Property Management

Better to be safe, but not too safe - Mary Holm

Q. Many people would agree with your "house built on an old tip site" buyer, that one should carry out careful checks before a major purchase. But why stop with the council?

To be really safe you should also have structural, plumbing, drainage, electrical, groundwater, geological reports and probably a cultural audit would be wise too (though this may be no longer necessary "po

Friday, April 09th 2004

st Brash"?) It is true that any specific problem could have been avoided if one had checked for it in advance. But at what cost?

I'm semi-retired and most of my friends are nearing that stage, and your article started me thinking back.

I observe that those who have lived cautious lives have not had noticeably fewer problems than those who were more impulsive, the reverse actually. And the cautious are generally poorer.

I don't think this is due to chance, rather it is that the cost of missed opportunities is much greater than the cost of overcoming mistakes.

Life is full of uncertainty, and attempts to make it less so rapidly come to cost more than the benefit. Too much insurance guarantees you'll stay poor.

Read More - Opens in a new window

Most Read

Unity First Home Buyer special 3.99
SBS FirstHome Combo 3.99
TSB Special 4.39
Co-operative Bank - First Home Special 4.39
ICBC 4.39
SBS Bank Special 4.49
Unity Special 4.49
ANZ Special 4.49
Westpac Special 4.49
Kiwibank Special 4.49
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.49
Kainga Ora 4.49
ICBC 4.59
ANZ Special 4.69
BNZ - Std 4.69
Wairarapa Building Society 4.79
Nelson Building Society 4.87
Westpac Special 4.89
Kiwibank Special 4.89
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.89
Unity Special 4.89
TSB Special 4.89
Kainga Ora 5.15
ICBC 5.19
Westpac Special 5.29
BNZ - Std 5.29
SBS Bank Special 5.69
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 5.69
TSB Special 5.69
ASB Bank 5.69
AIA - Go Home Loans 5.69
Kiwibank Special 5.79
Westpac 5.89
SBS FirstHome Combo 3.29
AIA - Back My Build 3.34
SBS Construction lending for FHB 3.74
CFML 321 Loans 3.95
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.99
Co-operative Bank - Standard 4.99
Heartland Bank - Online 5.30
ICBC 5.39
Kiwibank - Offset 5.65
Kainga Ora 5.69
Kiwibank 5.75

More Stories

Thursday, February 19th 2026

RBNZ expects slower house price growth in the current recovery

The Reserve Bank thinks house prices will rise at a much slower pace during the current recovery than they have in past cycles.

Wednesday, January 07th 2026

Queenstown not off the radar for first home buyers

First home buyers are not being deterred by Queenstown’s soaring house prices.

Record levels of first home buyers taking out low deposit loans

Tuesday, December 23rd 2025

Record levels of first home buyers taking out low deposit loans

About half of all first home buyer lending has been done at a less than 20% deposit in recent months.

Buyers sitting on the sidelines in best time to buy in a decade

Thursday, December 04th 2025

Buyers sitting on the sidelines in best time to buy in a decade

Stable house prices, low interest rates and plenty of houses to choose from are still not enticing buyers.