Help Page
There's a lot happening here, where do I start?
First of all, lets get you an account. It is free and will give you access to all of our property listings as well as bi-weekly new property listings. When you sign up, please enter as much information as you can, it will help us provide the best possible service for you. Register HERE.
Click the help topics below to learn who we are, what we do and how it all works.
About iFindProperty
We are Real Estate Agency that specialises in Residential Investment Property in New Zealand.
iFindProperty operates under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 (AKA "REAA 2008") that governs all mainstream real estate agencies in New Zealand.
We started in 2005 in Rotorua, from there we have grown to cover most main centres and investment "hot spots" in New Zealand.
Here is a snapshot of our team, click through to see their individual profiles.
In short, we source residential investment properties for our clients.
Our agents are known as "Property Finders" and they do just that. Each person in our team is a property expert and experienced investor in their local market and they bring all of that knowledge to the table when they work with you on a property purchase.
You! Our business is to help our clients secure great investment properties and because our relationship is with you the buyer, we have an ethical and legal responsibility to act in your best interest in all matters.
In most cases, we are paid an agency fee by the buyer after a purchase becomes unconditional. In certain situations we do list a property where the vendor will pay our agency fee, any fees which you will be obligated to pay are disclosed in full before you begin your due diligence.
In almost all cases we will be paid by the buyer and our fiduciary responsibility is to represent you in the transaction.
There will be some properties where we are paid by the vendor (just like a regular real estate firm), however all information we use to analyse and market a property is sourced independently, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Irrespective of how we are paid as agents, we recommend you seek advice from independent industry professionals as part of your own due diligence.
We don't believe in talking you into a property purchase you might regret later.
If you are new to investing or feel that you need to get your own "house in order" first, Lisa Dudson (RFA) offers a fixed-fee one hour consultation service that has proven very popular, and effective, with our clients.
Our Services
We often sell properties for investors. Please understand that our buyer is also an investor so the numbers must stack up for both parties. The seller is required by us to sign a Seller’s Acknowledgement document, which confirms that iFindProperty is acting for the purchaser and advises the seller to seek legal advice if required. If the seller agrees to the process, then a sale price is agreed upon and a conditional Sale and Purchase Agreement is entered into with us, which is assigned when a potential purchaser is located from our extensive database.
If you would like to engage us to sell your property please start here.
General FAQs
No. The advertised sale price includes our agency fee, to allow you to see the true yield and other numbers based on the total price you will pay.
Two main reasons; experience in the marketplace, and fostering good relationships with real estate agencies, property professionals and other investors over many years. As we have our “finger on the pulse” of the current market and are known to have a substantial database of active investors, we are often approached first by a seller. Many properties are not listed on the open market and often a seller has urgency to achieve a sale.
Just as with any other property purchase, it is essential that you obtain independent legal advice from your own solicitor before entering into any documentation to purchase.
Yes. We want you to have all the information you require to enable you to make a fully informed decision. Where possible, we will help by supplying some of the information required; such as rental appraisals, council files and a registered valuer’s verbal appraisal. We can also help arrange a building inspection, written registered valuation and renovation quotes etc, if required.
As we need to be able to give other clients the opportunity to purchase the property if you do not proceed, we give a maximum of 5 days. During this period we will work closely with you to ensure, to the best of our ability, that the queries you seek are responded to.
Because of this, we require clients to have finance pre-approved before entering into due diligence, as lending approval can take longer than 5 days. Once you have approval, the bank should only require the Sale & Purchase Agreement and possibly the rental appraisal, which we will provide.
In some cases your bank may insist on a Registered Valuation. Because this can take time to organise it is important that you clarify with your bank before engaging us whether a Registered Valuation will be requested.
This can actually work in your favour because it allows you as a purchaser to focus more on the unbiased due diligence written information you obtain from a registered valuer, a rental appraisal and/or a building inspection report etc, and make a sound business decision based purely on this information and your investing criteria.
New investors in particular can get distracted with what they can see i.e. “how pretty the gardens are!” etc, which are not crucial factors in selecting the right investment property. In other words they may purchase on emotion rather than sound business judgement.
This is a legal document which we request you to execute, giving us authority to act as your agent and stating that you agree to our fee.
A Buyers Authority is usually for a single property, while a Buyers Agency Agreement enables us to represent you in a wider capacity over a longer period.
In most instances it will be a Buyers Authority (mentioned above) and a Deed of Assignment. This is a simple one-page legal document that gives you time for a due diligence period, and transfers the right to go unconditional on our Sale & Purchase Agreement to yourself (or your nominee in the case of a company or trust).
In some cases, the document process will be different. The Property Finder will clarify with you the contract and due diligence process when you first make contact.
No. Our fees are modest given the time involved in locating suitable properties and the expertise that we bring in assisting our clients build an investment portfolio.
We aim to find and market investments that will earn back our fee many times over for our clients.
No. We have already negotiated the price of the property with the seller as part of our service prior to offering it to you for sale. The price you are paying for the property is the negotiated purchase price plus our agency fee.
As the agent representing the buyer, it may be viewed as a conflict of interest for us to provide a Registered Valuation. If the seller has arranged a Registered Valuation we will tell you if it is available to be readdressed to you, should you enter into a due diligence process.
The CV is provided by the local council or district Authority. It is an assessment of the rateable value of a property. It is updated periodically and is used by the local Authority to calculate the rates for a property. A Registered Valuation is much more accurate and specific as to the property’s value, based on sales of similar properties in the surrounding location in the current market. It is one of the criteria’s relied upon by lenders to determine the mortgage amount available.
And get a copy of our FREE report The Insiders Guide to Successful Property Investment in NZ.