Your buying journey
Step by Step
Buying your first home is best treated as a sequence of clear, manageable steps. This book follows that process exactly — a practical roadmap that takes you from “Should I buy?” through to settlement, moving in, and first-year maintenance.
Below is the full roadmap. Each chapter will expand on these points with Auckland-specific guidance, checklists, worked examples and the questions you should be asking at every stage.
Is buying a house right for you? A quick reality check — finances, lifestyle, time-horizon and how ready you are to take on the responsibilities of home ownership. We’ll cover the pros and cons, alternatives (stay renting, rent-vesting), and how to decide what’s best for you.
Why buy instead of rent — and what about investment property? Understand the financial and lifestyle trade-offs between buying and renting in Auckland’s market. We also explain rent-vesting, owning a rental property, and why these are different decisions from buying your own home.
Get bank pre-approval (mortgage pre-approval) What pre-approval is, why it matters, how to prepare the documents, and how to present yourself to lenders so you get a realistic borrowing limit — without accidentally locking yourself into an unsuitable loan.
Decide what you want (and what you can compromise on) Practical exercises to create your must-have and nice-to-have lists. How to prioritise location, size, outdoor space, commute, schools, future resale, and flood/heritage/future-zoning risks common in Auckland.
Searching, shortlisting and viewing properties How to run efficient searches, set alerts, and build a shortlist. What to look for during inspections and open homes (structural clues, water, damp, wiring, heating, insulation, boundaries). A printable viewing checklist will be provided.
How to make an offer — private sale or auction strategy Step-by-step for negotiating a private sale and a separate playbook for winning at auction. Includes sample offer letters, how much deposit is typical, what conditions to include (building inspection, LIM, finance), and when to go unconditional.
Conveyancing and the settlement process What a lawyer or conveyancer does, how title transfers work in NZ, reading a sale and purchase agreement, LIM and building reports, and how to navigate common legal pitfalls and timelines in Auckland.
The bank financials — final mortgage steps Final lending conditions, preparing for valuation/surveyor visits, mortgage documents, interest rates, loan structure, and the costs you’ll need to budget before settlement (eg, lender fees, valuation fees, insurance).
Settlement day and immediate practicalities What happens on settlement day, how keys are transferred, final meter reads, notifying utilities, arranging contents and building insurance, and a day-by-day 7-day post-settlement checklist.
Moving in, running the household and first-year maintenance Setting up utilities, simple maintenance routines, a season-by-season maintenance plan, budgeting for repairs, and a checklist for the first 12 months (warranties, registered trades, council matters).
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