Thanks again to you both


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

Stephyj said:


> Thanks for advice I didn't realise it was so different but I guess it's going to be one of the many things that we will learn and love,
> 
> Any advice on areas?
> 
> Thanks again to you both


Not on areas - but read up on NZ real estate rules. They are very different. 

In particular, your offer is a legal document that you can't back out of if it is accepted - with certain conditions. 

When you first make your offer and it is accepted, you make it 'conditional to' a number of checks. Make sure these include things like 'subject to LIM, building survey, finance, etc... Our solicitor has recommended the 'cover-all' of 'subject to due diligence'. This gives you a get-out if something is found that you don't like. And you'll have to put a date on the end of this time - the real estate agent will try and make it as soon as possible before you go 'unconditional'. Make sure the time you agree gives you enough time to check everything out - the real estate agent will push for 5 working days, put your foot down and don't accept less than 10. Our solicitor recommends 15.

Also - when you go unconditional you'll have to pay the 10% deposit. _Don't pay it before you go unconditional_ (again, some real estate agents will ask for it when you make the offer). The real estate agent will ask you to pay it to their trust fund. We always pay it to our solicitors trust fund - we trust him more 

Get your house checked fully too - read up on 'leaky building syndrome'. It's very nasty, and you do _not_ want a house that suffers from it. 

Good luck


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

I wouldn't rush on house-buying, take time to see the suburbs at their best and worst in terms of weather, commuting times, facilities such as schools etc.

Everyone's opinions differ on what is a 'good' suburb - expensive does not mean 'good' to all people, when I first moved to Wellington it was to Karori as it was the only area I really knew, having visited a brother there many times. Old, 'classic' homes, much of it in a valley with just one main road in/out. For months in winter it can be damp, fog settles between the hills, very cold, I lasted one winter and had to get out. Parts of Ngaio and Khandallah can be similar, the latter often offers views over the harbour but the downside is gale force winds. Many of Wellington's wealthy folk live there - nice if you want to stay inside with the central heating running!

Moved to Newtown which was a handy walking distance to where I was working at the time, nice old villa 100yrs or so old, but owners had done a full insulation job, walls, ceilings, under-floor as well as fitted gas central heating; next moved a bit further south to Island Bay and eventually bought at Owhiro Bay after 3 years looking at different suburbs - fine for us (no kids) and I wanted to be by the sea, down-sides were isolation - no shops within walking distance, very poor bus/commuter service (unreliable, and nil on weekends), expensive to taxi to city, and exposed to the cold southerlies which arrived direct from Antarctica. But - wonderful on a nice sunny day. The house was only a few years old and well-built for the conditions, under-floor heating made it cosy but cost a fortune to run.

Wellington's commuter rains are hopelessly unreliable ans sub-standard, people coming in from western suburbs Johnsonville, Porirua, and across the harbour Lower/Upper Hutt face regular breakdowns, delays and late services. See *Wellington train chaos continues 19/08/2011* . Something to consider when it comes to calculating commuter times.

Take your time! 

Some housing news items on this thread


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## Stephyj (May 14, 2011)

Thanks song si, we had originally thought that we wanted to buy as soon as possible but reading your advice on the seasons is a valid point, we will be landing in summer all being well, think we need to have a look around and see which area looks good, do you have any advice on places to rent fully furnished or is it just a case of looking?

Thanks again, Stephney


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## Donna9159 (Sep 7, 2011)

Stephyj said:


> Hi all,
> 
> My husband has taken up a job in Wellington and we are in the process or gaining PR visas, my questions is does anyone know if there is a timescale on how long you have to be in New Zealand before you can buy a house?
> 
> ...


You can buy a house anytime


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