Buying A Property: Homes For Sale in Rodney

Buying a property can be a daunting prospect, especially if this is your first home purchase.

Between open houses to visit, thousands of print and online advertisements to read and significant financial decisions to make, it is easy to feel overwhelmed when looking at homes for sale.

Helping Out With the Property Search

Enlisting the help of a trusted agency can help you navigate the often-tricky world of residential real estate. With offices across most of New Zealand major cities, towns and suburbs, Harveys is perfectly-placed to provide you with advice and assistance about homes for sale in Rodney, your local market.

We can also help you through every stage of the buying process, including finding a property within your price range, organising finance, reports and searches, conveyancing and in some cases, even helping to connect your utilities.

Harveys Warkworth – residential property experts

Of course, there is much more to buying a house than simply browsing through listings – you’ll need to arrange a number of other services as you make your way through the process.

Harveys Warkworth can help you with everything from setting up pre-purchase inspections, building reports and pest inspections – to setting up utilities in your new space with our preferred partner connectnow.

Properties For Rent

If your property is being purchased as an investment, you can also get Harveys Warkworth to provide assistance when it comes to making the most of property tax depreciation deductions.

From start to finish, we take the hassle out of the property purchasing process, making moving an enjoyable, easy experience.

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Looking At Homes For Sale - Where To Begin?

When it comes to buying a property, the first thing you’ll need to do is assess the type of home you want and determine your budget.

For example, first home buyers may be keen to investigate their options for buying an apartment, while parents may be looking to upgrade or downsize, depending on the age of their children. Regardless of your price range, you’ll find Harveys Warkworth offers a range of quality homes for sale and our team can assist you with the research and data you need to make a decision.

We make searching for residential property as convenient as possible – using the Harveys website you’ll be able to view descriptions, maps and even colour photographs of the properties on offer.

When you speak to a Harveys Warkworth agent, we can provide you with further information about the properties that best suit your lifestyle and help you streamline your search to find homes that are easily accessible to schools, public transportation, restaurants and hospitals, and other amenities.

You can also discuss your financial and investment priorities – including immediate rent return, capital gain, lifestyle or any combination of these factors. With this information your agent will be able to better work with you to find the perfect property.

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House For Sale: The Big Step for First Time Buyers

It is understandable for first time buyers to feel anxious, but solid preparation and knowledge of the process will help you buy the house of your dreams.

As obvious as it may seem, the crucial first stage on the road to home ownership is being aware of exactly what you can afford to buy. Your lender will offer pre-purchase approval so that you know where you stand financially from the beginning.

Once you have identified a house for sale you would like to buy, the lender will then be able to formally approve a loan much more quickly thanks to your proactive approach – our finance team can help you with this step.

While it might be tempting to avoid sundry costs as much as possible – given that you are about to invest a significant amount of money into the purchase of the home – it is unwise to ignore the value of building inspections. You would be well advised to stress the high level of urgency of these inspections to whoever you contract to do the job – and the same applies to your solicitor or your conveyancer.

House For Sale – Buying At Auction

An alternative approach to consider is buying a house for sale at auction. This is a scenario that may seem intimidating to many first time buyers, but if you do your research it can be a viable strategy.

Many of the steps that go into purchasing a property privately also apply to auctions, such as arranging the required inspections and seeking formal approval of your loan. Although it is possible for a house for sale by auction to be sold in advance, in the majority of cases they will go under the hammer on a specified date. If you are the successful bidder at the auction, you and the vendor will enter into an unconditional contract.

Additional costs for first time buyers to consider

First time buyers should be aware that there are often additional costs associated with purchasing a property. Although it is not strictly a factor in the purchase of the property, the cost of moving home should also be calculated into your financial planning. The real estate agent’s costs are incurred by the vendor, so this is one aspect of the sale you will not need to worry about.

Building inspections and LIM reports

Building inspections and LIM reports (L and Information memorandum) are not obligatory, but they highly recommended for avoiding the possibility of buying a home with existing problems that could be very expensive to rectify later.

Legal & Loan Fees

There are generally certain legal and loan establishment costs that your lending body will pass onto you, so it is advisable to ask about such fees in advance.

Understanding the Buying Process

Buying a home is an exciting time, but the process may feel overwhelming – particularly if you’re buying your first property. A number of factors need to go into your decision and you’ll want to consider them all before you make your final decision about the house for sale you’ve seen and want!

Practical Matters

The old saying ‘location, location, location’ certainly rings true, especially when considering your new home. Where your prospective new house or apartment is located is not something that you will be able to control or change once you have made your purchase.

This means you’ll need to consider a number of practicalities. For example, can you park your car onsite? How close is the house for sale to public transportation links? Are there convenient shops, cafes and supermarkets within walking distance?

Property Options

Once you have determined the location where you would like to live, you’ll need to spend some time thinking about the kind of property that suits you.

It is important to take both your current and medium-term situations into account in this situation – for example, a young couple may want to plan ahead and purchase a bigger home if they are thinking about expanding their family. If this is the case, factors like local schools will also become an important consideration.

Alternatively, if you are purchasing an investment property you should do your research accordingly.

Of course, you’ll want to consider your lifestyle preferences as well. City lovers who work long hours in town may prefer an apartment close to their workplace, while families and pet owners may prefer to focus their search on leafy suburbs where homes are known for their grassy gardens.

Money Matters

Once you’ve found the perfect suburb and you know the type of property you want, it is time to turn your thoughts to finance.

It’s essential that you find a property that suits your personal lifestyle, is located in a convenient area based on your work needs and leisure preferences, and – most importantly – that you can afford.

It is wise to begin your search by researching comparative sales in the area. Once you have a good idea of the average house price in your suburb of choice, you’ll need to plan a realistic budget.

Your Harveys Warkworth real estate agent will be able to provide you with valuable insight into the buying process and can help you research your options when it comes to practical property matters.

FAQ’s

What factors determine the purchase price of the property you are buying?

While a number of factors come into play, in the end a property’s worth is judged by only one figure – how much is somebody prepared to pay for it at the time?

The most significant considerations for pricing a property are recent sales and current competition. The former is a review of what other properties of this type have sold for, while the latter takes into account similar homes that are presently on the market.

Your Harveys Warkworth agent can provide you with information and advice regarding both of these aspects of the house-hunting process through competitive market analysis.

It is also import to take note of the prevailing market conditions, as these can generate a genuine insight into short-term trends and help prospective homebuyers gain a feel for what they will need to pay to achieve their goals.

If high buyer demand exists at a time when very little property is actually available, prices are likely to increase.

‘Seller motivation’ – the reason the current owner is attempting to offload the property – might also play a major role in determining the final cost. If a quick sale is required, vendors have little choice but to accept the best offer at the time without the luxury of waiting for a better deal.

Why should I carry out a final inspection on the property I am buying?

No matter how excited you are about purchasing your new house or unit, it is prudent to undertake a final inspection to ensure that the property is still in the same condition it was when you negotiated the deal.

You should check that all the fixtures and fittings included in the contract are still present and that the previous residents did not cause any damage when moving out of the property.

How many homes should I inspect when looking for a property?

We recommend looking at enough properties to gain a comprehensive understanding of the marketplace.

This will provide you with the required knowledge to work out if the property you are interested in buying represents value for money, while also helping you to determine which location appeals to you the most. It is important to feel confident about your eventual purchase, so viewing properties online is a good way to research the market efficiently.

Alternatively, your Harveys Warkworth agent can give you comprehensive market analysis on the property, with details of similar properties currently for sale or in the same area.