Southland has some of New Zealand's most affordable property prices - meaning your dream of owning a spacious, stand alone house and garage with a big back yard is certainly much more achievable here! Space is the key word when it comes to housing in Southland with many property types available, including hobby-farm lifestyle properties, character villas, modern double story 'executive' type houses, older style single story homes, smaller townhouses and something in the middle.
Our homes are generally made of either brick, weatherboard or plaster. Although newer homes tend to have double glazing, the majority of NZ homes do not have double glazing or central heating. This is quite a change for many people, especially those coming from the UK/Europe. Instead we tend to rely on heap pumps, multi-fuel burners, or gas heaters and heavier thermal backed curtains to keep the warmth in!
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RENTING:
We suggest that you rent a property when you first move to our region - this gives you a chance to look around, visit colleague's homes and to get a feel for the city and the different housing options. Rental properties are generally readily available in our region and you can often move into a property within the space of a couple of weeks from seeing it advertised and having viewed it. Other colleagues in your department may also know of someone who is looking for a house sitter or someone to rent their property. Useful places to look for a rental property include:
- The Trade Me website (Property section - select the Southland areas for rentals). Here you will find properties listed by individual landlords, people who are going overseas and looking to rent their own home, people looking for flatmates, as well as some real estate agents who also post properties on here.
- Check the local daily newspaper on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the community newspapers on a Thursday for "To Rent" listings.
- Enquire with Real Estate agencies that also property manage or have rentals on their books (see websites further below)
- Southern DHB staff newsletters or word-of-mouth amongst colleagues. In some situations we may be able to provide accommodation for you initially on your arrival.
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BUYING:
With some of New Zealand's most affordable property prices, it is easier to get good value for your money when purchasing in Southland. The following websites provide property listings for our region as well as useful bank and mortgage broker links.
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THINGS TO KNOW:
The following key tips and pointers come from our own staff who moved to our region and other information that often come as a surprise to people who have not lived in New Zealand houses before.
- Ideally the house should be north-facing in NZ, in order to catch the most sun in the day
- Most NZ houses do not have double glazing or central heating, so our houses are colder than what you might be used to - hence the north facing home is preferable.
- Most homes do however have a heat-pump or multi-fuel burner fireplace together with large windows to catch the sun in the day, and thick curtains to keep the heat in at night. Most houses also have insulation in the form of "Pink Batts" - a NZ brand of thermal insulation used in ceilings and in between walls.
- Kiwis have a habit of heating up the living room area only when its cold, and the rest of the house is kept cooler until the evening when the doors are opened for the heat to flow down
- If the house doesn't have a heat pump, they are easy to have installed and often quite cost effective. Central heating can also be retro-fitted in many homes.
- Schools are zoned, so it is important to consider the location of the property you are looking at in relation to the schools within that zone.
- The cheapest properties in Invercargill tend to be targeted towards students, and not for professionals and families
- Properties are usually rented and sold unfurnished, with only a stove/oven provided (you will need to organise your own fridge/freezer, washing machine etc).
- Sometimes you can pick up a furnished rental property (or house sit) which is helpful when your household goods are still being freighted
- When renting a property, the landlord pays for the local body rates. You will pay for the agreed rental rate and for your own electricity and telephone/internet bills.
- When buying a property, you will be responsible for the local body rates - refer to the Invercargill City Council, Southland District Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Gore District Council for more information regarding rates.
- The Consumer Build website (partnership with Department of Building and Housing) has useful information regarding important checklists when buying a house.
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