Notes on building homes that last.
Writing on New Zealand property, development and buying well, from the people who design and deliver Heartland projects. Everything here comes from doing the work, not from rewriting someone else’s market commentary.
Body corporate rules in NZ: pets, tenants and who writes them
Who writes body corporate rules in NZ, whether they apply to tenants, how a well-run building handles pets and BBQs, and what buyers should check before committing.
Read →Body corporate fees in NZ, explained by a developer
What body corporate fees cover in NZ, what Auckland apartments actually pay, who sets the first budget on a new build, and how to check a levy before you buy.
Read →Where does my deposit actually go? The question every off-the-plan buyer should ask first
Where your deposit sits when you buy off the plans, what happens to it if the developer fails, and the one question that ends the conversation.
Read →Living in Ponsonby and Freemans Bay: a local read on Auckland's inner west
A local read on Ponsonby and Freemans Bay: where one ends and the other begins, the walk to town, Western Park, and who they suit.
Read →Sunset clauses: the one contract clause to read twice
What a sunset clause does in an off-the-plan contract, what a fair sunset period looks like, and three questions to ask before you sign.
Read →Apartment or house in Epsom? The downsizer's honest comparison
Apartment or house in Epsom? What actually decides it for a downsizer, the two myths worth ignoring, and the honest case for staying in a house.
Read →Why a two-level home often beats a three-storey townhouse
Why new townhouses went to three storeys, what that costs you day to day, and why a two-level home suits more buyers than the market builds for.
Read →The Double Grammar Zone: what it covers, and how to actually check an address
The Double Grammar Zone: the Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar zones. What it covers, where the official zone maps are, and how to check a specific address.
Read →Living in Epsom: a local read on Auckland's most settled suburb
Living in Epsom, Auckland: where it sits, the schools, the parks, Greenwoods Corner, and who the suburb actually suits.
Read →Buying off the plans: what to check before you sign
A plain-English guide to buying off the plans in New Zealand: deposits, sunset clauses, the valuation gap, and the contract checks to make before you sign.
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