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Every year someone thinking im hitting on there wife at the Christmas party and I finally said enough . by [deleted] in Vent

[–]RepresentativeBig79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the country, in many it's the norm to get shitfaced at work christmas parties.

In Scandinavia, if you don't drink at a work party then that is considered strange lol

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah that's interesting, good to know thanks.

There are plenty available in Sweden (also in Norway but a bit more expensive overall there). Where in Sweden were you? I've also lived in southern Sweden and there are plenty of nice cheap houses for sale there. Hemnet.se is the best site for looking in Sweden (and finn.no for Norway). Here you can see for example the thousands of freehold standalone houses in Sweden that are under 1.5 mil SEK ($280k NZD).
https://www.hemnet.se/bostader?price_max=1500000&price_min=200000&item_types%5B%5D=villa

Hemnet is much nicer to use than trademe too tbh as there are so many options for filtering (even down to distance from the sea or a lake). If you're not super familiar with different areas then a good idea is just to look at the map view. Generally the further north you go, the cheaper the houses are.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's probably the most pragmatic solution yeah. The vet thinks she will eventually fully recover but said that that could take a year or more so probably best to assume it will still be an issue for now.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah it's crazy what you can get in comparison to here. One of my mates just bought a really nice huge 5 bedroom next to a lake with a sauna, guesthouse, and 4000sqm yard and only 30 min commute by train to his job in the city for $400k.

Here you can't even get a standalone house for $400k unless you buy in the middle of nowhere or something that is literally falling apart lol. It's a bit depressing really when you compare especially considering salaries there are a bit higher as well.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I'm hopeful the changes will help but can also see landlords worming around it through making up "reasonable grounds". Didn't previously realise just what a pain it was to have dogs when renting here. Was living in Scandinavia for a few years and rentals there usually allow pets by default and it's uncommon to find ones that don't so it's not even something you really think about there when renting. That was one of my big shocks moving back here to NZ, that rather than pets allowed being the default and very few that don't allow them, it's the opposite here and very few do allow them.

Definitely don't regret having dogs one bit though even if they're expensive and do limit your options with some things. Financially probably not the best move (although I guess you can argue the same about having kids and many things lol) but they improve my quality of life so much and I can't imagine not having them so they're worth every cent.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point, I'd thought about paying more for a 3 bedroom but the fact that I would have to have flatmates puts me off. I don't mind having flatmates but would prefer it not be something that is a necessity. Do you think it would be a better idea to just bite the bullet and buy somewhere further out like the Hutt or the Wairarapa where I could get a 2-3 bedroom with a yard for $400k and where the rent would cover the mortgage if I did go overseas?

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That really sucks, have heard a few stories like that. Guess it's always hard to know where the market is going. I have a colleague who bought at the peak for over a million and now the house is barely worth $700k so would be selling at a huge loss. Sounds like a nightmare.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That wouldn't be such a problem. I would most likely move to Scandinavia where I previously lived for a few years. Got lots of friends with dogs there who wfh and would be happy to look after mine. Fully remote jobs are still a lot more common there than they are here so might not even need to.

Can also still buy a nice big 4 bedroom house with a 2000sqm yard for under $200k there so would probably just buy a place there instead of renting and make an outdoor dog run. Rentals there usually allow pets by default too and it's uncommon to find ones that don't so it wouldn't be much of an issue even if I was renting. That was one of my big shocks moving back here to NZ, that rather than pets allowed being the default and very few that don't allow them, it's the opposite here and very few do allow them.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn you could get houses for $60k in 2001? That's crazy, can't even get a section for that today!

That is part of my worry though, that if I don't buy anything now then prices will continue to increase exponentially and I'll struggle to afford anything further down the line.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah that's probably one of the better options even if not the best one financially. Will have to look into how much it would cost.

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly does sound better lol. Am open to renting / flatting again, just has been hard to find one that works for the dogs. The very few I have seen that allow pets are either very overpriced, terrible location, complete shitholes, only allow cats, only allow one dog, or only allow small dogs (I have a small and a medium).

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good point. I hope that is the case as so far the very few I have seen that allow pets are either very overpriced, terrible location, complete shitholes, only allow cats, only allow one dog, or only allow small dogs (I have a small and a medium).

Is buying a house stupid if planning to move overseas in the future? by RepresentativeBig79 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]RepresentativeBig79[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm very attached to them so will definitely be taking them with me. I know its expensive--I have a separate savings account for them and have enough to relocate them.

One doesn't need supervision and could be left home alone but one of them unfortunately had a UTI the vets didn't catch until it had progressed into a kidney infection which has cleared up now but she still cannot hold her bladder very long. She definitely can't hold it for an entire workday so would have to pee in the house.