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.

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.

Talk to a specialist

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

Find a specialist

Use our calculator

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

Calculate now

Home loan standard terms and conditions

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