House Hunting in Welly

One of the hardest things about house hunting in a 'foreign' city is that you simply have no idea of what each suburb is like, or if you're going to like living there. One of the sites I have found quite useful in this regard is Tommy's Real Estate which includes some brief descriptions of the various suburbs in Wellington.

So today we went to a viewing in Brooklyn. Now, in SA, if you are interested in an advertised house or flat, you call up the agent and arrange a time that suits you, the agent and the current inhabitant of the house. The agent then meets you at the house and takes you through and answers all your questions. Here in Welly, things are done a little differently. Agents hold 'viewings' of rental properties. This is a fifteen to twenty minute time slot, picked to suit either the agent or the current tenant of the property, and anyone who wants to see the place just arrives and has a look. If you can't make it at that time ... well, tough luck. (OK, I'm generalizing. We also met a great agent who not only picked us up and took us to see the house he was renting, but then gave us a short tour of the neighbourhood too!) But speaking generally, the viewing seems to be the most common way things are done! It's like speed-dating for renters!!

The house in Brooklyn looked great - on the website! But the ad was misleading. Most of the pictures were of the flat just above - the one with the really great views and deck. The house we saw was underneath, smelled of damp and had a teeny tiny view out of one corner of the kitchen window. But the positives were that we got to see a new suburb and we used the bus system successfully - without all the trauma of the first trip we took!!! And that was a great feeling!!

The house - the rental was the small section underneath it.

The kind of view promised by the advert but sadly not delivered ...

The local corner cafe in Mills Rd, Brooklyn - known here as the 'dairy'!

Mills Road, Brooklyn - beautiful area, fabulous views!