[anne]

I am a new member and will be moving to Auckland, from the Washington, D.C. area, at the end of the summer with my husband and two daughters. Leaving a nice, comfy life in the suburbs of D.C. for a style of life change in NZ. I've got lots of questions for anyone who wants to weigh in. The biggest thing we are trying to decide is whether or not to sell our house here in Maryland. We are going for my husband's job...he is transferring through his company....they will ship us back in three years if we want to return. Question is: is it better to sell here and buy there or should we hold onto what we have and rent? Money is tight. It is frightening to imagine renting our house from the other side of the earth. It is also frightening to imagine selling this house because it is our financial security. Anyone have any ideas about what to do and where to move in Auckland that is a good investment? Near Penrose?

Looking forward to any responses :roll :roll :nice1 Thanks.

Anne

[Malay-Coopers]

My husband and I are in a similar situation with our house. (We are moving from Maine to Wellington in APril '07.) We did not want to lose our house by selling it but we couldn't afford to leave it vacant. We contacted a rental agent who will manage the property for us while we are away. It will cost us $150 per month but they will collect the rent and will resolve any issue with maintenance. You can check your local paper for ads from rental agents in your area. Also, feel free to PM (private message) me for more info. There is so much to think about before moving!

[gil]

Hi Anne and welcome to the forum.

Someone asked the same question recently, here's the link to the thread

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9745

Property values in Auckland are higher than the rest of the country and there are some areas where the sense we have got is that you are unlikely to lose money investing there. These areas tend to tie into what are conmsidered to be "good" school zones. For example, we live in the Macleans College zone and you can see similar properties just one street outside the zone for sale for about $100,000 less. People will pay the extra to get into these schools. I'm sure the same appiles in other parts of Auckland.

If you can, get hold of "Where to Live in Auckland", a good book that tells you about the areas and the facilities (incuding schools) they have. Where To Live In Auckland (http://www.wheretoliveinauckland.co.nz/)

Good luck with your decision,
Gil

[stu70]

Welcome to the forum. One has to decide what is best for them and no one can ever claim to know your situation better than yourself. My advice would be to not sell in the US as yet . You can rent in NZ at first just to get a feel for the place. What if you really hate it there(for million different reasons)?Would you be willing to go long in a real estate market that is (and has been) at the top of the cycle for a loooooong time and WILL correct itself (simple logic of what goes up must come down). Good luck and welcome

[Ana&Steve]

We found that we couldn't afford to hold the house, as even getting renters would leave $1000 to us for mortgage a month. (California! :roll )We couldn't afford NZ rent on top of that. Also, the whole capital gains thing is something to consider; if you hold on to your US house for a while, make sure you know when you'd have to sell or move back into it to avoid the taxes. Good luck whatever you decide!
Ana

[StevieD]

Welcome to the forum guys!! Can't offer any advice I'm afraid as I am in the UK. It is wholly down to you and what you feel. You can either throw caution to the wind as we have or tread the safe path. The ball is in your court, but welcome anyway :nice1

Steve

[CjChris]

I'm not far from you in WV. Last year, I sold my house in VA and moved to WV; I needed to move to WV to meet partnership requirements so my OH and I can move to NZ with my daughters this year under the skilled migrant category. I sold my house because I would not have gotten enough in rent to pay mortgage and come out ahead. The money left over from the payoff went into investments, which will help us make our new life in NZ along with my OH's property sale this year. If your husband's company is paying moving expenses, you are already saving thousands to move your belongings, etc.

Good luck with your journey. PM me if you would like.

Christine

[anne]

Thanks everyone for all of the input.
I'm so happy to have found this forum.
It is really reassuring to hear some voices out there that have gone through, or know about the experience of relocation.

What is OH? Other half?
I'll keep in touch...Anne

[gil]

What is OH? Other half?

Yes!

Gil