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Thread: Rentals: Are we using good search parameters?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Vermont, USA --> Wellington
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    159

    Default Rentals: Are we using good search parameters?

    We're moving from the USA to Wellington on 2 July. We're a couple of thirty-somethings with a one-year-old. My employer is a few blocks from Courtenay Place. We're looking for a place that's very family-friendly, lots of stuff within walking distance, safe, and of course, near public transit, so I can get to work.

    The TradeMe search that we check multiple times a day is this:

    Berhampore, Brooklyn, Hataitai, Island Bay, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Melrose, Miramar, Mount Cook, Mount Victoria, Newtown, Rongotai, Seatoun, House,

    Townhouse, 2 or more bedrooms

    $350 - $500 rent per week


    Are there any suburbs that you would add to the list? It's only about once a week or so that we see something really nice come in.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Scotland to Wellington
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    1,454

    Default

    You might want to add Breaker Bay (just round from Seatoun), Evans Bay, Houghton Bay, Karaka Bay, Karori, Kelburn, Khandallah, Kingston, Northland, Roseneath, Seatoun Heights, Strathmore Park, Thorndon, Wadestown

    I just looked at a couple of areas and the photos are awful compared to the ones you get for properties for sale. Tenants don't have to clean up for the photos and they don't have professional photographers or home stagers in as they do for the houses on sale. I assume you have been in touch with the rental agencies such as Quinovic?
    This is another rental agency: http://www.careproperties.co.nz/to_let.asp

    Good luck!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Vermont, USA --> Wellington
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    159

    Default

    No, I had no idea there was such thing as a rental agency. Do they work like a buyer's agent when buying a property? They help you find a rental? Is it worth doing?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Waterloo, Lower Hutt
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    505

    Default

    Rental agencies work for the owner and manage the 'letting' of the property to tenants.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    New Zealand
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    8

    Default

    I've been renting in Wellington for the last 3 years and if it's not on trademe then it will rarely be on the agents site. The main thing Quinovic might be able to offer is letting you know about a property that's about to come on the market, probably only relevant once you are here. Unfortunately some of the Wellington areas can be fairly pricey- we're in Island Bay which we love but we are paying 545/week for a 3 bed house and there are many more expensive properties in the area. I'd second Ngaio/Kandallah as alternatives not on your list. The rental market is strange in that there is a burst of rentals in January and February and the rest of the year is quieter (if you believe my landlords anyway). Some landlords try not to have rentals coming up at this time of year. You may need to do what we did when we arrived and find somewhere good enough for 6 months and then move to your preferred area once you've got to know the place.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Vermont, USA --> Wellington
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    159

    Default

    Yeah, we love Island Bay, too. That's our #1 choice right now. We're trying desperately to keep it under $500/wk, but it's really tough. The other thing that's a real killer is having a dog. He's a small dog that might as well be a cat, but that doesn't seem to go very far with landlords. About 80% of the listings specify no pets.

    Since we started looking, I've been complaining about how expensive and of poor quality the housing market is in NZ, but when I started looking outside of Wellington, and found you could get an amazing 3 bedroom house for $400/week elsewhere, I realized it was just Wellington (and AKL) that are expensive. NZ in general seems to be pretty reasonable otherwise. Even the Lower Hutt has some great deals, but it looks like it would be prohibitively far from my job.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    37,824

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    Often, listings will say 'no pets', but many people have found landlords will actually negotiate if you meet them. You can offer to have a clause in the lease to say you will have the place professionally cleaned before you move out, for instance.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Waterloo, Lower Hutt
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    505

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    Travel time from Lower Hutt to your Wellington station by train is 15-25 minutes (depending on which end of the city you live) so depending on what commute you would consider, living in the Hutt may not be a prohibitive distance from your work.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    wlg
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    When I came, I looked at everything, I was fortunate in that Alcatel who were my employer hired someone for a lot of stuff and they found a place before it got on the market. When I moved from that place (it was 540/wk) I found it quite hard, also we were fixated on Karori by then. If you don't find a good place, what I ahve seen people advise is to take a bach until you do find something suitable. I don't think anywhere in Wellington is as prohibitive as travelling from Hounslow to Angel (in London) or in Bangalore etc. I know lots who come from Paraparaumu and the rents are much cheaper there I'm told. Ultimately it's a personal call, but initially I wouldn't rule out anything.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    194

    Default

    Check if any of the properties you're interested in are listed by agencies, contact the agency and tell them what you're looking for and explain the dog. We have a brand new 3bd house on the North end of Upper Hutt that allows our dog and we pay $400. The commute is slowly killing me though, especially with the trains being out all this week.
    Petone could be an option. A little further out, pretty easy commute by train (or bike) and still plenty to do, but it does still seem pretty popular so potentially not a lot of savings in $$$.

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