Helping You Take the First Step Toward Home Ownership
First Home Buyers
Buying your first home is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. At Lancewood, we make the process simple. We’ll help you understand what you can afford, guide you through pre-approval, and negotiate the best possible terms with lenders.
We’re here to make sure your first home purchase sets you up for long-term success.
Being conservative in retirement
By developing a retirement income plan you can optimise your income in retirement.
If you are too conservative in your spending at the start of retirement, you are highly likely to discover in 10-15 years into retirement that you are ahead of target and able to increase spending. Just at the time that you are physically and perhaps psychologically least likely to want to do so.
The ability to adjust spending dynamically gives greater scope to spend more in your early years of retirement. However, taking more risk with spending requires a calculated basis to assess the chance that your funds may run out. A process for monitoring and adjusting spending is paramount to a finically secure retirement.
To determine the level of retirement income that you could achieve we calculate the probability of your funds running out at a projected life expectancy age. Taking this into account, we measure historical market movements which we test this through a number of Monte Carlo Calculations.
Your New Zealand Superannuation is broadly inflation indexed.
By not inflating the drawings from your investments you are able to spend more in the earlier years. This is when you have the time for travel, hobbies, and newfound opportunities to spend money on.
In the middle to late retirement years, spending may slow. Houses sometimes get downsized, travel may lessen, and the trappings of consumerism lose some of their appeal as some retirees spend less time accumulating possessions and may instead feel a calling towards simplification. As your spending needs drop inflation will effectively decrease the purchasing power of the drawings from your investments.
This is in-line with US studies which show that the income needs of retirees drops by around 1-3%pa during their retirement years. The inflation target set by the New Zealand Reserve Bank is also 1-3%. This is our rationale for not inflation adjusting your portfolio drawings.
Having a solid retirement plan is a core part of feeling financially secure.
How We Help First Home Buyers
We’ll work out how much you can borrow based on your income, savings, and deposit. You’ll get a clear view of what’s achievable before you start house hunting.
01. Understand Your Borrowing Power
We handle the pre-approval process with major New Zealand banks and specialist lenders. Our experience helps you avoid delays and improve your chances of approval.
02. Get Pre-Approved
Not all home loans are created equal. We compare rates, features, and flexibility to find the best fit for you.
03. Compare Lenders and Rates
Once you’ve found your home, we’ll manage the loan application through to settlement so everything runs smoothly.
04. Secure Your Loan
We’ll review your loan regularly as your circumstances change and help you make smart decisions as your financial journey evolves.
05. Ongoing Support
How we help first home buyers
01
Understand Your Borrowing Power
We’ll work out how much you can borrow based on your income, savings, and deposit. You’ll get a clear view of what’s achievable before you start house hunting.
02
Get Pre-Approved
We handle the pre-approval process with major New Zealand banks and specialist lenders. Our experience helps you avoid delays and improve your chances of approval.
03
Compare Lenders and Rates
Not all home loans are created equal. We compare rates, features, and flexibility to find the best fit for you.
04
Secure your Loan
Once you’ve found your home, we’ll manage the loan application through to settlement so everything runs smoothly.
05
Ongoing Support
We’ll review your loan regularly as your circumstances change and help you make smart decisions as your financial journey evolves.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Getting ready to buy your first home can feel complex, but the basics are simple. Here’s what you’ll need to have in place before we begin, so we can map out your borrowing options with clarity.
If you’re unsure about anything, we’ll walk you through each requirement.
Deposit (ideally 10% or more)
Recent payslips or income proof
KiwiSaver details if you plan to use your savings
Summary of monthly expenses and debts
Photo ID and proof of address
Business owners
It is normal for business owners to overvalue their businesses. Formulas and assumptions vary and ultimately a business is only worth what a buyer is prepared to pay for it. This in one of the reasons that so many business are liquidated rather than sold in New Zealand.
Business owners often need to diversify and save for their retirement in other areas outside their business. This is especially true in New Zealand, where many business owners own property as their primary income. As such business owners should largely hold investments that compliment New Zealand property and sufficiently diversify their investments.
The average Kiwi will spend 40,000 hours working towards accumulating their retirement needs. The least they could do is spend an hour discussing how to protect these needs.
Using KiwiSaver and First Home Grants
If you’ve been contributing to KiwiSaver for at least three years, you may be able to withdraw part of your balance to help with your deposit. You might also qualify for the First Home Grant through Kāinga Ora.
We’ll help you understand eligibility, apply for grants, and structure your deposit for the best outcome.
All your lending options in one place
We compare major banks and specialist lenders for you, making the process simple
Why Lancewood Mortgages?
Access to New Zealand’s full lender market
We compare all major banks plus specialist lenders, so you get more choice, better options and fewer surprises.
Local expertise, national reach
Based in Dunedin, we understand the local market and settlement challenges, and we work nationwide to help you wherever you’re buying.
A streamlined, stress-free process for first-home buyers
We guide you every step of the way, from understanding your borrowing power through to pre-approval and settlement, so you can focus on finding your home, not the loan.
No cost to you, the bank pays us
Our mortgage advice is free for almost all clients. We are paid by the lender when your loan settles, which means you get expert guidance at no extra cost and still receive fully independent recommendations tailored to your situation.
