The property hunt

You’ve done the hard yards and pulled together a house deposit, now it’s time to find the right home and get it for the right price. The process and your home loan options will vary depending on if you’re a first-time buyer, building a home, buying your next home or hoping to buy an investment property.

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Steps towards buying a home

  1. 1
    Tahi

    Conditional approval

    Conditional approval, sometimes called pre-approval, will give you an idea of how much money you’ll be able to borrow. It'll also speed up the process for getting full approval. Find out more.

  2. 2
    Rua

    Finding a home

    When you’re on the house hunt, make lists of what you need and what you want – keeping in mind that you can’t always get everything you want, but if the property gods are smiling you might just get what you need. Find out more.

  3. 3
    Toru

    Making an offer

    You’ve found the house you want, now you’ve just got to make it yours. Do your homework so you don’t end up with a lemon and get a lawyer involved to help you through the paperwork. Find out more.

Handy terms to know while you look for a home

Couple

Demystify the house buying and home lending process by learning the language.

  • Asking price
    • The advertised price for a property - the price you actually pay can be different.
  • Market value
    • An estimate of the property value right now – that is, what a buyer would be prepared to pay and what a seller would accept for the property at a point in time.
  • Rateable value (RV)
    • The value placed on a property by the local council for rating purposes (also known as the Government Valuation or GV).
More handy house-buying lingo

Next steps to buying a home

Let's get you into your first home

Our home loan specialists and tools can help you through the journey of buying your first home.

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Our home loan specialists can walk you through the process of buying a home and discuss what your options are.

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First home buyer calculator

Our first home buyer calculator allows you to work out how much you may be able to borrow and compare different repayment scenarios.

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Home loan standard terms and conditions

Displayed interest rates are subject to change. Kiwibank’s lending criteria, terms and conditions, and fees apply.