Step-by-step buying guide.

Buying a property, especially your first home, is a big decision. Together with the Real Estate Authority (REA), we’ve created some useful tips, tools and lists to help guide you through the buying process and give you an advantage when it comes time to buy.

The settled.govt.nz site provides independent guidance and advice including checklists, tools and videos. Covering everything from the initial thought process of buying (your goals, finances and support) to how you make your offer.

Need to sell to buy? It always pays to know how much your property is worth before you start shopping for a new one. Find out how much your home is worth by getting a free property appraisal. Contact us

Work out your Budget

The first thing you will want to know is what your budget is. To do this you’ll need to get a realistic picture of your finances, i.e. your income vs your spending, and weigh this up against your deposit – how much you’ve saved for your home and/or how much equity you have in your current property. For help with your budget, check out:

sorted.org.nz
familyservices.govt.nz

Get pre-approved for a home loan.

Before you begin your search, it’s important to find out how much money you can borrow.

Talking to a Mortgage Broker is a useful resource at this stage. Did you know that every bank has different criteria when it some time to assess people on a lending application. Mortgage Brokers can help to make sure you are talking to the best bank for you based on your financial situation and your requirements. Talk to one of our sales team for a good local Mortgage Broker to talk to.

How much you can borrow depends on:

  • The value of the home you are looking to buy
  • How much deposit you have
  • Your income
  • Your ability to repay your home loan after you’ve paid your outgoings
  • The equity you have in your current property or properties.

Top tip: Getting a pre-approval puts you in a better negotiating position, helps speed up the mortgage documentation process and enables you to make offers with confidence.

Find a solicitor

Before you purchase a property, we recommend that you get your own independent legal advice. Finding the right lawyer is an important part of the buying process. Your lawyer will make sure that all the legal processes are followed and they can also check over property reports, such as Land Information Memorandums (Council LIM reports) and titles.

Top tip: Seeking advice from friends is a good place to start. Otherwise you can contact New Zealand Law Society.

House hunting.

And then your search begins. Everyone has their own way of searching, whether it be online, using an app or contacting a salesperson.

All our listings appear on:

Trademe.co.nz
Realestate.co.nz
homes.co.nz
oneroof.co.nz
firstnational.co.nz

Top house hunting tips:

  1. Do your home work and see what houses are selling in your area and at what price. Check out:
    • Sold properties
    • Market reports
    • Latest suburb report
  2. Know what you can afford. If you have a pre-approval, it will be much easier to narrow down your search, as you will have a specific budget to look for.

Need some help?

Contact one of our salespeople, they’ll be happy to help.