GrumpyGoat
5th July 2009, 12:40 PM
Ok, we had a good gripe about the quality of rentals here and after I said all those ugly things about renting here, I found the most fabulous rental EVER. I feel a bit guilty. :uhoh
We have just rented a new place and will be moving in 2 weeks. I am so excited that I had to share. I tried to call my friends back in the US but "insulation" didn't excite them in ways that I knew it would excite you guys. :laugh
What I want to share is HOW I found this dream rental:
I have been obsessive compulsive about looking at rentals on Trade Me and the real estate sites. I look at all of them every single day (I don't have a job so it gives me something constructive to do). OK, I usually check at least twice a day. Sometimes more. (I mentioned the compulsive part, right?)
All the good houses disappear very quickly. And rentals with land are few and far between. They are always VERY expensive or VERY decrepit --and usually BOTH. :wah
But, like shopping at a garage sale, sometimes you just luck into something good. And we did and we got there first and got the property. The early bird catches the worm.
I think that this is the key to finding a decent rental in NZ--be very very OCD about watching the listings. Because everyone is in the same boat, we are all fighting for the same "good" ones.
In the US, you have time to "think about it" and compare with other properties. You can choose a "good floor plan" but here there is very little selection and the good ones go so fast that you will miss them if you do not have a VERY aggressive market-watching approach and are ready to make an INSTANT decision.
And if you look and there is never anything good? Just wait--it took us 8 months to find a great one at a good price. But it happened. Finally. And so my hope is restored.
It is a brand new house with a commercial gas range in the kitchen (who cares about anything else, right?), land for the goats, a playground for the kids (!) , insulation, double glazing, sun, and CLOSETS. And it isn't far out of the city--nope, it is IN the city with a bus going by!! And the rent is very reasonable. :cheers
And I am moving to a lower decile school (this is what we wanted) that has a stellar ERO report that stressed the successful multicultural approach at the school.
I am dancing like that banana!!
We have just rented a new place and will be moving in 2 weeks. I am so excited that I had to share. I tried to call my friends back in the US but "insulation" didn't excite them in ways that I knew it would excite you guys. :laugh
What I want to share is HOW I found this dream rental:
I have been obsessive compulsive about looking at rentals on Trade Me and the real estate sites. I look at all of them every single day (I don't have a job so it gives me something constructive to do). OK, I usually check at least twice a day. Sometimes more. (I mentioned the compulsive part, right?)
All the good houses disappear very quickly. And rentals with land are few and far between. They are always VERY expensive or VERY decrepit --and usually BOTH. :wah
But, like shopping at a garage sale, sometimes you just luck into something good. And we did and we got there first and got the property. The early bird catches the worm.
I think that this is the key to finding a decent rental in NZ--be very very OCD about watching the listings. Because everyone is in the same boat, we are all fighting for the same "good" ones.
In the US, you have time to "think about it" and compare with other properties. You can choose a "good floor plan" but here there is very little selection and the good ones go so fast that you will miss them if you do not have a VERY aggressive market-watching approach and are ready to make an INSTANT decision.
And if you look and there is never anything good? Just wait--it took us 8 months to find a great one at a good price. But it happened. Finally. And so my hope is restored.
It is a brand new house with a commercial gas range in the kitchen (who cares about anything else, right?), land for the goats, a playground for the kids (!) , insulation, double glazing, sun, and CLOSETS. And it isn't far out of the city--nope, it is IN the city with a bus going by!! And the rent is very reasonable. :cheers
And I am moving to a lower decile school (this is what we wanted) that has a stellar ERO report that stressed the successful multicultural approach at the school.
I am dancing like that banana!!