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First<br />
Home<br />
We are constantly reminded of the uphill nature of the<br />
challenges for first-home buyers. Browse any newspaper<br />
or Stuff headlines any weekend and you’ll be familiar<br />
with the narrative. I’ve just seen reports that first-home<br />
buyer interest in Christchurch property rose 18 per cent<br />
following the first week of our local lockdown (The Press,<br />
Sept 18, <strong>2021</strong>).<br />
Deposits that can<br />
require years of<br />
saving, emptying<br />
out of KiwiSaver<br />
accounts and a real<br />
adjustment of what’s affordable<br />
versus what’s aspirational are a<br />
significant part of the story.<br />
That first home purchase is hard, it’s true,<br />
but it’s also extremely sweet and I was<br />
reminded of this recently when I witnessed<br />
young families walking together, children in<br />
tow, heading down to the local school. They<br />
were travelling along the street where I grew<br />
up and I use the word ‘travel’ figuratively<br />
because what occurred to me was that my<br />
own mum and dad had done just the same<br />
with us some 54 years prior.<br />
They were proud as punch that they had<br />
secured a home in the newly developed<br />
suburb of Bishopdale and only a mere 100<br />
metres from Cotswold School, where I think<br />
we were founding students. It was a busy,<br />
bustling neighbourhood of working dads<br />
and mostly stay-at-home mums. Biscuit<br />
tins were full and Sunday was the family<br />
roast day. So many memories, and now I’m<br />
wondering, would these new families stay<br />
for long in the area, do they love the school,<br />
would their kids befriend all the locals as we<br />
did and play at the nearby parks till almost<br />
dark?! I hope so.<br />
On a recent auction day, I watched young<br />
couples battle for the keys to new properties<br />
and I noticed two very significant things.<br />
The prices had gone up considerably since<br />
this time last year. Homes that once would<br />
have been up to the $550,000 mark were<br />
now due to auction touching $700,000 and<br />
in some cases more.<br />
I can’t help but wonder who can afford this.<br />
And secondly, parents, beautiful parents<br />
were standing by their children, helping<br />
them to achieve that Kiwi dream.<br />
Whilst I started this article with a nod to<br />
the past, I’d like to finish with a look at the<br />
future. Get on the property ladder if you<br />
can, create memories, make new friends,<br />
enrich your communities and then trust the<br />
property processes of pride of ownership<br />
and potential capital growth.<br />
Believe me when I say, I know it will be<br />
worthwhile.<br />
Lynette McFadden<br />
Harcourts gold Business Owner<br />
027 432 0447<br />
lynette.mcfadden@harcourtsgold.co.nz<br />
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PAPANUI 352 6166 | INTERNATIONAL DIVISION (+64) 3 662 9811 | REDWOOD 352 0352<br />
PARKLANDS 383 0406 | NEW BRIGHTON 382 0043 | 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 | Find us on
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