Hi,

I did my own Kiwi Adventure a couple of months back. Definately hire a car! It’s the only way to get around, especially if you are hunting property.

Just be careful as NZ driving conditions are much more challenging than here in Australia. Also, when going down steep hills keep an eye on the speedo or you might find yourself doing in excess…[Read more]

Hi Tim,

It’s really difficult to 2nd guess what the market will do and when it will do it. Saying that the Australian market is 18 months ahead of NZ does not mean that NZ will directly follow what has happenened here in Aus. I guess what it comes down to is how long you have already owned the properties, and how much they have appreciated in…[Read more]

This may interest you:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/0,2106,3245112a6011,00.html

Regards,
Ozi

That makes sense. Look at how much golfers earn!! They make a bucket load!

Ozi

Hi APerry,

Yes, I attended the Melbourne meeting and found it most helpful! I think Alvin and Westan did a great job getting the event organised. Investing in the US is very complex. It’s completely different to investing here in Aus, or even New Zealand. It’s not something you’d jump right into without doing thorough research first.

Regards,
Ozi

Hi Muppet,

I have 20/20 vision here is Australia. The sulphur in Rotorua must have affected my vision [biggrin]

Regards,
Ozi

I would use your credit card. I found that the only time I would use cash was to pay for food at restaurants, etc where credit cards aren’t excepted.

I also had trouble getting used to the NZ currency. Their $2 coin looks like our $1 coin, and their $1 looks like our $2. Also, their 50c is like our 20c. I also once confused their $100 (I think)…[Read more]

I can say that Freedom Air are great, and cheap! For return flights from Melbourne to NZ i paid $365, but I’ve seen them as cheap as ~$300 including taxes. Check their website daily as they are always running special deals.

Regards,
Ozi

Hi Tim,

Property Management costs vary from town to town, manager to manager in NZ. I think 7.5%-10% is about statndard. Some charge a flat fee of x% of the rental which includes everything from maintenace, inspections, etc… Others may charge you the x% extra on any maintenance, bills, etc.

Has the manager given you a reason for the increase?…[Read more]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. I will be staying in the same industry so I guess I should be safe

Regards,
Ozi

Thanks Westan and GeoffB!

Regards,
Ozi

Hi Kerwyn,

Thanks for that!

Regards,
Ozi

Hi Kerwyn,

Originally posted by kerwyn:
From my dealings I have found Harcourts are very professional. So professional that they saved me making a bad deal through another agent.

Is there only one property manager at Harcourts? If not, which one is looking after your property? I wish to contact them so a name would be helpful [biggrin]

Also,…[Read more]

I am also using ANZ. Their prices seem good. They use TOWER insurance.

Regards,
Ozi

Robot, there are always properties for sale. Whether you would buy them is another story

Ozi

Hi,

I can answer this as it happened to me recently. The house I was buying fell through on finance by the previous purchaser, so when I made an offer, the agent decided to put in a 2 day cash out clause. Basically all this means is, I still have the 10 days to do my due diligence, however if during that period someone comes along and puts in a…[Read more]

There are a few companies around that do it, but I’ve been recommended by several people to use Value-it http://www.valuit.co.nz/

Don’t know how good they are as I haven’t used them yet.

Regards,
Ozi

Thanks ibuycashflow,

I’ve just shot off an email to my solicitor asking for clarifications. My solicitor has said that if I do not settle on the settlement date in the contract, I may be liable for penalties. However, I made it a condition in the contract that vendor must get the permit signed off before settelment date. So wouldn’t this mean the…[Read more]

theBuildingSurveyor,

Thank you for the reply. I’ve actually been thinking about pushing the settlement date back from the start, but wasn’t sure how easily it could be done. Can the solicitor do this easily? Also, will I incur any costs at my end? I should chase this up with the solicitor.

Thanks for pointing out the issues that may need…[Read more]

It’s westan. Aka Westan Johnson. He’s a champion

Regards,
Ozi