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Yeah, 6 months is pretty decent for a non-resident. I was hoping to live some place year-round simply because property tax and insurance in the US would be like paying rent year-round in NZ plus owning a home that you could rent out.
Anybody know how much electricity and water is? Do the "rates" cover garbage and sewer?
Secondly, I heard nightmare stories about homes in NZ not having insulation and leaking water creating mold (and I am not talking about old homes... this is supposedly a problem with the new ones). Are these just rumours?
Yeah, 6 months is pretty decent for a non-resident. I was hoping to live some place year-round simply because property tax and insurance in the US would be like paying rent year-round in NZ plus owning a home that you could rent out.
Anybody know how much electricity and water is? Do the "rates" cover garbage and sewer?
Secondly, I heard nightmare stories about homes in NZ not having insulation and leaking water creating mold (and I am not talking about old homes... this is supposedly a problem with the new ones). Are these just rumours?
No this is not a rumor. Houses in NZ are cold and they don't believe much in insulation or ventilation. I have looked at new houses under construction in Christchurch and mostly the houses are concrete block built with some exterior siding and sheet rock on the inside. One thing that is odd for instance is they often don't have extractor fans in the bathroom, so after a shower that moisture just settles.
NZ has high energy costs hence they don't have much in the way of heaters in their buildings. There have been all too many times I have been sitting in front of one of those little fujitsu wall heaters trying to warm up.
What is interesting is that for as green as NZ proclaims themselves to be, if they would use some insulation and good windows and doors, they've save a fortune in energy costs and stay warmer in winter. A lot of insulation now is "green" that is soy or paper based so no excuse really.
Personally buying is an option, but renting really makes the most sense. Also it doesn't tie you down to one place in NZ. There are plenty of rentals in the tourist areas including condos and homes and in the cities there are plenty of short term rental apartments in apartment towers. I always rent for a part of my long term stays in NZ and it has worked well for me. I can see in 30 years renting a house in Wanaka, Queenstown or Te Anau for instance rather than a condo or apartment as I do now.
Usually when I have rented in NZ, most of my rentals for a very nice apartment in an apartment tower have come out to $600-$800 NZ$ a week, all inclusive of utilities, tv, parking, etc. On a multi month deal you can get even lower rates. I think it's pretty reasonable and low hassle.
Yeah, 6 months is pretty decent for a non-resident. I was hoping to live some place year-round simply because property tax and insurance in the US would be like paying rent year-round in NZ plus owning a home that you could rent out.
Oh and another option you could do is what my friend in Christchurch is doing. He is buying a nice apartment downtown in ChCh but works part of the year in the USA and also travels alot. Where he plans to buy they have a property management agency and he plans on renting it out when he is out of the country.
So if you buy in NZ, you could have a property management agency rent it out as a holiday rental the other 6 months of the year.
Yeah, 6 months is pretty decent for a non-resident. I was hoping to live some place year-round simply because property tax and insurance in the US would be like paying rent year-round in NZ plus owning a home that you could rent out.
Anybody know how much electricity and water is? Do the "rates" cover garbage and sewer?
Secondly, I heard nightmare stories about homes in NZ not having insulation and leaking water creating mold (and I am not talking about old homes... this is supposedly a problem with the new ones). Are these just rumours?
Rates cover sewage and in most of our smaller cities water is not metered.
Normally rates cover most of the cost of garbage but a lot of councils are now charging a dollar per bag, fifty bucks a year should cover it
Power, work on $30 month for line charges plus 18 NZ cents a kilowatt/hour.
NEVER buy a NZ house that was built between 1990 and 2004 that has no eaves, they bought that crap system into NZ which seems to allow water in but not out.
A lot of older NZ houses have no insulation in the walls,but some of the best built houses were built in the fifties and sixties.
If you are handy insulation can be put into walls at minimal cost like here Cheap wall insulation using polystyrene beads
Oh and another option you could do is what my friend in Christchurch is doing. He is buying a nice apartment downtown in ChCh but works part of the year in the USA and also travels alot. Where he plans to buy they have a property management agency and he plans on renting it out when he is out of the country.
So if you buy in NZ, you could have a property management agency rent it out as a holiday rental the other 6 months of the year.
Yeah, this sounds ideal. I would like to collect rent to pay for the house. Either that or create a bed and breakfast but I am not sure how business friendly NZ is with foreigners so I will have to look into that. I currently live in Southern CA near LA so I pretty much live as close to NZ as you can get aside from Australia and Hawaii. I plan to take a good trip down there... maybe one of those 21 day ordeals and then linger for a little while longer in search of a job and temporary stay if possible to see what I can earn and what I can spend to get the gist of my buying power and the intricacies of the economy before purchasing anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanneroo
No this is not a rumor. Houses in NZ are cold and they don't believe much in insulation or ventilation. I have looked at new houses under construction in Christchurch and mostly the houses are concrete block built with some exterior siding and sheet rock on the inside. One thing that is odd for instance is they often don't have extractor fans in the bathroom, so after a shower that moisture just settles.
NZ has high energy costs hence they don't have much in the way of heaters in their buildings. There have been all too many times I have been sitting in front of one of those little fujitsu wall heaters trying to warm up.
What is interesting is that for as green as NZ proclaims themselves to be, if they would use some insulation and good windows and doors, they've save a fortune in energy costs and stay warmer in winter. A lot of insulation now is "green" that is soy or paper based so no excuse really.
Personally buying is an option, but renting really makes the most sense. Also it doesn't tie you down to one place in NZ. There are plenty of rentals in the tourist areas including condos and homes and in the cities there are plenty of short term rental apartments in apartment towers. I always rent for a part of my long term stays in NZ and it has worked well for me. I can see in 30 years renting a house in Wanaka, Queenstown or Te Anau for instance rather than a condo or apartment as I do now.
Usually when I have rented in NZ, most of my rentals for a very nice apartment in an apartment tower have come out to $600-$800 NZ$ a week, all inclusive of utilities, tv, parking, etc. On a multi month deal you can get even lower rates. I think it's pretty reasonable and low hassle.
Perhaps buying land and building yourself with insulation the first time may be a possible avenue but the land prices seem to be more than half of the house WITH the land so I am not sure how economical that is. The homes look like they are built well but if they don't account for insulation or ventilation, this may be worth considering.
Out of all of the weather research that I have been doing for NZ, it doesn't seem to get colder than 45 or hotter than 68 so Air conditioning doesn't seem like a must. Maybe a good wood furnace or something for the cold.
Anyway, I appreciate so much of your invaluable information. Let me know if you know anything about the "rates" and what they include (council/property tax).
Rates cover sewage and in most of our smaller cities water is not metered.
Normally rates cover most of the cost of garbage but a lot of councils are now charging a dollar per bag, fifty bucks a year should cover it
Power, work on $30 month for line charges plus 18 NZ cents a kilowatt/hour.
NEVER buy a NZ house that was built between 1990 and 2004 that has no eaves, they bought that crap system into NZ which seems to allow water in but not out.
A lot of older NZ houses have no insulation in the walls,but some of the best built houses were built in the fifties and sixties.
If you are handy insulation can be put into walls at minimal cost like here Cheap wall insulation using polystyrene beads
Thanks for the answer on the rates. I posted right after you did and didn't see the response. Appreciate it. Seems like the biggest expense is electricity.... maybe solar panels may offset some of the cost. I am not one of those big spending Americans so I don't think I will have a problem cutting back on things. The only things I spend here in the US is food and bills for the most part. I never eat out or buy a ton of clothes or gadgets even though I can afford them. My car is a 26 year old Volvo that I am milking to the bone .
Anyway, since the weather seems to be about 40-68 degrees in NZ, what do people usually wear year round. I hear the weather changes drastically in a single day so do people wear a lot of overcoats, gloves, hats, and scarves?? I am from SoCal so I don't know what it means to wear anything other than shorts, tongs, and a tank top .
Thank you so much for your information. Do the "rates" cover any expenses like garbage, water, or sewer?
Also, if you are a non-resident who owns a home but doesn't have a job, you have to leave after 5-6 months and then come back after 6 months have passed? Secondly, what social benefits are you entitled to as a resident vs non-resident?
So if I understand you correctly, schools and police is via income tax as opposed to the US where it is levied on the property tax. I understand NZ, my parents are Europeans and the taxes in NZ are much like Europe. The US is kind of a unique place where federalism makes the tax code so complex, even government officials need experts to file to our "IRS" lol.
Yep, much like the system in Europe.
I understand you have to leave after six month then wait a day over six months to come back.
Social benefits as a non resident, on paper not much, but you are covered by the accident compensation people if you break a leg while climbing etc.
In reality if you need a heart operation right now, it will be done then the hospital will send a bill.
And you will not starve while recovering from injuries.
Thanks for the answer on the rates. I posted right after you did and didn't see the response. Appreciate it. Seems like the biggest expense is electricity.... maybe solar panels may offset some of the cost. I am not one of those big spending Americans so I don't think I will have a problem cutting back on things. The only things I spend here in the US is food and bills for the most part. I never eat out or buy a ton of clothes or gadgets even though I can afford them. My car is a 26 year old Volvo that I am milking to the bone .
Anyway, since the weather seems to be about 40-68 degrees in NZ, what do people usually wear year round. I hear the weather changes drastically in a single day so do people wear a lot of overcoats, gloves, hats, and scarves?? I am from SoCal so I don't know what it means to wear anything other than shorts, tongs, and a tank top .
Overcoats gloves, down South where I am they are worn in the winter.
BE WARNED NZ can be dangerous with our weather changing so quickly and with rivers rising in a flash after rain.
If you go tramping( hiking) stay on the well worn tracks we in the S &R do not mind getting people out, but we have all seen too many bodies.
Yeah, this sounds ideal. I would like to collect rent to pay for the house. Either that or create a bed and breakfast but I am not sure how business friendly NZ is with foreigners so I will have to look into that. I currently live in Southern CA near LA so I pretty much live as close to NZ as you can get aside from Australia and Hawaii. I plan to take a good trip down there... maybe one of those 21 day ordeals and then linger for a little while longer in search of a job and temporary stay if possible to see what I can earn and what I can spend to get the gist of my buying power and the intricacies of the economy before purchasing anything.
Perhaps buying land and building yourself with insulation the first time may be a possible avenue but the land prices seem to be more than half of the house WITH the land so I am not sure how economical that is. The homes look like they are built well but if they don't account for insulation or ventilation, this may be worth considering.
Out of all of the weather research that I have been doing for NZ, it doesn't seem to get colder than 45 or hotter than 68 so Air conditioning doesn't seem like a must. Maybe a good wood furnace or something for the cold.
Anyway, I appreciate so much of your invaluable information. Let me know if you know anything about the "rates" and what they include (council/property tax).
For starters I'd definitely go visit for a while before making a big commitment to move to a country you really don't know about. New Zealand has plenty of ups and downs like any place and it is one of the most isolated countries in the world and has a small population, so it is worthy of investigation before committing.
If you are less than 35 you can get a one year working holiday visa which will allow you to live and work in NZ for that period of time. I have plenty of friends that have done it, including in the last year, so it is something to take advantage of if you are looking at wanting to be a permanent resident. It will give you a "toe in the water" experience of NZ. I have found in my experience that in NZ wages are lower and cost of living higher, especially on anything imported. If working in NZ my wages would be around 1/4 to 1/3 of what I earn in the USA doing the same thing.
Real Estate I believe is still overinflated in value in NZ due to the imbalance in the tax code. The income tax rates are high and capital gains on real estate low or nonexistent(can't remember the exact figures now) and hence you have a lot of people "investing" in real estate. But you don't have the people to live in all these new places they have been building. A number of property companies have collapsed but I think the market is still too high, especially considering the wages.
Wood furnaces I know they are looking at emissions standards for. In Christchurch I have seen fog like no other place smelling of wood smoke and it is quite a problem in winter.
Mostly the weather is variable depending on where you live such as the proximity to the ocean or higher elevations in the mountains/hills. The northern north island is more tropical with the heat moderated by the ocean. The central north island for instance can get plenty of snow in winter. Wellington the weather is much like San Fran. The south island is colder with many places getting snow in winter and hot temperatures inland in the summer.
Overcoats gloves, down South where I am they are worn in the winter.
BE WARNED NZ can be dangerous with our weather changing so quickly and with rivers rising in a flash after rain.
If you go tramping( hiking) stay on the well worn tracks we in the S &R do not mind getting people out, but we have all seen too many bodies.
Geez, with all of those natural disasters the house insurance must be extremely expensive. Right now I am looking at Queenstown area and Christchurch on your real estate website. Hopefully rates aren't that high for 5-600k NZ homes.
Currently my parents pay roughly 4500 US per year for property tax alone plus 1200/year for insurance (only fire insurance). They won't be able to afford these prices when they retire on their pension so that is why we are looking all over the world at property. Learning another language at this point in their lives is kind of difficult so while S.America is attractive it is a bit inconvenient. Canada is arguably more expensive than the US even with the currency advantage. The UK is garbage (evidence is that they have the highest number of expatriates percentage-wise). That pretty much leaves Australia, New Zealand, and Malta.
The retiree situation is the only thing about NZ that would have to be circumvented if I can obtain residency first and then sponsor them. (I have no siblings... just my parents). They wouldn't be able to afford keeping a home in the US simply because of tax issues.
What has attracted me to NZ the most is the scenery, social benefits (if you can obtain residency), seems to be more laid back although I have never been yet, and the crime seems to be low from what I have read.
Do Kiwis buy electronics from the US and use them with adapters and transformers back home or do they just pay the higher cost of gadgets and toys??
Also, I haven't heard anything regarding successful car transport from the states. Cars are like 50% less in the states but the steering wheel is on the wrong side for NZ. I believe the strict CA emission standards should pass in NZ but if the import taxes are too high than it probably isn't worth the cost of shipping overseas.
Thanks for all of the input. This forum is so helpful. I have learned so much in just one evening.
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