F rs ebuyers

Hey veryone Hoe you and your amilies are staying warm and dry. hen interest rates eaks, tyically rices will bottom out as well, making it an otimum time to consider buying a home. urchasing your rst home can be an eciting but overwhelming eerience, here are several things you need to know to make the rocess smooth and stress-ree

1. Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage etting re-aroved or a mortgage can give you a clear understanding o your borrowing ower and the rice range o homes you can aord. t’s a good idea to get re-aroved beore you start looking or a home, so you don’t waste time and energy on roerties that are outside o your rice range.

2. Research the Suburb ook or areas that match your liestyle and needs. onsider actors such as roimity to schools, shos, ublic transortation, and other amenities that are imortant to you. these natural events kee haening, it may be worth considering where the house is and what risk role it may have to natural disasters.

3. Pick an agent per company! ith so many houses on the market it can be hard to lter through everything, ick and agent and let them know your situation. good agent will roactively match roerties or you, but they may also suggest roerties you may not have considered.

4. Consider Resale Value es rices have alling signicantly, but as markets recover it’s imortant to consider which areas are likely to grow more in the uture. ven i you lan to live in the home or a long time, you can still ick good areas to grow your euity which you can use to buy an investment later.

5. Make an offer!

Don’t wait or the erect house, it may never come. you like something enough, ust make an oer where you see value and see how it goes. void the regret ith landlords struggling to make their investment rotable in current market conditions, more and more tenants will be dislaced. t may be time to give you and your amily some certainty and look at getting your own lace to call home you would like to discuss anything Real state, get in touch love to hear rom you

By Frank Neill

ree live music concerts at the Johnsonville Library’s Waitohi Hub return for 2023 on 22 ebruary.

Called “Waitohi Sessions”, these 30-minute concerts are available to anyone who happens to be in the Johnsonville Library at the time. They start at 330pm.

The first Waitohi Session on 22 ebruary will feature Patrick performing guitar and flute looping.

The second, on 2 March, features Sue performing a classical “mash-up”.

The third, on 26 April will see Stephen in a concert called “Aotearoa Magic”, which will explore New Zealand’s finest composers.

What’s the mental image that springs to mind when you think of a librarian? Quiet, studious, conservative?

This is being turned on its head with Waitohi Sessions, a monthly musical offering where local librarians put down the books and pick up their musical instruments to play from the Johnsonville library terraces while you browse.

“We started these sessions in May 2022 for New Zealand Music Month, and they proved really popular so we decide d to continue them on a monthly basis,” says Sue Jane, Community Librarian at Johnsonville Library who, with oth er like-minded staff, oversees the sessions

“We have an amazing and fully equipped recording studio as part of our T hu ra HIVE Makerspace which is part of the Johnsonville Library, so much of th e equipment we use comes from this space.

“And more importantly, we have some talented staff who are keen to add this performance component to their library life.”

Last year’s sessions included an eclectic mix of classical piano, Spanish guitar, a full band set up, synth deluge, oboe, flute and some bass looping.

“And this year, we’ve already booked keen staff from other Wellington City Library branches as well,” Sue says.

“Expect to hear flute, cello, violin, double bass, guitar. We’ve been blown away by the talented staff out there.”

Written by William YIP Your friend in Real Estate 021 106 9997 William.YIP@CollectiveFN.co.nz

NEVER PAINT YOUR WINDOWS AGAIN!