House hunting

Weekends will be filled up with trawling the internet looking at house listings and driving from suburb to suburb visiting open homes.

You’ll likely be searching for a while before finding the right home to buy. Your first home may not be your dream home, but it’s the first step on the property ladder.

New Zealand is full of a wide variety of property styles, from historic villas to sixties state houses and everything in between. Perhaps an apartment or townhouse is more your style? These can have different lending criteria, so make sure you let us know if you decide this is the best option for you.

Things to consider when buying your first home:

• Location – do you need to be close to family or friends?
• Schools – is being in the right school zone important now or in the near future?
• Transport – if you’re taking the bus every day, is there a main bus route nearby?
• Bedrooms – how many bedrooms do you need? Will you have family visiting often that a spare room is essential?

While some properties might look in good condition from the outside, there can be hidden issues that only a building inspection will pick up on. The weather tightness of a property can be an issue, so educate yourself on what to look for when you’re viewing a property and always put a builder’s inspection as a condition for any property you’re looking to buy.