[immortal167]

Hi, sorry if this seems like self promotion, but am trying to help out any Brit's heading to Dunedin who may be looking for a house (really!).

We are heading back to the UK but while here we have done up a two bedroom house with fantastic harbour views. Many houses in Dunedin are cold and uninsulated but my partner being a Brit we have put in double glazing, a heat pump and masses of insulation. Toasty warm :)

It's also fully fenced for those who you who may have, or want to have a dog. Cheers!

[immortal167]

oh, and here is the link on trademe

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Property/Residential-Property/Houses-for-sale/auction-122136907.htm

priced at $239k thanks!

[Timbo]

Wow! You cant buy a shed up here for that price, let alone over 1000 meters with a house on it.
You would need to pay around $500, 000 just for the section with sea views. maybe we should look at re-locating.:D
Good luck.

[Karen]

Hey Immortal167

Great looking place!!
If you squint hard as you look over the water we'll give you a wave, we're in Company Bay!!

Let us know if you're planning a garage sale before you go!!!

Karen

[immortal167]

Karen,

Waves back!

Anything you see in the house is for sale! The only thing that is coming with me are the two dogs and my clothes (and maybe a duvet cover or two if they fit in!). I'm leaving in 8 weeks :)

[The Hodges]

Lovely house.

Would you deliver to Auckland? :D

[Howie]

Hi, sorry if this seems like self promotion, but am trying to help out any Brit's heading to Dunedin who may be looking for a house (really!).

Wow, looks lovely. I might be tempted to move as well. Just one problem. I'm not a Brit!!! :laugh

[immortal167]

Howie,

in this case I'm willing to make an exception ;)

Wow, looks lovely. I might be tempted to move as well. Just one problem. I'm not a Brit!!! :laugh

[Shana F]

Great looking house, Immortal!! Unfortunately we're not going to be in Dunedin until this autumn (assuming all goes as planned ... still need to sell our place, get settled with immigration, and pack up all of our worldly belongings) but if somehow we start looking sooner, I'll definitely keep you in mind.

Out of curiosity ... how have you enjoyed Ravensbourne? I'm trying to get a feel for the neighborhoods, distance to the city centre, etc. Is Ravensbourne within biking distance to the University? I understand the key in Dunedin is to find a "sunny" neighborhood ... are there any other areas you'd recommend or discourage?

Best of luck in your sale ... it looks like a terrific buy, and I'm sure it will be snatched up soon.

[immortal167]

well we sold last night so all ready to head to the UK now!

We have loved Ravensbourne although it is not known for getting a lot of sun, we have found that we only missed out a little in winter and as long as your house is cosy it doesn't matter too much. Anderson's Bay or anything on that side of the harbour gets more sun, but double the prices for houses.

I work at the university and am four minutes drive away. Biking there would take 20 minutes at the most I would think (more on the way back due to hills). They have put a bike path by the harbour between ravensbourne to just below the Uni. Really handy.

Depending on your preferance I would stay away from living in North Dunedin too close to the Uni, it is filled with students and can be a bit messy on the weekends. Maori hill or Roslyn are very popular. Pine Hill is up and coming and has good views and within biking distance. Reasonable prices too.

Any other questions just ask!

Great looking house, Immortal!! Unfortunately we're not going to be in Dunedin until this autumn (assuming all goes as planned ... still need to sell our place, get settled with immigration, and pack up all of our worldly belongings) but if somehow we start looking sooner, I'll definitely keep you in mind.

Out of curiosity ... how have you enjoyed Ravensbourne? I'm trying to get a feel for the neighborhoods, distance to the city centre, etc. Is Ravensbourne within biking distance to the University? I understand the key in Dunedin is to find a "sunny" neighborhood ... are there any other areas you'd recommend or discourage?

Best of luck in your sale ... it looks like a terrific buy, and I'm sure it will be snatched up soon.

[CjChris]

Good luck with everything!

[Shana F]

Thanks, Immortal. A BIG Congratulations on selling your house!!! That has got to be a great feeling!!! :cheers

As I think of Dunedin questions I very well may PM you. As my husband has already accepted a job there I'm not sure I could handle a brutal answer, but what are your reasons for heading home? Is it a complaint with Dunedin or NZ, or just general homesickness?

Also, with regard to the Dunedin housing market, are prices still pretty strong? I think we may rent for a bit when we first arrive. How long are things staying on the market right now?

[immortal167]

well, I'm a kiwi and my partner is a brit. We are going over because his mother has a chronic illness and we need to be there to help out with her care and just spend time with his family. There is also the issue that while dunedin has a university and a science institute if you get bored of your job there really isn't anywhere else to work!

As for housing, well there is a lot of doom and gloom over the housing market at the moment but this is mainly driven by the Auckland market. Prices here may still be increasing but the sales are down. Probably a good time to buy actually! The top end of the market $400K plus is suffering more than the lower end. Interest rates here are high compared to the UK and your 'average kiwi' is struggling to get into the market. Our salaries and wages are low compared to housing costs.

When you arrive might be a good time to grab a bargain actually. Some properties are sitting around for ages and the average time on the market is 31 days before a sale. I'm shocked ours sold in five days (although we got an offer in two), but we were at the lower end of the market and I put a lot of work in to make it attractive.

It's still possible to buy here and make a capital gain. Our prices were crazy low a couple of years ago and have just reached where they should be really, so I wouldn't expect a huge decline in prices to hit. People used to be able to ask anything and someone would pay, now they are having to be a little more realistic!

Good luck!

Where has your husband accepted a job? I think you will love it here, my partner certainly did. But there are disadvantages too...

[Shana F]

Great thoughts, Immortal (if I was into bad jokes, I'd say thanks for the Immortal Wisdom). So sorry to hear about your partner's mom ... good luck in your move.


Where has your husband accepted a job? I think you will love it here, my partner certainly did. But there are disadvantages too...

My husband will be a prof at the university. I'm a lawyer here in the States, but I really want to work for at least a year or two to feel things out before I go to school to get certified to practice in NZ, so ... not exactly sure what I'll be doing. (Honestly I haven't been loving my job recently, so a departure from law might not be so bad) Also, we're looking at starting a family in the next couple of years, so it's probably not a bad time for career to slow down a bit.

And what are the disadvantages? (You can't just leave me hanging like that!)

[immortal167]

I work at the university and it is a nice place to work :)

Ok, disadvantages. You will be a long way from anywhere. After you have been everywhere you can go in the South Island you will be left with having to spend a lot of money to go the North Island or Australia. Those who are used to being able to travel cheaply tend to get a shock as internal airfares are expensive and the NZ dollar doesn't go far.

The houses here tend to be very cold. Only recently have new homes been built with double glazing and it isn't common still. Old homes have charm, but their owners tend to have hypothermia!

The cost of living here is higher than the UK and many other countries while wages are lower. It depends on your partner's income of course, but typically it takes both people working to ensure a good lifestyle. Kiwis also tend to moan a lot about money and how expensive everything is. If you ever find yourself stuck for conversation with a kiwi just mention the price of milk, they will be whinging for hours!

Kiwis can be quite insular as well. My partner tended to socialise with other immigrants rather than kiwis (well, except for me). But Dunedin is a small town and everyone knows everyone else!

Don't get me wrong, it is lovely here and I will miss it, but I'm going to enjoy being closer to the real world and having a better standard of living.

[Shana F]

All good information ... thanks! Yes, I hear a lot about how cold the houses are in Dunedin. Coming from a place that's warm or hot and where pretty much everywhere has central heat and AC, I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but here we come ...

The remoteness does worry me as we love to travel, but at the same time we're really looking for smaller & simpler, and Dunedin seems to fit that ticket.

When my husband was visiting recently he saw kids riding their bikes around town, which you would never see here. As much as we love Atlanta and the States, it can be really overwhelming at times and I have a hard time imagining raising kids here. I'm looking forward to living in a place where we can sleep comfortably or run errands without turning on the home alarm system ...