First-home buyers move from Christchurch to buy a $340,000 home in Greymouth

Moving to a more affordable region of New Zealand, selling a car and giving up Uber Eats were key factors in helping Kevin Dick, 28 and his wife Gina Williams, 26, secure their first home.

Initially living in Christchurch, Kevin Dick and Gina Williams had been together for a year before they started to look for a home to purchase together, around the time of Covid-19.

They applied for pre-approval through a mortgage broker but by the time everything was finalised through Covid, prices had crept up and they found themselves priced out of areas they were interested in.

“We found an old teacher’s house on the outskirts of Christchurch that we thought we could afford, but we were beaten by $50,000 on the next offer,” says Kevin.

They started to look further afield, and the opportunity came up for Kevin to transfer to Greymouth with his job as a Network Technician at Downer New Zealand.

While houses in Greymouth were generally more affordable than those in Christchurch, there weren’t a lot to choose from. “There were only three places for rent on Trade Me!” says Kevin.

With the agreement of Kevin’s employer, the couple decided to stay put in Christchurch for a few months before moving to the West Coast. Kevin connected with a local real estate agent in Greymouth to let them know he had a job in the area and asked to be notified when suitable properties came up for sale.

The couple had saved a deposit by using their KiwiSaver and also through receiving the Kainga Ora First Home Grant before it was removed by the Government in May 2024. Kevin also sold a vehicle - his beloved Nissan Skyline R34, which he had restored and upgraded himself.

“We knew we needed as much money for the house as possible, so I knew I had to sell the Skyline. I listed it on Trade Me and I had a guy drive down from Auckland to come and buy it.”

The couple eventually bought a two bedroom, two living area property with a garage in Cobden for $340,000 that was previously rented out to tenants. “It’s pretty tidy, it needs a little bit of work but it’s all things that I can do myself,” he says.

Kevin’s advice to other first home buyers is to listen to your mortgage adviser and lawyer - “they’re the experts and have a ton of experience.” He recommends researching the area and talking with neighbours to understand the type of neighbourhood. “No house is perfect and sometimes it’s a matter of being patient for the right house to come along.”

Financially, it’s simple: “Every item and every dollar counts - it’s all putting more money in your account at the end of the day,” says Kevin.

“Little lifestyle changes can make all the difference, like doing things yourself, jobs that you can figure out how to do by watching YouTube can save a lot of money.”

Preparing food at home has also helped the couple manage their money. “Back in Christchurch we were both working and would often spend money on UberEats, whereas now my wife is a stay-at-home parent and cooks all our meals at home which saves us a lot.”

The couple have their sights set firmly on their financial goals and are now aiming to pay off their mortgage within nine years.

They’ve enjoyed the move to Greymouth, which although a quieter pace of life, has offered lots of advantages, including friendly neighbours, their local school, nearby nature and parks, and community events like the Matariki Picnic.

Trade Me Property played a key part in their search. “We used Trade Me to find our house, compare prices, view and connect with agents and understand what to anticipate with different homes we were viewing,” said Kevin.

“We got notified every time there was a new listing or an update in our search, and used the button to add open homes to our calendar. We found it the easiest to use of all property websites.”