[Pakeha Boy]

Right then, lets pretend we're in small town anywhere, NZ. :nice1
We've decided on the house for us. :yes
How long does it take from agreeing the sale to moving in? :?
Is it as long and as daft a process as the UK? :no

[jo b]

PB,

I have read on other forums that it can take as little as 10 days to 3 weeks. Not all this faffing like in the UK.

I may be wrong as this is from memory and that ain't what it used to be.

Maybe th nzer's can enlighten us a bit more.

Jo

[veronica]

I THINK IT CAN BE DONE VERY QUICKLY ON THE LEGAL SIDE BUT A LOT WOULD DEPEND ON THE PEOPLE SELLING AND WHAT THEIR SITUALTION WOULD BE.

[Robert Dazzler]

Right then, lets pretend we're in small town anywhere, NZ. :nice1
We've decided on the house for us. :yes
How long does it take from agreeing the sale to moving in? :?
Is it as long and as daft a process as the UK? :no

From when we agreed the price to moving in was 4 weeks.

Just a word of warning..... once you agree the price and sign, then that`s it the house is yours and you can`t back out without it costing you lots and lots of money.

Bobby.

[Moorf]

What sort of costs would we be looking at for a straightforward residential property purchase here in Chch?

Anyone have a solicitor they would care to recommend?

And which real estate agent did you use Veronica... I want one of those brill picnic bags you got as a freebie (well, a $360K freebie!!).

Moorf

[Beach Kiwi]

Right then, lets pretend we're in small town anywhere, NZ. :nice1
We've decided on the house for us. :yes
How long does it take from agreeing the sale to moving in? :?
Is it as long and as daft a process as the UK? :no

It all depends on how long the seller wants before he moves out, so as long as there aren't any legal difficulties with the sale you could move in within a week of finalising the deal.

Most sellers will want at least 2 to 4 weeks to get their move organised and executed.

[Beach Kiwi]

What sort of costs would we be looking at for a straightforward residential property purchase here in Chch?


Most lawyers charge a set fee of between $600 (NZ) to $1200 (NZ) on a straightforward transaction.

[veronica]

we paid $732 for each property (we bought 2) plus an costs on the property. We were happy with out solicitor, a guy called Tony Herring. if anyone wants any further details on him PM me and I will supply them. would just ask that if you use him you mention our names.

[Dave & Sandra]

Dave reckons it could have been done in a week. The people we were buying from delayed for 3 weeks to suit their circumstances, which was great as our completion in the UK was also delayed.

The solicitor's fee was $822.75

[toots]

The agents are telling us about 30 days from start to finish. Guess it could be quicker if the house was empty but buy in haste etc. ;)

[SoCal Gal]

I'll second what some others have mentioned, the solicitor's fee is about $400-600, I think depending on where you live (ours was a small town). The house was empty, so basically once the paperwork was done, it was ours. What did take some time was getting the reports on the land, I think they are called council reports, tells you about zoning plans, how many dogs in the area, flood planes, you shouldn't even considering buying a place without one. Ours was 18 pages!! We had a contingency in our contract about the council study, we wouldn't sign anything until we had that info....and, if there was anything in the report we didn't like, we could back out of the deal. The contract on the house was 2 pages I think, maybe 3 with instructions. Very easy to do. Get a solicitor for sure though, it seems easy to find a nice one, just ask people who own homes. :cool

[Moorf]

Thanks for cost estimates everyone.. we are off to formally put our offer in writing tonight... :nice1