01. Make a bucket list of must-haves and can-live-withouts, remember your first home may not tick every box however you may get closer than you realise. Things for your bucket list could include; large wardrobes, lawn, close public transport, local shops, certain school zones may even be a must, however, a separate bathroom might be optional. It is completely up to you!
02. Get a buyer’s agent, especially if this is your first home purchase. A buyer’s agent may be the way to go to help make the process smoother, they can come to open homes with you as well as help with the negotiation process. The Mortgage Girls can refer you to a buyer’s agent if you like. (Refer to page 15)
03. Take your time at open homes, turn up early and even go to the same house two or three times (you can ask the agent for private viewings). It pays to open and close cupboards to check storage space, look high and low, turn taps on and off to see pressure, lift and look under mats placed on the floor, open and close windows. Take photos of the house (check with the agent first) – these are handy to refer back to later especially if you go to a number of open homes in one day. Take measurements of furniture at home, bring the tape measure to the open home and check that your furniture fits in the potential new space. Check the property out at a few different times of the day, peak hour, day and night in order to see the local atmosphere – is it busy/noisy? Are there people sitting outside?
04. Ask plenty of questions regarding every property, for example: How long has the property been on the market? What have nearby properties sold for? Is there any damage from earthquakes or another natural disaster, and have they been repaired (they should be able to provide documents if there is)? Is there any outstanding maintenance? Is there any non-consented work on the property? Are there any easements on the title (shared access/right of ways)? Are there any covenants for your area (terms and conditions in that area or subdivision, for example, your fence height may be restricted to 1.2 meters)?
05. Most importantly, ensure the property types you are shopping for are within the scope of your pre-approval. For example, there are often higher deposit requirements for luxury properties or apartments. Give us a call or email anytime, and we can discuss this further.

01. Take your time to fully read through your pre-approval to understand it, and feel free to ask any questions anytime. The Mortgage Girls Team is here to help.
04. House Hunting! Now you can start looking for your new home! If you would like help from a buyer’s agent (a real estate agent who can assist you in finding the right home), keep scrolling down for a list of The Mortgage Girls’ trusted contacts.
06. Kāinga Ora – First Home Loan Clients – Please review The Mortgage Girls additional information booklet on Kāinga Ora – First Home Loans to ensure you’re well-informed.
Now that you’re pre-approved, it’s the perfect time to sit down and review your new budget.
Your financial outgoings may look a little different compared to your current expenses, so it’s important to review everything and plan for the changes ahead. To help you work through your numbers, we’ve included a couple of budgeting calculator sheets below.
You can also use The Mortgage Girls’ online calculators to help you create your budget or work out your mortgage repayments with ease.
A reminder to think about your vacancy rate (weeks non-rented) per year and how you plan to cover those periods of time, along with planning for any tax payments that may be applicable at the end of the financial period. Your accountant will be able to work through this and let you know any expenses you can claim.
Firstly, it will pay to start phoning around or checking websites to decide on a Solicitor or Conveyancer and check on their costs.
Remember to request the costs to organise:


03. House Insurance: Some Auction contracts will allow you a few business days after Auction to organise Full House Insurance, however, we strongly recommend organising this prior.
04. If Kiwisaver is included in your deposit, remember your KiwiSaver provider requires a minimum of 10 business days’ notice in order to approve and process the funds to your solicitor’s trust account.
05. Building Inspection: If it is your desire (highly recommended for your due diligence) to get a fully completed Building Report, you will need to complete this prior to Auction. A building report can help identify any future maintenance requirements, ensuring you are prepared to keep your home and asset well-maintained.

Deposit
The deposit required for an investment is typically higher than that of an owner occupied home, it can be made up of equity in your existing property and/or savings. The Mortgage Girls are happy to run calculations on your behalf in order to determine the deposit or equity required for your investment purchase.
Property Managers recommended by The Mortgage Girls
Want to have your property managed on your behalf, here’s some options
for property managers that could help

Rental income and expenses
When working out the return on your rental property, consider key income and expense factors. Use the template below to guide you, or click here for the digital calculator.
Rental yield
Rental yield is the % of return on your investment after removing expenses. Work out your rental yield by dividing your annual rental income by your total investment – or use a yield calculator. Your accountant will also be able to help you with these calculations.
Need help arranging insurance?
The Mortgage Girls can assist you with this through Intio, Tower, or one of our trusted insurance advisers. Simply click here to complete the form, and one of our specialists will be in touch to guide you through the next steps.
Insurance
When arranging insurance for your investment you will want to ensure it’s set up correctly, in order to have adequate cover in the event of a loss, including cover for loss of rent and chattels. Let your insurance company know that the property is tenanted so they can discuss the policy options with you.
The Mortgage Girls have a great contact who can help with your Home Insurance their details are below;
Gerrards
Ethan Gerrard
027 358 6588
[email protected]
gerrards.co.nz
If you are considering Ando or Tower for your policy The Mortgage Girls team can arrange them to contact you directly also.
Where to find more information?
Here is a link to the New Zealand Tenancy website. This will give you everything you need to know in regards to your obligations when owning an investment property in New Zealand.
Sale and Purchase Agreement
You now need to meet all the conditions on your offer letter prior to your selected condition date. It’s really important to forward a copy of the sales and purchase agreement to The Mortgage Girls as soon as possible in order for us to help get everything underway.
Property Information Pack
The Mortgage Girls will require a copy of the property information pack from the agent to show any EQC reports/claims, and any information about the property.
Paying the Deposit
Once you have met all the conditions above and finance is confirmed unconditional by the bank and your solicitor, the agreed upon contract deposit needs to be paid.
Your solicitor will advise the account number to which this needs to be paid. If KiwiSaver funds are being used for the contract deposit, your solicitor will arrange the transfer. Otherwise, if you are using savings or a temporary overdraft from the bank, you will need to arrange payment.
Building Report
If this is a condition on your Sale and Purchase Agreement, you will want to order this as soon as possible.
Here are a few contacts who could help:
Registered Valuation
If this is a condition of your lending, The Mortgage Girls will have this ordered through the bank’s internal ordering system. The bank requires all Registered Valuation Reports to be ordered through their internal system and not directly with a valuer. An email will be submitted to you in order to make payment prior to the valuation proceeding.
KiwiSaver
Email your solicitor immediately to let them know if you are using KiwiSaver – they will require a copy of the approval letter from your provider to help them prepare the paperwork for you to sign in order to process the withdrawal.
KiwiSaver withdrawals require a minimum of 10 business days to be actioned, so if you need the funds to be included as part of the contract deposit, you want to get moving on this fast. Once withdrawn, the funds will be paid to your solicitor’s trust account.
Home Insurance
The Mortgage Girls will require a copy of your insurance details showing the bank listed as an interested party. Remember to organise a direct debit for this to come out of a nominated account.
Need help arranging insurance?
The Mortgage Girls can assist you with this through Intio, Tower, or one of our trusted insurance advisers. Simply click here to complete the form, and one of our specialists will be in touch to guide you through the next steps.
Here is a handy link to the Cordell’s calculator.
This calculator can help you calculate your “sum insured.” Sum insured is the amount you expect to pay to demolish, remove, and rebuild your home if an event occurred.
Paying the Deposit
Once you have met all the conditions above and finance is confirmed unconditional by the bank and your solicitor, the agreed upon contract deposit needs to be paid.
Your solicitor will advise the account number to which this needs to be paid. If KiwiSaver funds are being used for the contract deposit, your solicitor will arrange the transfer. Otherwise, if you are using savings or a temporary overdraft from the bank, you will need to arrange payment.
1. To take advantage of more competitive interest rates
2. Because another lender has better products or services to suit your needs
3. To be able to increase your lending
4. You do not enjoy a certain aspect of your current lender and would prefer to refinance to another lender.
1. Legal costs
A refinance transaction will need to go through a solicitor in order to ensure your property is transferred as security from one lender to another, this will in turn occur at a cost. It pays to get in contact with your solicitor early, let them know your intentions to refinance and find out what their timeframe minimums are in order to help determine a settlement date for the transaction to occur, along with approximate costs. If you would like to use a new solicitor and are looking for suggestions this guide has some options under choosing a solicitor or conveyancer.
2. Transferring Mortgage Adviser
If you have moved mortgage advisers within a certain period of time, usually within 27 months, your adviser could charge a clawback fee. It pays to check your terms of engagement to see if you will have an applicable fee.
3. Registered Valuation
If this is a condition of your lending, The Mortgage Girls will have this ordered through the bank’s internal ordering system. The bank requires all Registered Valuation Reports to be ordered through their internal system and not directly with a valuer. An email will be submitted to yourself in order to make payment prior to the valuation proceeding.
4. Cash Back Repayment
Were you paid a cash back contribution for your lending in the past 4 years? It may pay to check with your bank to see if you would be liable to repay this in the event of repaying your lending and refinancing. Let The Mortgage Girls know if you would like us to request this information from your bank.
5. Fixed Interest Rate Break Costs
If your lending is currently locked into a fixed interest rate term and you intend to refinance before your review date, let The Mortgage Girls know to request your current break costs from your existing bank. This is so you can have an indication of the fee in order to make a decision whether you pay the break fee in advance of settlement or wait until settlement. The risk with waiting until settlement is that the amount of the fee could change.
6. Discharge Fee
A discharge fee is a charge your lender may apply when your home loan is fully repaid
Property Information
The new lender will require the full property information pack including all current EQC information (for earthquake affected areas) and/or code of compliance if a newly built home.
Home Insurance
The Mortgage Girls will require a copy of your insurance details showing the new Bank listed as an interested party. Remember to organise a direct debit for this to come out of a nominated account. The Mortgage Girls have a great contact who can help with your Home Insurance; their details are below.
The Mortgage Girls can assist you with this through Intio, Tower, or one of our trusted insurance advisers. Simply click here to complete the form, and one of our specialists will be in touch to guide you through the next steps.
Lending
It’s now time to sit down and work out how you would like to structure your lending.
The Mortgage Girls will be in the process of receiving the current rates for you (also known as “pricing”). Once we have received them, we will forward them to you with a detailed email outlining potential structure options to help you start thinking about how you would like to format your lending. We will also let you know if there is availability to hold fixed interest rates prior to settlement as well as the next steps in order to finalise structure and have your loan documents sent to your solicitors for signing.The bank will be in touch at some point to discuss opening new or sorting existing accounts in order to ensure they match your new requirements and setting up account signatories. If it is more convenient, pop into your local branch and arrange an appointment to go through requirements. If you are new to this bank, you will need to bring in two forms of identification along with confirmation of your address.
SolicitorMake an appointment with your lawyer prior to settlement and advise The Mortgage Girls of the date of this appointment. This way, The Mortgage Girls can ensure you have structured your lending and given time for the bank to process everything in order to send your loan agreements to your lawyer prior to your appointment. Remember to organise a will and relationship agreement whilst you are there!
Investment PropertiesNow your property has gone unconditional, you can start advertising for tenants either personally or through a property management company. Refer to the investment section of this guide.
If there is a cash back, this will be paid to the nominated account after settlement.
02. DepositIf this was via a temporary overdraft, this limit will drop off today. Remember, the interest for use of this overdraft will either be charged upon settlement date or with your following monthly bank fees.
03. RatesA bill is automatically mailed from the council every 3 months; however, you can set up a direct debit with the council over the phone or an automatic payment at any time to have this paid on a regular basis if you prefer.
A Few Things That Are Good to Know
01. Mortgage Repayments
Your mortgage repayments will be deducted automatically from your nominated account.
02. Rates Payment
If you have not set up a direct debit for your rates, it would not hurt to give the council a call
or wait for your first bill to arrive.
03. Update Your Address
Now is the time to update your postal address if required on items such as your
driver’s licence, electoral roll, and bank statements.
04. Moved to a New Bank?
Once settlement occurs, if you wish to close the accounts with the bank you shifted from,
you may need to go in to organize this, as they will not automatically close off.
05. KiwiSaver
Now is a great time to review your KiwiSaver in order to start planning your future savings
for retirement. Want The Mortgage Girls to get someone to give you a call?
Get in touch here, and please leave a note to say you would like a KiwiSaver
specialist to get in touch.
Alternatively, we have a direct link to kōura KiwiSaver, where you can sign up yourself. Learn more about the
kōura KiwiSaver Scheme here.
01. Mortgage Protection (Lifestyle Insurances)
Insurance is one of those things that you hopefully never need to use. If you do need it,
you’ll be thankful it’s there! This is a friendly reminder to review your insurance or look into
your first policy. Insurance can take time to review and be put in place, so the sooner you start,
the better.
Want the team at The Mortgage Girls to get someone to call you?
Give your adviser a call today or send us a message here and we can
get someone to give you a call.
02. Maintenance
Whether your home is new or old, upkeep is important! Keeping your home maintained
in tip-top shape helps prevent major issues in the future and preserves its value for decades
to come. This is your biggest investment, and if you take care of it, you will reap the rewards
later on.
If you would like a comprehensive seasonal checklist, click here or
reach out—we have some excellent suggestions for professionals who can help you.
03. Future Proofing
Relationship agreements, wills, and power of attorney—have you sorted these out?
Are you protecting what’s most important to you? After all, you’ve insured your home,
you may have even insured yourself and your income, but it’s important to put measures
in place for your and your family’s financial well-being now and into the future.
As these are all legal documents, you’ll need a lawyer to help you write them up.
The Mortgage Girls can refer you to our trusted network of legal advisers if you want to
know more.
04. The Mortgage Girls Are Here to Help
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch anytime.
We have a great web page that talks about the things to think about when you own a home—
click here to learn more. We will also be in touch when your fixed rate is up for review.
Important information about The Mortgage Girls and how our business works.
Please head to; themortgagegirls.co.nz/important-information
Here you will find:
>Terms of Engagement – Obligations
>Our disclosures – What we do and how we work, fees and expenses information & complaints process.
>Our privacy policy
>Hard copies are available on request
Disclaimer: The Mortgage Girls Ltd believes the information in this publication is correct as at May 2024, and it has reasonable grounds for any opinion or recommendation found within this publication on the date of this publication. However, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage incurred by any person as a result of any error in any information, opinion or recommendation in this publication. Nothing in this publication is, or should be taken as, an offer, invitation or recommendation to buy, sell or retain any investment in or make any deposit with any person. The information contained in this publication is general in nature. It may not be relevant to individual circumstances. Before making any investment, insurance or other financial decisions, you should consult a professional financial adviser. This publication is for the use of persons in New Zealand only. Copyright in this publication is owned by
The Mortgage Girls Ltd. You must not reproduce or distribute content from this publication or any part of it without prior permission.Thank you for choosing The Mortgage Girls, we look forward to helping you now and in the future.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch anytime with any questions you have.











