Knowledge Base A to Z
Everything we know about buying a first home, in one place. Twenty-one topics. Every guide, checklist, flowchart, calculator, newsletter and FAQ we have written sits under one of them, and every page links back here.
Pre-approval
KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal
Most first home buyers in New Zealand use their KiwiSaver as part of the deposit. The money is real, but it moves slowly and only on the provider's…
The deposit, gifts and family money
The deposit is not one payment. There is the amount you pay when the agreement goes unconditional, usually to the agent, and then the balance of your…
Pre-approval, loan documents and your bank
Pre-approval tells you what you can spend. It does not tell you the property is acceptable to the bank, and it is not the loan. The loan documents…
Legal fees and upfront costs
Buying a first home costs more than the deposit. There are legal fees, LIM and building report costs, title searches, insurance and the small…
Finding a home
Auction, tender, deadline sale or negotiation
How a property is being sold changes everything about how you buy it. An auction means an unconditional bid. A tender or deadline sale means a sealed…
Open homes and spotting red flags
Ten minutes at an open home can save you thousands in reports on the wrong house. Know what to photograph, what to ask the agent, and which things on…
New builds and off-the-plans
A new build is not a standard purchase with a nicer kitchen. The developer writes the agreement, the settlement date moves with the build, and…
Making an offer
Making an offer
An offer is a signed agreement with conditions, not a number on a piece of paper. Once the seller signs it you are in a contract. The work that…
Conditions and key dates
Conditions are your exits. Finance, LIM, building report and due diligence clauses each let you walk away for a specific reason within a specific…
Auctions and bidding
An auction bid is an unconditional offer. If the hammer falls on you, you own the house and the deposit is due that day. That means every check, the…
Due diligence
Due diligence before you go unconditional
Due diligence is the window between signing and going unconditional where you find out what you are actually buying. Title, LIM, building report…
Building reports and unconsented work
A building report tells you the condition of the house. The council file tells you whether the work on it was consented. The two together decide…
LIM reports
A Land Information Memorandum is the council's file on the property: consents, rates, drainage, flooding, zoning, and any notices or requisitions. It…
Titles, cross-leases and unit titles
The record of title tells you what you are buying and what comes with it: easements, covenants, encumbrances and the type of ownership. Fee simple is…
Settlement
Going unconditional and what happens next
Going unconditional is the moment the deal becomes certain. The deposit is paid, the exits close, and the countdown to settlement starts. From here…
Settlement day and the final week
Settlement is the day the money moves and the title changes. You do not sign anything on the day. The work is in the final week: pre-settlement…
Beyond buying
How you own it: joint tenants, trusts, companies and co-owning
The name on the front page of the agreement decides who owns the home, what happens if one owner dies, and how a later split or sale works. Joint…
Relationship property and separation
After three years together, the family home is usually shared equally no matter whose name is on the title or who paid the deposit. That is the law…
Selling, refinancing and buying again
The legal work does not stop at the first home. Refinancing to a new bank still needs a lawyer. Selling has its own checklist and its own traps. And…
Buying from overseas or as a new resident
Residency, visas and time spent overseas change whether you can buy, whether you need Overseas Investment Office consent, and whether your KiwiSaver…
Working with HouseMe Legal
We only act for first home buyers and the people around them. The work runs in three stages, Prepare, Progress and Peak, and the legal tasks are ours…
Calculators and tools
What will it actually cost?
First-home upfront costs, in one number.
Your deposit, split in two
What is due when, and where it goes.
KiwiSaver road map
Your KiwiSaver withdrawal, step by step, against your purchase timeline.
Comparable sales worksheet
Work out what the property is worth from recent sales, not the CV.
New-build clauses timeline
Sunset dates, CCC and COA on one timeline.
Road map to auction
The three-week plan from first viewing to auction day.
Road map to your first offer
Every step, date and fee from research to keys.
Build your offer, step by step
Price, deposit, conditions and dates, checked by your lawyer before it goes to the agent.
Is that cross-lease a problem?
How serious common unconsented works are, and what to ask for.
Revolving credit, explained
How the lending actually lands on settlement day.
Settlement day guide
What happens on the day, hour by hour, for buyers, sellers and refinancers.
Selling and buying again
The four numbers every sell-and-buy needs to see.
Property law words, in plain English
The legal terms you will meet when buying, each defined in a sentence or two.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions first home buyers ask us most.
Broker on the Beach library
Every volume of our weekly newsletter, each one filed under its topic.
Not sure where to start?
A free 15-minute call with a property lawyer who only works with first home buyers.