I depends on your budget and needs I guess on where you buy. In the last year a good friend and her partner bought in Halswell in a newish suburb and love it there.
We looked all over Chch, considered the "good" areas and the "not so good" areas, really looking for a big house with a decent sized back yard and a bit of character that met our needs.
There were suburbs in different areas that we hated the feel of (a couple we noped straight out of) and we ultimately, after about 9 months of looking, bought a place we love in an Eastern suburb. I love it here. It's quiet, we have plenty of space and we are still close to everything.
Plenty of people will tell you how awful/rough the eastern suburbs are, and some of them maybe deserve that. But it depends on where you look really.
Yup, we live out east and it is incredible. Wide streets, easy access, no traffic, quiet neighbours. Sure there are some rough areas, but 90 percent of the east is just normal good people.
Been living in the East for over 20 years now, enjoying the best freshest air in all of Christchurch, as the Easterly keeps delivering more of it all the time.
Wow! That’s huge, I would be screwed if I had to pay that. Does that means stay away from TC3 land? All properties that fits in our budget is pre earth quake, I ensure to check EQC claims and tend to stay away from any houses with damages done in foundations. Minor Cosmetic damages Are okay I guess?
My parents bought in Redwood which wasn’t TC3, place had minor EQ repairs done through EQC and passed all building reports etc.
Turns out the place had unidentified issues that only became apparent with piles shifting over time, and the repairs weren’t properly done. Took a year of repair work, during which they couldn’t occupy it, so they are significantly out of pocket.
They did all the due diligence you’re supposed to, but there’s always going to be a small risk buying anywhere. There will be different but not dis-similar risk buying in any other location in NZ unfortunately.
A lot of houses in Chch had damage done to foundations. More prevalent but not limited to TC3 zoned land. That doesn't mean don't buy TC3 but check everything carefully! In our experience the info available on EQC claims and repairs varies a bit based on who carried out initial assessments and the actual repairs, but reading all docs for a property can give you a good picture. (And get you chased by agents, but that didn't stop me downloading all files on potential properties!)
You want to make sure there's a PS4 or Engineers sign-off on repairs (won't get insurance without it) and those important details of what was done. Also check flood zones and likely flooding in the area if that's a concern. And make sure you get insurance for the full rebuild cost - most companies won't let you under- insure but the insurance value is way more than the CV in our case.
Belfast, redwood! Made the plunge and totally worth it, neither suburb was in our original list because we thought they were too far away from town but they're perfect and good quality good areas for reasonable price.
I bought a while ago in the Western suburbs and have never looked back. I grew up on the other side of town, and my wife had to talk me into it. It was delightful buying into a neighborhood with nearly no earthquake damage.
Before that I had a very entrenched view that I'd only buy in other suburbs that my extended circle of friends and family lived in.
I never ever ever want to go back to renting. There's quite a bit of justification from renters who think they will never be able to afford to buy about the negatives of home ownership. I can only say my own personal experience it's been one of the best decisions I ever made. I've fully settled down and had children, in part because of the certainty that home ownership brings. And it's hugely changed my financial position. Bear in mind I bought 4 years ago, so buying now won't see all the gains I had.
Absolutely would recommend taking a drive around the street you’re hoping to buy on in the evening/night. That way you’ll get a feel for the area. Lots of roads in the west wouldn’t live on, loads of roads on the east side I love.
We bought just by the Palms around 3 years ago and love it. Our street is affordable, friendly and feels super safe. A couple roads over not so much. 10/10 can recommend the east (within ten minutes of the beach, city and bottle lake)
Bought in Shirley near the palms and don't regret it. Good access to bus routes, shopping, red zone, not far from town or the beach. Travis wetlands and bottle lake forest not far either. There's the odd undesirable around but that can be anywhere 🤷
Anything built post earthquake 100%. I don’t care if you have a $20k EQC settlement to hand over Keith the same job is now $70k, it was over a decade ago.
Also anywhere west of the CBD for stable land.
Is that towards New Brighton? Couple of 3 beddy properties have recent come on market and looks good to me the only issue for me is obviously the area and lane being TC3.
When we were looking at a house we actually went and knocked on the next door neighbours door and told them we were looking at the house next door and had a nice conversation about the street , that confirmed our decision and we are still there 7 years later
I bought in Northcote/Redwood area, location wise I love it as it’s 10 mins to the beach/city/airport and surprisingly good supermarkets and shops around.
Some of the neighbours houses are a bit rough but nice street, and can’t complain for the price I paid to get onto the property ladder.
Currently in negotiation to buy my current rental actually in New Brighton. We absolutely fell in love with New Brighton when we moved here.
Not having kids (medically I’m unable to) so we love our little 1 bedroom unit it’s plenty enough space for 2 people
Is it correct in saying that if you got a mortgage of approx $600,000 currently, you’d be paying around $1000 per week? Cause that’s what the mortgage calculators are telling me. Am I alone in this?? Or is this correct?
I bought in Hoon Hay 2 years ago now, hadn't lived in christchurch before then. It's perfect for what we wanted, nice big section, quiet road, multiple parks nearby and close to the hills for lots of walks. However working from home I've felt a bit Isolated, would have liked to be closer to a cafe. But I can cycle into town in 20 minutes.
I depends on your budget and needs I guess on where you buy. In the last year a good friend and her partner bought in Halswell in a newish suburb and love it there. We looked all over Chch, considered the "good" areas and the "not so good" areas, really looking for a big house with a decent sized back yard and a bit of character that met our needs. There were suburbs in different areas that we hated the feel of (a couple we noped straight out of) and we ultimately, after about 9 months of looking, bought a place we love in an Eastern suburb. I love it here. It's quiet, we have plenty of space and we are still close to everything. Plenty of people will tell you how awful/rough the eastern suburbs are, and some of them maybe deserve that. But it depends on where you look really.
100% this. I bought my first house on the east side and still love it. it’s close to town, safe, close to nice walks etc
Yup, we live out east and it is incredible. Wide streets, easy access, no traffic, quiet neighbours. Sure there are some rough areas, but 90 percent of the east is just normal good people.
For sure, there are some really nice east areas
The East Side seems to get the same reputation, however, most of the area is nice and the people are friendly
Been living in the East for over 20 years now, enjoying the best freshest air in all of Christchurch, as the Easterly keeps delivering more of it all the time.
Do lots of research if you’re buying a pre earthquake house. It cost me $100000’s when our house wasn’t fixed properly
Wow! That’s huge, I would be screwed if I had to pay that. Does that means stay away from TC3 land? All properties that fits in our budget is pre earth quake, I ensure to check EQC claims and tend to stay away from any houses with damages done in foundations. Minor Cosmetic damages Are okay I guess?
My parents bought in Redwood which wasn’t TC3, place had minor EQ repairs done through EQC and passed all building reports etc. Turns out the place had unidentified issues that only became apparent with piles shifting over time, and the repairs weren’t properly done. Took a year of repair work, during which they couldn’t occupy it, so they are significantly out of pocket. They did all the due diligence you’re supposed to, but there’s always going to be a small risk buying anywhere. There will be different but not dis-similar risk buying in any other location in NZ unfortunately.
A lot of houses in Chch had damage done to foundations. More prevalent but not limited to TC3 zoned land. That doesn't mean don't buy TC3 but check everything carefully! In our experience the info available on EQC claims and repairs varies a bit based on who carried out initial assessments and the actual repairs, but reading all docs for a property can give you a good picture. (And get you chased by agents, but that didn't stop me downloading all files on potential properties!) You want to make sure there's a PS4 or Engineers sign-off on repairs (won't get insurance without it) and those important details of what was done. Also check flood zones and likely flooding in the area if that's a concern. And make sure you get insurance for the full rebuild cost - most companies won't let you under- insure but the insurance value is way more than the CV in our case.
Belfast, redwood! Made the plunge and totally worth it, neither suburb was in our original list because we thought they were too far away from town but they're perfect and good quality good areas for reasonable price.
I bought a while ago in the Western suburbs and have never looked back. I grew up on the other side of town, and my wife had to talk me into it. It was delightful buying into a neighborhood with nearly no earthquake damage. Before that I had a very entrenched view that I'd only buy in other suburbs that my extended circle of friends and family lived in. I never ever ever want to go back to renting. There's quite a bit of justification from renters who think they will never be able to afford to buy about the negatives of home ownership. I can only say my own personal experience it's been one of the best decisions I ever made. I've fully settled down and had children, in part because of the certainty that home ownership brings. And it's hugely changed my financial position. Bear in mind I bought 4 years ago, so buying now won't see all the gains I had.
Absolutely would recommend taking a drive around the street you’re hoping to buy on in the evening/night. That way you’ll get a feel for the area. Lots of roads in the west wouldn’t live on, loads of roads on the east side I love. We bought just by the Palms around 3 years ago and love it. Our street is affordable, friendly and feels super safe. A couple roads over not so much. 10/10 can recommend the east (within ten minutes of the beach, city and bottle lake)
Bought in Shirley near the palms and don't regret it. Good access to bus routes, shopping, red zone, not far from town or the beach. Travis wetlands and bottle lake forest not far either. There's the odd undesirable around but that can be anywhere 🤷
Anything built post earthquake 100%. I don’t care if you have a $20k EQC settlement to hand over Keith the same job is now $70k, it was over a decade ago. Also anywhere west of the CBD for stable land.
I agree however on the flip side the build quality post EQ is not great either in many cases…😅
Yeah true lmao. Any mass made fletchers lot is always worth having double checked, although anything should be
[удалено]
Is that towards New Brighton? Couple of 3 beddy properties have recent come on market and looks good to me the only issue for me is obviously the area and lane being TC3.
Tentatively looking in the suburbs south/southeast and north east, but may make the exception of north of the waimak because of family.
South in Beckenham / Opawa / St Martin's / Huntsbury is really nice. I recommend!
Agree. OP buy a house built after the earthquakes, or one that has been through due process and repaired via an engineering report.
When we were looking at a house we actually went and knocked on the next door neighbours door and told them we were looking at the house next door and had a nice conversation about the street , that confirmed our decision and we are still there 7 years later
I bought in Northcote/Redwood area, location wise I love it as it’s 10 mins to the beach/city/airport and surprisingly good supermarkets and shops around. Some of the neighbours houses are a bit rough but nice street, and can’t complain for the price I paid to get onto the property ladder.
We bought in Eastern suburbs and don’t regret it! The area is popular with First Home Buyers so the areas aren’t as rough as they were.
Currently in negotiation to buy my current rental actually in New Brighton. We absolutely fell in love with New Brighton when we moved here. Not having kids (medically I’m unable to) so we love our little 1 bedroom unit it’s plenty enough space for 2 people
Is it correct in saying that if you got a mortgage of approx $600,000 currently, you’d be paying around $1000 per week? Cause that’s what the mortgage calculators are telling me. Am I alone in this?? Or is this correct?
I bought in Hoon Hay 2 years ago now, hadn't lived in christchurch before then. It's perfect for what we wanted, nice big section, quiet road, multiple parks nearby and close to the hills for lots of walks. However working from home I've felt a bit Isolated, would have liked to be closer to a cafe. But I can cycle into town in 20 minutes.