Unlike the rest of the world the housing market in New Zealand is pretty stable. This means that it should be fairly easy to find a decent house for your needs at an affordable price (when compared to other parts of the world). There are also a number of government schemes in place which makes it a tiny bit easier to afford a home. On this page I want to discuss a few of the things that you may need to consider when searching for houses for sale in New Zealand.
I know I mention this a lot but you are going to need to think a little bit about the budget that you have at your disposal. You will need to get in touch with a number of mortgage companies and get pre-approved for a mortgage before you actually go and search for properties. If you don’t then you will find it very hard for somebody to take you seriously! If you are a first time homebuyer then you may want to look into schemes such as the KiwiSaver to see if you can get some assistance towards purchasing your home. Do not search for houses for sale in New Zealand before you know how much you have to spend.
Now, the majority of people will make a real estate agent their first stop when searching for houses for sale in New Zealand. This is a fantastic idea as they will be able to guide you through the process. They will also be able to identify properties which meet your needs. I suggest that you do not only rely on an estate agent however. If you head online then you will find a number of websites which offer a whole host of houses for sale in New Zealand. I suggest that you check out a few of these because they will quite often have houses listed for sale by their owner. This means people who are not using an estate agent to sell their property. More often than not, due to the lack of estate agent fees on this type of property the price is going to be significantly cheaper than similar properties.
When you are searching for a property you will want to think a little bit about the location of the property. Of course, the better the location the more you are going to need to pay. Think about the things that are important to you. For example, if you are looking to raise a family then you will want to ensure that there are plenty of places outside of your property for children to play in safety. You will also want to ensure they are close to a good school. If you have a job then you will want to find a location that is close to your job. If you don’t then you will want to move to an area with a booming jobs market.
Remember, you are also going to want to think about the type of property that you want. I suggest that you draw up a list of the things that are absolute ‘must haves’ in a property. Stick to this list when you are searching for houses for sale in New Zealand. This way you will not end up with a property that isn’t right for you. You could also share this list with your real estate agent who will be able to provide recommendations for you.
