Originally Posted by
Spooky
Is it as simple as buying a section and then getting a building company to build a house? I notice some of these companies have 'kitset' homes that are pretty decently priced. Wonder what your thoughts are on such an arrangement. I have been doing my sums and it does seem like it's cheaper to buy a section and build a house (2-bedroom house would cost me like 200K?).
Been looking at real estate sites and so far nothing on sale appeals to me - they are either too run down or overpriced.
It can work out cheaper to build a house, but not as often as you mght think....the real main benefit is you get what you want.....i.e. decent amount of insulation, heating etc. There are plenty of hidden costs that will not be included in the price of kit sets or builders fees....septic tanks (very common in rural NZ), connection to utility services, permit & consent fees (most building companies have an allowance for these in their m2 rates), driveway, building platform, remedial work on land like drainage, landscaping if you don't intend to do it yourself etc .
Another point to bear in mind is that there are clauses/covenants on a lot of sections meaning that you can't build a kit house, or the house has to be over a minimum m2......very common in some areas of NZ, unheard of in others, but worth checking before buying a section.