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Buying Tips in Winter

If you’re thinking about buying in Winter, it's important to realize that houses might look a little different in June than in January. And we're not just talking about the market. Here are seven things to keep in mind if you plan to buy a home in the winter....

How to manage fear of overpaying when buying a home

Everyone loves a good deal. But when it comes to real estate, most buyers and sellers are just trying to avoid making a big mistake. Buying a home is not something most of us do on a regular basis. There’s no way to practice before you jump in, and you have to live with your final decision for years. So concerns about making a mistake are valid and understandable. One of the most common fears for buyers is overpaying for a home. Fear of falling in love with a property and paying more than you ...

Tips for upsizing your home

Ready for more space? A second bathroom? Better weather? Or just a change of scenery? Now is the time to make that move and find the home you’ve been dreaming of. There are more houses about to come to and many of those properties are being marketed with asking prices, which makes it easy to work out if a home is in your price range in a different part of town to where you are now. Here are 5 steps to work through if you are considering a move:...

Winning the real estate negotiation

There is something about buying a home which brings out the inner-negotiator in all of us. It’s one of the few opportunities we might get in life to haggle over a large financial purchase. To play the give-and-take game and try to walk away with a win. Sadly, the actual process often falls short of our bargain-securing expectations. In this article, I’ll explain the reasons why the real estate negotiation might not be everything you expected and provide tips for getting the right result in t...

If I was a seller, what would I do?

We all understand the market has changed. Prices have moved Nationally, in Twizel our median sales price is $665,000 as at July 2022 (up 13.7% from July 2021 & 25% over last 3 years) and buyers are harder to come by. Even still, prices are historically high compared to 3-5 years ago, meaning there is still an opportunity for most owners to sell their property and achieve a significant capital gain....

How to negotiate when the building inspector finds an issue

When your inspector visits the home, their feedback will either give you the confidence to move forward, or it might put you off buying entirely. At the very least, their findings could drastically reduce the price you are willing to pay. A builder will often find issues neither the buyer nor the owner even knew about before the inspection. Problems often come as a surprise to both parties. If your builder discovers a problem that requires urgent attention, what do you do? Should you try and neg...

First Home Help

But things have started to swing in their favour in recent months. Between a more even market, and record levels of residential construction, we are seeing choice available in themarket, and there are some good deals to be had. And last week’s Budget announcement has brought more good news – with the Government unveiling details of a number of key changes that will unlock additional (and much-needed) support for the first home buyer market. A healthy increase in house price caps for Kāinga ...

Seven tips to get your mortgage application approved

If so, there are steps you can take in advance to increase your chances of getting a YES from the bank. Practice good account conduct. Avoid going into overdraft by accident. This happens when an automatic payment is slightly more than the amount available in your bank account. While this may not involve a large amount of money, it can serve as a red flag for the bank and it can affect your chances of being approved for a mortgage later on.Avoid short term debt on consumer goods like TV’s, sou...

Do real estate agents still help buyers find houses?

There is an expectation disconnect that often occurs between buyers and real estate agents. A potential buyer walks into an open home cautiously and acts cagey about their situation, expecting to be hounded by the salesperson if they appear too keen to purchase. Salespeople genuinely want to help you find a home. So if you do want help, it’s important to be clear about your situation, come prepared, and give us as much guidance as possible so we don’t waste your time (or ours)....

What is a Free Appraisal?

You may be wondering: What does a ‘free appraisal’ actually involve? Should you get one? And what’s the catch? Can a buyer order a free appraisal too?As a homeowner, it can be difficult to accurately work out the value of your property. There are online tools available now that will provide a computer-generated estimate but they only offer a rough guide and can be wildly inaccurate since they are not based on a personal inspection of the property. They also won’t take into account any re...

Is now a good time to buy property?

One thing stronger than our fear of missing out is our fear of making a bad decision. Have you ever experienced paralysis by analysis over something as simple as buying a vacuum cleaner? Or a TV? If you are anything like me, you need to consider every possible option before you make a final decision. This ramps up exponentially when it comes to buying property. Especially when you add in constant commentary from economists, real estate salespeople and other advisers who all have their own points...

How to set up your home office

How to set up your home office. Many of us have fallen in love with working from home over the last few years, I have & love my home office the benefits are numerous. There is a catch though! Working from home can be difficult if you don’t have the right space. Somewhere you can focus and avoid unnecessary interruptions. Somewhere you can actually hear yourself think. Now is the perfect time to consider how you can create a productive home office zone. Working from home, even for just a day or...

How to handle an estate sale

If you are reading this then you might have just been through one of life’s most emotional transitions: A death in the family. And now, you need to deal with one of life’s most stressful situations: Selling a property. It’s understandable if this feels like a lot to take on. Working through the property sale process after a loved one has died can present multiple challenges: Emptying a house that is full of memories.Working with other estate beneficiaries who could be all over the world.Ha...

Benefits of investing in a new build

Weighing up whether to build new or buy an existing property for a rental can be a difficult decision. Below we outline some of the benefits that new builds that may be helpful determinants for deciding how to invest your money....

How to reconnect with your home

Shelter. Aside from air and water, it’s the most important human need. Where would we be without a place to call home? Whether it’s a Reg 130, a townhouse, a quarter-acre block, a minivan or a mansion, our home should be a safe space where we feel respite from the problems of the world. Yet familiarity breeds complacency. How often do we take our homes for granted? Choosing to constantly focus on the aspects that we don’t like, rather than the ones we are thankful for? In this article, we�...

Is it a good idea to invest in bare land?

There’s an old adage in real estate that goes: “It’s not the house that increases in value, it’s the land beneath it…” Meaning, the land is the scarce resource that actually represents the majority of the value in any property asset. Technically, the structure on top of the land actually depreciates (drops in value) over time as the materials wear down. We buy houses based on their features, but in reality, what we are paying for is the right to live on the piece of land that ho...

Should you trust online property valuations?

Didn’t your mother ever tell you… “You shouldn’t believe everything you read online.”A growing number of properties will being marketed without a price soon ( Deadline Sale) and that creates a real dilemma for home buyers trying to decide how much to offer. At the moment of truth, many are turning to online property valuations as a guide on pricing. While these reports often contain useful information it is important not to consider them as a definitive guide, but rather just one ...

How to use online valuations - tips for sellers

Online valuation websites have been a game-changer for real estate, providing buyers and homeowners with easy access to quality information that can help them make informed real estate decisions. As an owner, online valuation websites allow you to keep track of the value of your property, allowing you to spend lots of fun hours watching the value (hopefully) increase, pondering how smart you were to buy when you did, and what else you might do with the money if you decided to sell. When the time...

Selling a home with unconsented improvements? Here's what you need to know

The first thing to understand is that lots of houses sell with unconsented changes. It’s more common than you might think. The key to a successful transaction is to be upfront with all the relevant information right from the start. Buyers genuinely want to buy a property and they don’t necessarily expect it to be perfect. What they do expect is to be made aware of any important issues before they make an offer. When buyers find out about a problem early on, they have time to gather informati...

How to approach a multiple offer situation

Every buyer wants to avoid a multiple offer situation if possible. We prefer to negotiate directly with the owner, one on one. It’s programmed into our genes to want to start off low, see what the seller comes back with and maybe meet in the middle if it works for us. In a busy market though, a one on one negotiating scenario can actually be pretty hard to come by. When buyer demand is high and houses are attracting interest from multiple buyers, you may only get one chance to submit your best...

The bare-minimum home-maintenance plan

For many of us, we understand that taking good care of our biggest asset (our home) is important, but property maintenance takes time and energy and it’s easy for those jobs to get pushed back as our days fill up with all the ingredients of modern life: Work, family, school, sports, walking the dog, daily chores. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and before you know it, it’s been years since we paid attention to the four walls around us. Houses are sturdy, strong and reliable. It�...

How to save money on your power bill (and reduce your home's carbon footprint)

So often, what is good for your wallet is also good for the planet. When you make changes to your home to make it more energy-efficient, it reduces the amount of power required to heat it. Saving you money and saving energy. And since energy prices appear likely to keep increasing in future, making these kinds of changes is an investment that will pay off for years to come. Not to mention all the benefits you’ll get from living in a warm, healthy home. And on a macro level, the more we can low...

How to read a building inspection report

When buying a home, coming to an agreement with the owners on price is just the first hurdle. The second, and often biggest barrier to progress is the builder’s report. The ‘builder’s report’ is an inspection, usually commissioned by the buyer, where a qualified inspector goes through the property with a fine-tooth comb. They look for any signs of damage (old or existing) and any types of materials that are considered less than optimal. This could happen before, or after the purchase pri...

Should you keep your first home as an investment property?

One of the questions potential first-time sellers face is whether or not they should keep their existing property as a rental when they move up to a bigger home. In this guide, we’ll talk through the pros and cons and suggest some questions to consider if you find yourself in this position. But first, a disclaimer: The suggestions in this guide are general in nature and it is critical that you receive expert, impartial advice before making any large financial decision....

Tips for downsizing your home

Our home holds a special place in our hearts. Especially if it’s where our kids have grown up or where we have experienced many of life’s milestones and special memories. We become connected to our space in far more than just a physical sense. Our home is where we feel safe to be ourselves and relaxed in our own skin. Where we can put on our ugliest track pants and it doesn’t matter in the slightest. Inevitably though, there comes a time when our existing home no longer serves us the way i...