dilemma re sacrifice!
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=32914
Printed Date: 18 August 2025 at 10:13am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: dilemma re sacrifice!
Posted By: Bizzy
Subject: dilemma re sacrifice!
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:09am
|
So we sold our house and have to move soon.
To me the reason we sold our house was because it was too small and i wanted more room for a growing family. I wasnt too sure if the area we live in was where i wanted to live forever (in papatoetoe) or where i wanted the kids to grow up but it isnt the worst neighbourhood... Anyway my husbsand seems to have taken a shine to Pukekohe and after a day of searching down there yesterday we found some lovely houses. Two my husband likes are in the good school zones which makes the prices a bit higher, but because of this they are a bit smaller. The third one we like is not in the good school zone but is roomy and has so much potential. he said to me that one of the main reasons he wanted to move there and get the kids into the schools was he was sick of them being in the minority! So the dilemma! Do we sacrifice a bit of space for the school zones he wants. ???? ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
|
Replies:
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:20am
|
That is a hard one Biz!
Are the houses in the school zones bigger than the one you've just sold? Can you see yourselves living comfortably there for the next 5-10 years? Are the schools in the bigger house areas better/worse/comparable than the options available to what your options would have been in Papatoetoe? For myself, my priority would be making sure we are making a move up, not sideways IYGWIM? I'm not sure if this is very helpful to you, sorry!  I hope it all gets a bit easier soon.------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:28am
|
one of them the house size is bigger, its in a good neighbourhood and is near to the reserve and has berries and fruit trees on it... the minus being it is down a shared driveway, a long one at that, a carport instead of a garage and oh down a long driveway - grocery day would be a real pain! It has a view to die for though from the back porch and it is child proofed as they have an 18mth old.
the other one doesnt have as much lawn, also a shared driveway but it may be possible to gate it off if the other family were ok with it. the house is bigger but i dont think the lawn is. This one is the cheaper of the 2 in the good zones. The one in the not so good school zones though has a huge old lawn. One old lady owner so its an old fashioned garden. and the potential inside is fab. We wouldnt need to do anything to move in but there is heaps we could do to make it ours, paint, pull up carpet, modernise the kitchen... i see what you mean about going sideways too! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:29am
|
oh and the houses in papatoetoe are definitely more expensive and we have seen some dives!! UGH! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: KH25
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:34am
|
How "bad" is the not so good school? ie, I know that most of the schools in Paps have gone down hill a lot since I lived there so is the school in Puke "better" than whichever school your son goes to?
Houses in Papatoetoe are ridiculously expensive!! It seems very very popular with immigrants now, mainly Indians so they must have pushed the house prices up. ------------- Kelly, mum to DD, 19Jun06 (26wks 1lb15oz) DS1, 24Oct10 (32wks 4lb11oz) and DS2, 31Dec11 (32wks, 4lb11) http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 8:54am
|
I'd go for the old lady house but I don't really understand the school zoning. Can you not send your kids to whatever school you want?
-------------   
|
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 9:03am
|
Converting a carport to a garage is pretty easy and inexpensive.
I'm not sure what you mean down a long driveway - can you not park close to the house? With the inside potential how handy are you and your husband, is renovations something you are happy to do yourself or would you get someone to do them for you? It may not be much of a savings in the long run. The old mantra of property still holds - location, location, location - a smaller house in a better area will still give you a better return than a larger house in a not so good area. Which school appeals to you most? I would be choosing the house closest to the school where I want my children to go. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 9:11am
| I would choose the school too, if you're not happy sending your kids to the other one. |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 9:52am
|
I would also recommend getting the best property you can for the amount you want to spend. A property in a better location that might cost you 10-20K more now is going to be worth a lot more in 5-10 years time than a cheaper property in a poorer location. A property in a good school zone is also going to have better re-sale value than one outside of zone. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 10:33am
|
babe if a school has a zone and you dont live in that zone then you may get in but you have to apply. otherwise if a school doesnt have a zone then its open to any.
caliandjack i dont mind long driveways , i should have said its DOWN!!! like a little hill.. a steep but little hill. which certainly wouldnt be bad for my fitness levels but would make moving in a real PITA! and thanks for reminding me about the location mantra! it makes sense...! Definitley the school looks good and seems to be more well off than the one my kid goes to now... think its a decile 1... and from what i read on the wed it sounded good... thanks guys... it really helps to get all your perspectives and views. i might have to show my husband too as he is really struggling as well and was awake ffrom 12 till 3 am and went to work looking like hell! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 11:10am
|
How easy or hard it is to move into a place shouldn't really be a consideration. its only something you have to do once. Its not a daily occurance.
Maybe you mean decile 10 as decile 1 is the lowest... I don't really get the problem with the driveway either if it has a carport so whats the big deal about grocery day? To me even if it had no parking you could take the car down the driveway, unload and then move the car. And like caliandjack said converting it to a garage is no big deal. |
Posted By: tiptoes
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 11:51am
Depending on the differences in the school's I'd go for the better school, unless as the other's say and it isn't based on zoning. The school, teachers and education are probably a bit more important than if the house is a bit bigger. BUT just 'cause a school is a lower decile doesn't mean it's worse than one that's a higher decile so I wouldn't judge just on that. I've just trained to be a teacher though so my opinion on going to a better school over a better house is probably biased 
Then again, if the reason you're moving is because your house is too small maybe you need to look at a different area so you can have a bigger house but still have good schools. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">  
|
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 11:52am
|
Our house has an awesome view, its not something I'd trade to look at someone else's house in a hurry.
As the owner of a large lawn that DH moans about mowing all the time, unless your a keen gardener (I am not) I'd go for the slightly smaller one. Being at the end of a shared drive is always preferable to being at the top. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 11:54am
LOL thats just what my husband said! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
kebakat wrote:Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 12:51pm
|
Bizzy we had to look at all of this as well. We ended up for the house that havent had maitenance but has all the space we wants. The garden is totally overgrown but it is the worst property in the best area we could afford. If that makes sense.
We thought there was just a lemon tree. Well it seems it has an apple, fig, grapes and even a fejoa tree (found that one yesterday). My advice look at the schools. See where you can get the kids in and which schools you dont want to sent them. Then look at the houses in that area. I know that is why we settled on Waiuku. To go to Auckland it is the same distance whether it is puke or Waiuku. Then look at if you are going to want to stay in this house for the next how many ever years. Or is your next move one you want to make more permanently. (if it is more permanently look at what is more important.) If however it is just a step up then look at what will give you the absolute best return for money so that hopefully the next one up is hopefully your dream home. Hope it helps and hope you get your dream home real soon. BTW what are you sort of looking? Like how many bedrooms, landsize ect. Perhaps some of us can look out for you as well. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 1:15pm
|
With 2 boys, I'd go for lawn space!
I'd also go to the schools and have a look round and not rely on the deciles at all as a marker of what is the better school. ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 1:29pm
|
Yep definitely second this. My mum taught in lower decile schools and has just moved to a decile 10. Her experience is that there are some amazing teachers in the lower decile schools whereas the one she is in now the teachers think they 'know it all' where they are actually stuck about 10 years behind current teaching methodologies.
Check out the ERO reports but even better see if you can talk to some parents in the area. They'll be the best indicator. -------------  
 
|
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 1:55pm
|
I've taught in lower decile schools and decile rating alone will not be a consideration in where DD will go to school.
I would read the ERO reports and go and visit the schools during the day so you can get a feel for them. Most schools will show you around and pop into some of the classrooms, you just might need to arrange a time to do so. Good luck!  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 2:45pm
cheers - decile rating isnt that big an issue for me. i mentioned it because i know to some it is... and it turns out that the school the kids go to now is a decile 2 (and i never knew, i thought it was middle of the road!) 
its funny that schools seem to be becoming so important. i based the decision on which school to send gabriel to on how nice they were on the phone and that one had a pool and i could find the main entrance!  ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 3:00pm
|
I would go for a better school zone myself but make sure you thoroughly check out the schools rather than just relying on the decile number. You could also ring the prefered school to see if they would take G out of zone, then the younger ones would get preference getting in being siblings of a current student. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 3:41pm
|
I have been thinking that too jaz... i have been looking further into the schools and it seems my first impression was right...
------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 7:26pm
| there are some great schools out in Puke, Buckland, Valley, Hill, St Josephs... |
Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 7:30pm
|
So glad I don't live in Auckland - sounds very complicated!! Space is important to us and its more and more of a commodity these days with everyone subdividing and stuff so I would still go for the bigger place coz I reckon it'll be a rare find in a few years but that is just my smalltown opinion
Good luck anyway chick! -------------
|
Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 7:37pm
|
Could you go down this week or next week and visit the schools and meet the Principle and have a look at the classes and even meet the teachers? That's what we did when we moved up here. Luckily for us we don't have zones up here, so we chose the school with the lower decile rating, but it had a better feel to it than the newer school with the higher rating.
My understanding is the lower the decile the more resources and funding the school gets, so that could be an advantage. You may find that the decile 2 school is the better school in some ways. I fully recommend you do a visit to the schools. Also with the houses, my feeling is you don't want to go backwards, you want to invest in your families future so I really think you need to go bigger. Having growing children too, they will need more space eventually and so will you and DH. I think a bigger living space is more important. At the end of the day, bedroom size isn't a biggie because really all you do is sleep in there, but you spend the majority of your time in the living spaces (kitchen/dining room/lounge). If you can find something that is slightly below your budget but has scope for a good redec then I would go for something like that. Good luck ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 April 2010 at 9:56pm
|
thanks guys... you have all been very helpful! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 19 April 2010 at 8:05am
|
Keep looking - you might find something that suits you and ticks all the boxes. We are in Papatoetoe at the moment, and will be moving once Hunter is school age. We have already had a look at the schools in the area, and they are OK but I know what you mean. I have been told not to get too caught up with the decile, as thats the income of the surrounding areas and nothing to do with the calibre of the school.
Puke has gone up heaps in the last few years, we looked there about 3 years ago when we got our place and I cant belive how much houses are there now. Good luck! Im sure youll find the perfect place ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 19 April 2010 at 10:01am
|
Sorry I have only skim read the other replies. Are the schools all definately zoned? If you aren't sure you can check out the http://www.schoolzones.co.nz/enrolmentzones/Index.aspx - Ministry of Education website and it will tell you.
Depending on the school zoning, how 'bad' the least preferred school is etc I would have the old lady's house as my first pick. Good luck! ------------- Lindsey 
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 19 April 2010 at 12:18pm
|
well the old lady house is out! i spoke to a principal at one of the other schools. the catholic school is in zone but you need to be a practising one...( thats us out!) and the other school is "specialised" also.
i have one more house to view down in puke that may be a possibility then i will make an offer for the one with the views and if they dont accept that we will be renting for a while and looking casually. It was really nice to come up with a plan and stop feeling so stressed! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 19 April 2010 at 2:39pm
You could always become a practising Catholic or join the catholic faith!! That's what my Aunt and Uncle did so they could get my cousins into the school they wanted  ------------- Lindsey
|
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 19 April 2010 at 2:51pm
|
LOL Linzy - i know of people who have done that but i dont think i could be that hypocritical... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
|