How would you like to open the door to your new home?
Kiwis love to own their own homes whether it be a brand new home or an existing home that is a new home to you and your family.
Most of us will start with our first home which might not be exactly what we dream of, but it gets us into our own home.
Of course we will almost certainly have a large home loan even if our home is not so large.
Buying An Established House
In New Zealand we have a lot of existing houses to choose from.
They come in all shapes and sizes and none are too old when compared to the houses in many countries; however some are still what we would consider old.
When you buy an established house you have the advantage that others have lived in it and therefore its a place that you can move straight into. Of course not everything will be exactly as you might ultimately want; however having been lived in the house will generally come complete with window dressings (curtains and blinds) and with landscaping and gardens.
Most houses are sold by real estate agents.
Your first experience of buying a home and dealing with real estate agents will be something that you will remember for the rest of your life. I know I do … from the agents that didn’t listen to the one that did and sold me my first home.
Buying Your New Home
You might find that there is a brand new house available that fits your requirements and budget.
New houses have the advantage of being made with modern materials and to current specifications.
This should mean that the house is well insulated and therefore easy to keep warm and heat when necessary.
There are a huge number of group builders that offer house and land packages, and other builders that will build spec houses and sell them either off the plans or once completed.
Some new homes lack a bit of character and many people say they are bland or boring. You can certainly make a difference with colours and furnishings and there are some clever accessories and landscaping ideas that can transform a home.
Designing & Building Your New Home
You could also design and build your new home.
This has the advantage that you can design a home to suit your lifestyle; however will often come with budgetary restrictions – meaning you cannot afford what you really want.
There are a lot of group building companies that have a range of standard plans that can be altered to fit a site and your requirements, or you could start from scratch and have an architect design a home that will be totally unique to you.
It can be fun creating a home of your dreams, but there can also a lot of frustrations and extra costs.
You can save a lot of both frustrations and costs if you get advice from a specialist mortgage broker before you start. As well as getting advice on the new build finance requirements and options, a broker that specialises in new builds can give you some good advice on what can go wrong on a building project even with as group building company. There are many examples where a mortgage broker has saved both stress and money – see why Simon says talk to Stuart about new build finance.