Buying Property with a View

Whether you’re looking for properties for sale on Kapiti coast or elsewhere around the Wellington region, chances are there will be some land elevation involved. After all, who doesn’t want a home with a view?

But before you go ahead with a purchase, it’s important to factor in all the possibilities. After all, buying property on a hillside isn’t necessarily all positives. That’s not to say it should be avoided; it just requires some particular focus. To find out what we mean, read on.

Check the property exterior

One thing that’s the same as with any other property purchase is the research stage. It’s crucial to ensure you’ve done your homework before making any sort of offer on a house. Thankfully, much of this research you can complete by yourself, and some of it doesn’t require much more than a quick look at the property in person.

For example, it’s not uncommon for property on a hillside to be a distance from the road. Take a look at the layout of the property, so you can double-check if it’s going to present difficulties for any vehicles you have. You can also take this chance to examine how exposed the property is to potential winds. This is especially important around Wellington, as a lot of the hillside homes in our capital are right in the path of the wind and rain blowing in off the harbour. Weather concerns may necessitate either planting or trimming of plant life around the property. At the end of the day, it’s best to know ahead of time if you’re willing to sign up for these practicalities.

Whether you’re looking for properties for sale on Kapiti coast or elsewhere around the Wellington region, chances are there will be some land elevation involved. After all, who doesn’t want a home with a view?

But before you go ahead with a purchase, it’s important to factor in all the possibilities. After all, buying property on a hillside isn’t necessarily all positives. That’s not to say it should be avoided; it just requires some particular focus. To find out what we mean, read on.

Scrutinise the interior

While you’re looking around, it’s a great idea to double-check the doors and windows in the house. If they jam, or otherwise don’t close or open easily, it’s likely due to the land shifting underneath the house. Some homes struggle with this a lot more than others, so it’s best to find out ahead of time if it’s going to present an issue for you in the future.

You can also test this by bringing something spherical to the inspection and seeing which way it rolls on the floor. Marbles work perfectly for this test. If the marble rolls consistently in a particular direction, there could be issues with the foundations that are worth looking into in further detail.

Double check the unique features of a hillside home

There are a few things that houses built on a hillside have that you won’t have come across before if you’ve only ever lived on level-ground property. Retaining walls are a great example of this; many properties with a view have them, but many flat ground homes don’t. They can also be costly to make repairs to, so checking them before making an offer is a great idea.

If you’re not familiar with retaining walls, they’re easy to spot. They are rigid walls that support the ground laterally, stopping it from sliding down the hillside. They essentially turn a slope into a series of large, flatter steps, as this is much easier to build on.

When you’re checking out the retaining walls for damage, bulging, or slips, it’s worth checking the retaining walls owned by the neighbours too! You don’t want to wind up in a situation wherein the home you’ve bought is in perfect condition, but the poor condition of neighbouring homes on the hillside is costing you money regardless!

For more information, you can visit the NZ Earthquake Commission website, and find out exactly what the warning signs are.

Make sure you get the LIM early

In a previous blog post, we talked about the LIM, or Land Information Memorandum. It’s essentially a public record of all the details the local council has on the property. It can often include details from a wide range of different governmental departments, all compiled together to give you a clear idea of the state of the land. This is a good bet for finding out if the property has had issues with erosion or slippage in the past. It will also give you an idea of what stormwater and sewage drainage is like on the property. The LIM can even tell you if the property is in a flight path. While the LIM ultimately only shows you what the council is aware of, it shouldn’t be underestimated; it’s a very useful resource to have on hand.

Having a lawyer that can help you get your hands on the LIM and review it for a particular piece of property can help speed up the process.  Local councils have 10 working days to supply the LIM.   It’s vital to ask for it early if you are seriously considering making an offer on some property with a view.

 

Ready to know more?

Breaden McCardle Lawyers are the local experts on residential property law. If you’re looking to buy, get in touch with us, and we can make the process much easier throughout. Don’t spend valuable time tossing up pros and cons on a piece of land—get the best advice you can, so you can make well-informed decisions, and find the view of your dreams.