Home work
21st February, in Ask the Experts
Dear Wendyl
oy boyfriend and I spent a lot of time house hunting but gave up because it was all too confusing. We went to so many open homes that after a while we couldn’t remember which one we preferred or didn’t like. one day we looked at each other and said, “This is too hard,” and decided to stay in our little rental, which we really like. However, now that we’ve had a holiday, we think we might have another go. Do you have any advice for the best and least confusing way to house hunt?
Rachel, Auckland
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Dear Rachel
I last bought a house 10 years ago, but before that I was buying and selling every few years. The best thing to do is treat it as a project, just like at school. Decide what you’re looking for and put it in an exercise book. If you need a fenced section, put that in there. It will help both of you to narrow your focus. Take photos of each house you look at and make note of any faults or things you particularly like. Discuss it, give it a rating out of 10 and do a pros and cons list.
Attach the real estate agent’s card to these notes. once you’ve been to a few open homes, you’ll have a book full of potential houses you can refer to. And do your homework, like finding out what the rates are, and getting a Lim report and a government valuation. Also, visit www.nzpropertyguide.co.nz
