Style: April 01, 2021
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BANK OF<br />
Every week in our auction rooms I get<br />
to see a huge range of emotions playing<br />
out. I’m often very moved by the drama<br />
that a competitive process can create for<br />
attendees and my heart goes out to them.<br />
There are tears about missing a muchwanted<br />
but very sought-after property,<br />
there’s elation at successfully purchasing,<br />
there’s a genuine pride at finally getting on<br />
the property ladder and, for some parents,<br />
there’s the realisation that without them<br />
the purchase would not have been possible.<br />
These are tears that I can definitely relate to.<br />
It seems more and more parents are seeing<br />
withdrawals from the trusty, rusty or even<br />
crusty ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ and as we<br />
personally get a little bit nearer to that time<br />
ourselves, I thought I’d take a closer look.<br />
Obtaining funds from family is not a new<br />
phenomenon, but it is a very important<br />
one for some first-home buyers – and with<br />
lofty deposits often required, it can involve<br />
big numbers. It’s essential parents are<br />
aware of this and that’s why we will often<br />
see parents not just on auction day but<br />
throughout the whole process, including<br />
open home attendances, and second and<br />
third visits. Being part of a very close family,<br />
I imagine that I’d want to do this as well<br />
and whilst some real estate professionals<br />
struggle with large family viewings – and<br />
even larger post-visit family debates – best<br />
you get used to it!<br />
During my research, I’ve also discovered that<br />
providing funds is not as straightforward as<br />
it once was.<br />
Originally the main means of assisting<br />
were, firstly, contributing to the deposit,<br />
to a level the lender was happy with, and,<br />
secondly, supplementing additional funds<br />
to ensure the debt-servicing criteria were<br />
met. It’s often referred to as a guarantee.<br />
This second method needs to be carefully<br />
thought through by parents, as a default by<br />
their son or daughter (and much as we don’t<br />
like to imagine it, this can happen) could<br />
see them shouldering the responsibility<br />
for the loan themselves. This can become<br />
extremely uncomfortable, especially if they<br />
have their own financial commitments<br />
and pending retirement. To address this,<br />
there have been changes to the legislation<br />
deeming that any and all guarantors to<br />
a loan need to demonstrate the ability<br />
to meet the required loan payments to<br />
avoid the worst from happening.<br />
As much as we all love our families, if you<br />
are considering helping in this particular<br />
way it’s essential to get independent advice.<br />
So, what are these purchasers buying?<br />
It seems they are trying everything.<br />
First-home buyers with limited budgets<br />
are thinking outside the square and in<br />
some cases the market is giving them a<br />
robust education in looking at properties<br />
that buyers might have had the luxury of<br />
excluding in the past.<br />
Varied locations, new subdivisions made<br />
infinitely more desirable due to improved<br />
motorway access, new schools and<br />
communities, are all hugely popular.<br />
We are also encountering parents looking<br />
on behalf of overseas offspring with British<br />
Pounds and American Dollars burning a<br />
hole in their pockets and those budgets are<br />
extraordinary when compared with what<br />
was once considered necessary for making<br />
a purchase in our local market.<br />
So much of what we achieve as human<br />
beings relates to how we have helped or<br />
been helped by others, and I imagine one<br />
day I’ll be in an auction room helping one<br />
of our family members make a withdrawal<br />
from the trusty bank of Mum and Dad too!<br />
So, to all those parents in the same position,<br />
well done, without you a whole generation<br />
wouldn’t get to enjoy what we thought of as<br />
a right – and that’s home ownership.<br />
Lynette McFadden<br />
Harcourts gold Business Owner<br />
027 432 0447<br />
lynette.mcfadden@harcourtsgold.co.nz<br />
Whangaia ka tupu, ka puawai.<br />
That which is nurtured, blossoms then grows.<br />
PAPANUI 352 6166 | INTERNATIONAL DIVISION (+64) 3 662 9811 | REDWOOD 352 0352<br />
PARKLANDS & NEW BRIGHTON 383 0406 | GOLD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 352 6454<br />
GOLD REAL ESTATE GROUP LTD LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008 A MEMBER OF THE HARCOURTS GROUP<br />
www.harcourtsgold.co.nz