House Hunting

Before you start house hunting, you need to know what you want. Buying a house is a long-term commitment, so it’s really important that you think of the future as well. Make a list of things you must have and things that would be nice to have. This will make it easier to narrow down your choices. For example:

Is Location important ?

Do you need to be near shops or a school ?

Do you want to live near family, work or public transport ?

Is Sun important to you or somewhere quiet ?

Do you want garage or garden ?

Once you know what you’re looking for, call Harcourts on 0800 427 000 or talk to your preferred Harcourts agent to help you look for a home. Tell us what you’re looking for, where you would like to live and how much you want to spend. There are several internet sites dedicated to home sales, such as New Zealand’s largest property dedicated website, www.realestate.co.nz, and the most visited real estate brand website in the country, www.harcourts.co.nz. Have a good look around to find out what’s available. Don’t rush to buy. Take your time and make the right choice. It’s a good idea to look more than once at the house you’re interested in buying, just to be sure. If you are looking on your own, take a friend or family member with you so you have someone to talk it over with. Some lenders provide a first home buyer’s checklist. Take one along as it helps you record what each home has to offer. Talk with the neighbours in the new location and make sure you ask the real estate agent lots of questions. When you find a house you like, you should check the general condition and also think about location and the potential resale value. If there are any problems, get professional advice before going any further.

Making an offer

When you find the house you want, you’ll need to make an offer in writing. Your Harcourts real estate agent will prepare the sale and purchase agreement. If it has not been prepared by your lawyer, make sure they check it before you sign. The offer will outline what chattels go with the sale (this may include curtains, light fittings and dishwasher). You may be able to negotiate other chattels. It’s helpful to make a list of any chattels you want to include in your offer to buy. Most first offers are ‘conditional’. This means you are making your offer subject to one or more conditions being met.Conditions may include:

Finance

Builders

Valuation

Lim

Title Search

The seller may not accept your offer and could come back with a counter offer. This means they might want to raise the amount you’ve offered, or change some of the other things you’ve asked for. This may happen many times before you agree on the final price and terms, but make sure you stay within your budget. You may be competing with other buyers at a deadline or tender. If this is the case then you will be advised to put your in best offer as you may not have a further chance to negotiate. You may also try and meet some of your conditions before offering so your offer will be more favourable to the seller.

Note: If you are bidding at an auction, then you cannot have any conditions (you are making an unconditional bid to buy) so you’ll need to meet any conditions you have prior to the auction. If you have successfully negotiated a conditional offer and you have agreed the sale price, deposit, settlement date and conditions, you’ll have an agreed period of time to get the reports and finance you need to allow the contract to go unconditional. There are other types of house sales, but they are more complex, such as auction and tender. House buying is a lengthy process, and it can take a while to find the right place for you. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out with the first house you find.

For any other advice feel free to call or email me anytime for a free no obligation chat.

Vinay Kumar 0275643112 or vinay.kumar@harcourts.co.nz