First Home Buyers Weekly Wrap – 13th April 2015

Here’s this week’s top first home buyers news stories and advice:

Welcome Home Loan Limits Increase as at 1st April 

Housing New Zealand runs a scheme to assist First Home Owners called the Welcome Home Loan.

For many home buyers, the problem with getting a normal home loan is finding the deposit. Most lenders currently require a minimum 20 percent deposit. With a Welcome Home Loan you only need a 10 percent deposit.  The First Home Buyers Club have summarised the key points to help first home buyers take advantage of the scheme.  Read the key points here and get in touch with us here to get your Welcome Home Loan pre-approval underway.

Property: Do-ups a reality for first-home buyers

Entry-level Auckland home buyers are opting for older houses on smaller sections in need of considerable DIY work, but are less likely to purchase stand-alone properties.

And while more financially strapped first-time buyers are opting for apartment living, the three-bedroom house less than 20km from the central city is still the dream – much as it was for their parents. Read more

CoLab highlights a collaborative approach to housing

Innovators and experts from the design and construction industry are heading to the PrefabNZ CoLab in Wellington on 22-24 April to debate, connect and collaborate on the use of modern methods of construction to produce innovative designs. Read more

10 hot tips for growing your deposit by Robyn Forryan

There are only 2 ways to increase the money you can save for your deposit. You can increase your income or decrease your expenses – the really smart do both.

Here’s 10 tips to help you decrease your expenses.

_{Matthew Stretton is hoping to get into Auckland’s housing market using the leverage from a cheaper out-of-town property. Photo / Michael Craig}

Consumer Watch: Ways to beat the property bubble