I have decided to end my days as a rent slave. It’s been bubbling away for a while at the back of my head, especially when I am obsessed with Mt Vic, which means that your average rent covers a large part of any small mortgage.

Since I’ve started looking, I have found the psychology of buying a house fascinating.

NZ (like most of the world, I suspect), went through a massive property boom, and now we are in a property slump. Houses are on the market for ages, more people are getting to the stage they need to sell up some of their investments, and as a result, prices are falling well below their RVs.

Basically, Real Estate Agents are facing a buyers market.

But some of them don’t quite seem ready to relinquish control.

So far, in the hunt, I have found the following to be useful:

• Surrounding yourself with people who know their stuff is key. They provide that aura of experience that Real Estate Agents respect.
• Doing research is key. I’m not sure how people used to look for houses. It’s all about constantly trawling the web, and letting people know exactly what you’re after. This means that when you tell a Real Estate agent you expectations and they tell you you are being ridiculous, you can give them 5 examples of why you are not.
• Get a cool Mortgage Broker. (I have discussed before the importance of good lawyers/accountants etc) and this is no exception. Mine came over to my house after work and sat for a couple of hours delivering some very solid advice.
• Don’t hurry! This is tricky for me, now I’ve made my decision, I want a house now. But I have had my brakes forced on by the more practical members of my house buying team. It’s OUR market, we call the shots :)
• Don’t be intimidated! I don’t know why I still find forceful people intimidating, but I think you just have to train yourself to see through the tone of voice to the words they speak, which don’t always make sense.
• You are not required to buy a house simply because someone has shown you around it. I never expect that in web design, but always feel guilty when I don’t like a house

I find it amusing that for most people, buying a house is the risky part of life. I want it to be a stable part of life, which makes me like the most conservative house buyer I’ve met. It’s super funny to have a role reversal and have my parents and co encouraging me to think a bit more wild and crazy, while I offer lectures on the risks involved.

On a side note, my teeth are being extracted tomorrow, so I may be a little quiet next week. Any sympathy cards/icecream/flowers can be sent to the office. I wont be able to appreciate them, but Emma and co will ;)