Public Address | Cafe | Cracker: Home (Is Where I Want to Be)

The Other Andrew Smith

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:46:16 +1200

The earthquake spiced up the end of a dessert evening in Roslyn. First the floor started rattling and then the whole room rolled for a couple of minutes. At least one person at work today was annoyed for not noticing a thing while it happened. Dunedin is known for putting…

Sam F

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:02:55 +1200

Potential tsunami warning in place.

A NIWA chap on the radio last night reported that there *was* in fact a tsunami as expected – it was about fifteen centimetres high. Surf's up in Tinytown.

andrew llewellyn

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:12:49 +1200

Here's a cautionary tale – a few months ago we had the bright idea of downsizing our house in town & moving our base to our weekender on the Kapiti coast.

So we put the house on the market (prime location, seriously – had to be recession proof). We were in…

JackElder

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:21:18 +1200

Who doesn't check out the shower pressure when investigating a house? I make a point of running the shower for a minute or two to check it out.

We bought a house because we could afford it, we figured it was a good investment, and we were living in a…

giovanni tiso

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:34:37 +1200

Potential tsunami warning in place.

JLM

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:26:37 +1200

Our cat didn't, but we did – it went on and on, and my husband, who loves earthquakes, got more and more excited, watching the clothes swinging on the drying rack. well, it beats watching paint dry!

Kyle Matthews

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:59:02 +1200

geonet had it at 6.6, near Tuatapere.

I didn't feel it at all, nor did my dogs.

Paul Campbell

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:51:16 +1200

hmm the initial magnitude estimate's working its way down now – 7.8 still a really big one and scary scary

Paul Campbell

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:47:52 +1200

one of the problems with moving from California back to Dunedin is that while used to live just about on top of the fault and now feel we missed the really big one .... we're also very aware of what a house should be like to survive and the piles…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:35:47 +1200

There's a bunch of herbs in big pots

When we moved here we needed removal guys and the biggest truck they had for pot plants. The total count when loaded and then unloaded was 260. Wasn't that rediculous? I THINK NOT! Most are in the ground now and…

Damian Christie

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:12:45 +1200

Steve – didn't realise you were a builder. Good to know. Although we're very lucky, two builders are close friends, then there's an architect, a sparky, landscape gardener etc. And of course I'm a lawyer so that's the buying and trust stuff sorted. Anyone friends with a bank?

Sofie -…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:01:49 +1200

Paul, eMail me, let's talk Bathrooms.

Paul Brislen

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:21:51 +1200

Did someone say builder?

In Three Kings, near Domnion Road?

cough cough, I'm looking at getting a man in to do a bathroom job if anyone's got a good recommendation...

Social media AT its finest.

cheers in advance,

Paul (email me at paul dot brislen at vodafone dot com or…

FletcherB

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:04:02 +1200

The concept of bidding against somebody on the phone bothers me about the house auction process. Who's to say the real estate agent isn't pretending?

I wouldnt worry too much about that.... They dont even need someone to pretend to be on the phone.

If you read the terms and…

Steph

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:51:28 +1200

I identify with what Kyle says-and on top of that, knowing that I can stay in the same house, get to know the neighbours, the local shop owners, have my son attend the local school and be involved with that...I like that sense of community and belonging that can come…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:43:40 +1200

I just have to reiterate how much I love your house. You took good bones and made it completely and utterly yours.

Oh shucks thank you Jackie. I must admit without the other halfs unlimited talents ;) ;), I would probably have 2 mortgages.The balance is good too, I'll say…

Hadyn Green

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:34:48 +1200

plans to turn our back yard into a tiki-bar

The exact reason I wanted to own a house. No landlord would want me building a structure in their backyard, and definitely not one to serve rum-based cocktails out of. (you're all invited round when it opens in 2011)

Kyle Matthews

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:48:46 +1200

Personally I bought (despite it possibly making more sense to keep on renting, and invest in a property in studentville) because I wanted a home. I wanted some place that my kids could grow up in and that I could guarantee that to them for as long as we wanted.…

Paul Campbell

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:41:16 +1200

I should add to my comment about buying US real estate – in California at least most houses are in essence sold "by tender" – but as I said the buyers mostly have realtors on their side to help figure out their bid – no lawyers are involved (unless something…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:26:54 +1200

Was your opening bit about Logan Campbell to soften us up for the news that to help pay the mortgage you are going to start renting out one of your spare rooms by the hour?

After going through the resource consent process, I doubt it would be financially viable to…

Damian Christie

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:24:03 +1200

As for auctions vs sales, tenders etc, obviously they all have advantages and disadvantages.

At a set sale, you're never going to get more than you ask for. And if you set that price, and pretty much get that price the very next day, chances are you should have gone…

Damian Christie

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:17:17 +1200

Ah how I love coming back to a good conversation. Where to start?

The reason I bought, is because at present it's actually cheaper for me to do so than renting. A few years ago (when my rent was lower and interest rates higher) that wasn't the case, which is…

Glenn Pearce

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:11:29 +1200

beyond their limits

Depends on your definition of "limit". ie: the amount that we can "prudently" afford to pay OR the amount the bank will let us go to.

Over the last few years they have been quire different things, although the game has all changed now

Phil Sargent

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:44:01 +1200

The concept of bidding against somebody on the phone bothers me about the house auction process. Who's to say the real estate agent isn't pretending?

Stewart

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:34:32 +1200

Auctions seem such a cop-out to me. It is as though neither the vendors nor the estate agents know enough to put a decent value on the property. If I was looking to buy I would be most reluctant to buy at auction because, as a member of the interested…

Roger Lacey

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:23:41 +1200

Was your opening bit about Logan Campbell to soften us up for the news that to help pay the mortgage you are going to start renting out one of your spare rooms by the hour?

mobsta

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:22:21 +1200

The local agent round here refuses to use Auctions, he reckons it's the best way to get the second best price for your house.

ie: you get slighty more than what the second bidder was prepared to go to, you don't find out what the highest bidder was prepared to…

Jackie Clark

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:02:15 +1200

we headed across Dominion Rd then half way down and found a beauty in 3 kings/ Mt Roskill which has served us well

I just have to reiterate how much I love your house. You took good bones and made it completely and utterly yours. Renting just wouldn't be the…

Kyle Matthews

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:54:10 +1200

I would've thought someone with access to a million bucks might've had slightly more sense.

My parents purchased their current home from an elderly lady who'd live in it for a gazillion years and had had it on the market for a year at an unrealistic price. Her family were…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:07:22 +1200

We always did stuff to our rentals for our comfort and landlords would then sell because they were looking shit hot. Last landlord admittedly was a friend but they liked what we did and then gave us option to buy but it was now out of our price range so…

Max Call

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:02:29 +1200

Our first home (Tauranga) sold a few weeks back after only 4 days on the market.
But now we are having trouble finding what we want here in the Bay – there is not much on the market! (in our modest price range anyway).

Danielle is spot on for reasons…

uroskin

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:55:28 +1200

I got my first mortgage well into middle age – as a continental European I had never any qualms about renting because you have a far greater choice of places and neighbourhoods to live than when you want to buy – to build a house, which comes with a whole…

giovanni tiso

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:42:55 +1200

Why did you want to buy a house?

Yes, one should always examine that question very carefully, the reasons for buying vs. renting are often skewed by all kinds of subconscious desires to conform. In my case for instance the main reason was to seek the approval of telemarketers.

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:37:32 +1200

I recall being amazed how cheap it was to do a thing that made the house much, much nicer to live in.

Ha I have that problem often :)

Russell Brown

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:20:02 +1200

But in future, ALWAYS check the shower pressure! It's gonna be the thing that pisses you off the most. Especially if you're one of those high-falutin types that showers every day.

I think our first item of maintenance expenditure — or the first time we had to get a man…

Danielle

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:55:10 +1200

My personal reasons to buy a house:

1. No one will give you shit/refuse to rent to you for having a nice well-behaved dog.
2. No one will sell the place out from under you if your suburb becomes trendy.
3. You don't have to maintain any kind of 'relationship'…

Hadyn Green

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:44:07 +1200

Congrats on the purchase.

But in future, ALWAYS check the shower pressure! It's gonna be the thing that pisses you off the most. Especially if you're one of those high-falutin types that showers every day.

Mark Easterbrook

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:40:08 +1200

Don't knock that view of the Mt Albert – Waterview motorway Damian. I plan to mount an anti-tank gun in my lounge window so I can blast those criminals from South Auckland as they approach the off-ramp.

I'm going to call it "Melissa".

Glenn Pearce

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:09:08 +1200

." I'm told across town that night, a buyer in Ponsonby upped his $900,000 bid first to $905, then $910, then $915 to reach the reserve while the auction was still going. I would've thought someone with access to a million bucks might've had slightly more sense.

Yes and no,…

Rich Lock

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:56:45 +1200

Why did you want to buy a house?

A question I have asked myself repeatedly in the last few weeks as the builders suck my wallet empty.

Welcome to DiY hell, Damian.

jb

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:00:35 +1200

Settling down. And just so young......

Robyn Gallagher

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:53:21 +1200

Why did you want to buy a house?

James Green

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:53:18 +1200

Also, I've often wondered whether the GV:Sale Price* relationship is self-fulfilling. Buyers, sellers, real estate agents and valuers are usually not blind to the GV, which likely impacts on your thinking.

*Obviously, I'm not suggesting GV=sale price, but that at a given point in a market, there's a rule of…

James Green

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:49:44 +1200

Based on my recent opportunistic open-home sampling (hah — wait til you find yourself visiting open homes when you own a house...); certainly here the bottom of the market seems relatively steady, down perhaps a little bit on its peak, but there's some good discounting in the bigger places.*

*Relative…

Sofie Bribiesca

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:32:25 +1200

Oh yeah, if you need a good builder.....

Sofie Bribiesca

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:28:27 +1200

So it’s not Ponsonby. It’s not Grey Lynn, it’s not even Point Chev or Sandringham.

Hey, congratulations from us Damian. as long as your house has good bones you will be fine wherever you settle. Heh, we were at our local (Kingsland) t'other night and a guy sitting across from…

Paul Campbell

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:10:50 +1200

Congrats! of course that's the easy part – wait 'till you buy the next and have to do the sell one and buy another before we're kicked out dance – twice the stress. As far as inviting your friends around to show it off – that's what house warming parties…

Jackie Clark

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:05:52 +1200

So glad you finally have a house, Damian. And it's all so soon after having your system cleansed!

3410

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:51:04 +1200

glasshouses

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:43:46 +1200

Say what you want about Taekwondo champ Logan Campbell opening a brothel to fund his Olympic bid, but at least he knows someone's rooting for him.

Meanwhile, the kind of people happy to live in glasshouses like this shouldn't be getting too high and mighty with brothel keepers or strippers.…

Public Address

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:43:46 +1200

Discussion from blog post.