Property costs in NZ - the heart of evil

[Ocean1]

I recently heard a rumour that there is a bill under review (third reading) that National are looking to sign off on, and which should severely reduce or eliminate the Councils ability to impose levies for amenities parks & reserves contributions etc for new sections and building consents. They currently add ten$ of thou$and$ to building costs. I haven't checked it out to establish the details but have my fingers crossed.

Best news I've heard all month.

then, where will the council get the monies from,

They can fucking earn it, just like their ratepayers. They're a completely unregulated monopoly, it's about time someone held them to account.

[Brian d marge]

I'm gonna be interested to see where we go from here. Primarily because most of the products that are produced these days are upgrades and nothing really new (just smaller). Where once we have automation innovation, is there really that much out there these days that improves efficiency so radically that people will spend yet more money on it? I am wondering if too many people's interest in "stuff" has peaked (along with affordability). We're not producing anything of value, a phone is a phone is a phone, a tablet is a tablet is a tablet and being able to afford a house seems to be so far out of reach that people will eventually just give up, especially if the jobs where the cheap houses are won't even cover that mortgage. All of those things, and many more, pumped new money into the system which is the name of the game. I woulda thought mortgages where a great vehicle for pumping new money into the system.

While i do seem to be pissed , err doom and gloom most of the time , I think there are encouraging signs, for example; Im not sure about NZ but just look at the increase of programs , people interested in the "simple life " , or an "alternative"
Sure , this only applies to the "haves" or educated ones but I hope the movement gathers pace.
Unfortuantly when you have nowt the warehouse and noel leming become regular haunts. Values change I think. ( nowt as in track suit wearing gut buckets with a different set of values who with their toothless slack jawed grins , sap my will to live, not your Ghandi types)
Peak consumerism was also a worry for retailers at the turn of the century , which led on to the creation of the catalogue and other retail devices. So dont worry the slack jaws will continue to abuse credit for my lifetime at least if history does indeed repeat.
Future proofing me and mine would include , freehold land and the skills for food production ( AND BEER ) all of which I am doing now .....( seem to hung up on the home made whiskey , but Im sure Ill get it right , just need some more practice !!!!!!)

Stephen

ps tapped this out on a non Iphone , so there is NO way I am going to correct and spelling or grammatical mistakes ...fk that

[Indiana_Jones]

Off to see the lovely bank manager tonight, yay....

-Indy

[Banditbandit]

Stephen

ps tapped this out on a non Iphone , so there is NO way I am going to correct and spelling or grammatical mistakes ...fk that

So much for the simple life then ?

[Brian d marge]

So much for the simple life then ?

yup , nature of the business ...

on saying that , I dont have a phone now , just a nexus 7...

Stephen

[mashman]

While i do seem to be pissed , err doom and gloom most of the time , I think there are encouraging signs, for example; Im not sure about NZ but just look at the increase of programs , people interested in the "simple life " , or an "alternative"
Sure , this only applies to the "haves" or educated ones but I hope the movement gathers pace.
Unfortuantly when you have nowt the warehouse and noel leming become regular haunts. Values change I think. ( nowt as in track suit wearing gut buckets with a different set of values who with their toothless slack jawed grins , sap my will to live, not your Ghandi types)
Peak consumerism was also a worry for retailers at the turn of the century , which led on to the creation of the catalogue and other retail devices. So dont worry the slack jaws will continue to abuse credit for my lifetime at least if history does indeed repeat.
Future proofing me and mine would include , freehold land and the skills for food production ( AND BEER ) all of which I am doing now .....( seem to hung up on the home made whiskey , but Im sure Ill get it right , just need some more practice !!!!!!)

Stephen

ps tapped this out on a non Iphone , so there is NO way I am going to correct and spelling or grammatical mistakes ...fk that

I don't read it as doom and gloom, pissed maybe, but not doom and gloom . The downside is that there are encouraging signs for the economy. I see Japan are about to print a bucket load of cash to get themselves kick started. The simple/alternative life is still expensive to kick off though eh. You need the land and the house and iffen ye haven't got that as you're stretched on the mortgage, it becomes anything but simple/alternative... even if you do have yer veggie garden/beer (of which the latest batch is ready for testing tonight, well, lager) etc... I think one of the biggest problems with peak consumerism was the "introduction" of the superstore. A decade or so ago supermarkets started selling warehousey type stuff and the high street knick knack shops started to go tits. Since then that's stretched to things like building/IT etc... The big boys get the big contracts whilst the rest scrabble about for the smaller pieces of work... Eventually the big boys are the ones who end up offering the work to the workforce. At that point in time, imho, skillsets take a beating as people are "forced" to specialise and essentially the business just becomes another factory, churning out robots and not thinking, skillful, adaptable individuals (something I believe smaller business does much bettrerererer). This seems to be the new business model. Acquire the competition and kill off the "local" job market, driving wages down as they're the only game in town etc... In amongst all of that man gotta eat, buy house, accrue assets etc... on what some faceless prick is willing to shell out for wages that year. Tis an epic farce and each time I see another boarded up ship or a closing down sale or overhear a discussion about how things are getting hard, I keep wishing for a rather large planet to appear out of nowhere and render the lot of us non-existent. Now as much as that may sound ever so slightly doomy and gloomy, I think it'd do a fuckload of folk a lot of good .

Good luck with the Whiskey

Off to see the lovely bank manager tonight, yay....

-Indy

Are you now an official Homo wner?

[Indiana_Jones]

Are you now an official Homo wner?

Na, the mrs and I just wanna get some idea where we stand and how much we can borrow.

-Indy

[merv]

Na, the mrs and I just wanna get some idea where we stand and how much we can borrow.

-Indy

So how'd it go with the nice bank manager?

[Zedder]

[QUOTE=mashman;1130464692]I don't read it as doom and gloom, pissed maybe, but not doom and gloom . The downside is that there are encouraging signs for the economy. I see Japan are about to print a bucket load of cash to get themselves kick started. The simple/alternative life is still expensive to kick off though eh. You need the land and the house and iffen ye haven't got that as you're stretched on the mortgage, it becomes anything but simple/alternative... even if you do have yer veggie garden/beer (of which the latest batch is ready for testing tonight, well, lager) etc... I think one of the biggest problems with peak consumerism was the "introduction" of the superstore. A decade or so ago supermarkets started selling warehousey type stuff and the high street knick knack shops started to go tits. Since then that's stretched to things like building/IT etc... The big boys get the big contracts whilst the rest scrabble about for the smaller pieces of work... Eventually the big boys are the ones who end up offering the work to the workforce. At that point in time, imho, skillsets take a beating as people are "forced" to specialise and essentially the business just becomes another factory, churning out robots and not thinking, skillful, adaptable individuals (something I believe smaller business does much bettrerererer). This seems to be the new business model. Acquire the competition and kill off the "local" job market, driving wages down as they're the only game in town etc... In amongst all of that man gotta eat, buy house, accrue assets etc... on what some faceless prick is willing to shell out for wages that year. Tis an epic farce and each time I see another boarded up ship or a closing down sale or overhear a discussion about how things are getting hard, I keep wishing for a rather large planet to appear out of nowhere and render the lot of us non-existent. Now as much as that may sound ever so slightly doomy and gloomy, I think it'd do a fuckload of folk a lot of good .

Yeah, things are a bit of a crap fest alright Masho. However, I've talked to lots of folk lately who are finding ways to circumvent "the system" all very heartening. Incidently, I'd go for a massive electro magnetic pulse scenario rather than some planetary/asteroid collision event. Being wiped out is just too easy.

[Indiana_Jones]

So how'd it go with the nice bank manager?

We could borrow enough to buy a unit etc, but if the interest went up we'd be high and dry I think.

Not gonna be buying until I've finished studying (working 32 hours a week at the moment), which is 2 years away.

-Indy

[mashman]

Na, the mrs and I just wanna get some idea where we stand and how much we can borrow.

-Indy

Funnily enough you've sparked me and mrs mash off with reconsidering our mortgage etc... We were speaking with a "mortgage advisor" a month or two ago and he was offering certain alternatives that "could" lower our mortgage. There are "alternatives" out there and a gent I share smoko with sent me a rather large PDF on mortgage structuring, something I've yet to read, off the back of a couple of chit chats. More than happy to send it your way should you want it as it'll be a wee while before we change our circumstances.

Yeah, things are a bit of a crap fest alright Masho. However, I've talked to lots of folk lately who are finding ways to circumvent "the system" all very heartening. Incidently, I'd go for a massive electro magnetic pulse scenario rather than some planetary/asteroid collision event. Being wiped out is just too easy.

YOu should start a thread, then we can all get in each others way circumventing the system . Yeah, but an EMP v's a Planetary collision... which'll be more prettier to watch before the shit hits the fan? Aye, I think Chch rammed that one home. We were down there recently and had a brief drive around with mouths agape and shedding a wee tear. Gets me blood boilin so it doos.

[Zedder]

Funnily enough you've sparked me and mrs mash off with reconsidering our mortgage etc... We were speaking with a "mortgage advisor" a month or two ago and he was offering certain alternatives that "could" lower our mortgage. There are "alternatives" out there and a gent I share smoko with sent me a rather large PDF on mortgage structuring, something I've yet to read, off the back of a couple of chit chats. More than happy to send it your way should you want it as it'll be a wee while before we change our circumstances.



YOu should start a thread, then we can all get in each others way circumventing the system . Yeah, but an EMP v's a Planetary collision... which'll be more prettier to watch before the shit hits the fan? Aye, I think Chch rammed that one home. We were down there recently and had a brief drive around with mouths agape and shedding a wee tear. Gets me blood boilin so it doos.

Snap! The mortgage restructure is certainly on the list of things to do. It's about rethinking your situation and then researching options. I also know people who are simply trading skills for example.

I really wouldn't wish any global catastrophy but see an EMP as more of a challenge in a "survival of the fittest" scenario.

As for the CHCH situation, it's absolutely disgusting and I can't believe Brownlee etc are still alive.

[mashman]

Snap! The mortgage restructure is certainly on the list of things to do. It's about rethinking your situation and then researching options. I also know people who are simply trading skills for example.

I really wouldn't wish any global catastrophy but see an EMP as more of a challenge in a "survival of the fittest" scenario.

As for the CHCH situation, it's absolutely disgusting and I can't believe Brownlee etc are still alive.

I love the idea behind skills exchange, primarily as that's fundamentally how the world works (the financial bit is unnecessary ). We just did a wee trip around the top 2 thirds of sarf island and the missus was impressed enough to consider a move, should we decide to. If I can get the mortgage down by half (which is possible given some of the prices doon there) the pair of us can take on part time jobs (I'll happily work in a supermarket), or she can work full time and I can get on to other things. Tis a shame that there isn't too much work around the places we'd like to move to.

Could be fun learning some new skills.

Agreed.

[Zedder]

I love the idea behind skills exchange, primarily as that's fundamentally how the world works (the financial bit is unnecessary ). We just did a wee trip around the top 2 thirds of sarf island and the missus was impressed enough to consider a move, should we decide to. If I can get the mortgage down by half (which is possible given some of the prices doon there) the pair of us can take on part time jobs (I'll happily work in a supermarket), or she can work full time and I can get on to other things. Tis a shame that there isn't too much work around the places we'd like to move to.

Could be fun learning some new skills.

Agreed.

Yep, learning new skills is great. I always remember going to the Oz outback for the first time and having to learn a whole range of skills, some of them simply to survive. Some of my colleagues though didn't even want to "get stuck in".

I admire anyone with a No.8 wire mentality or sense of what they call "kiwi ingenuity".

[Banditbandit]

Snap! The mortgage restructure is certainly on the list of things to do. It's about rethinking your situation and then researching options. I also know people who are simply trading skills for example.

Yeah - it's worth it ... I talked to a banker a few years ago and rstructured our mortage and insurances ... borrowed some money to buy another bike and wound up needing to pay less in mortage and insurance than before I bought the new bike ... (without extending the life of the mortgage) ... so I kept the payments at the same level and paid the mortgage off faster