14/09/2026
Currently watching this house lift project down the street with daily check ins with the kids.
This one, like ours and a lot of others on our street, got written off by insurance after the Christchurch earthquakes.
Still very liveable. Just needs serious work to get it back to an insurable state.
The floor levels would have been so out of level due to the 100+ year foundations. It’s getting the whole foundation replaced.
These pop up on Trade Me now and then before a developer or flipper snaps them up.
Big yard, character home, 3+ beds, close to town. Looks like the deal of the century.
Here's the catch. You need insurance to get finance from a bank.
No insurance means no bank mortgage.
So you're looking at a non-bank lender instead, and that means you'll need a plan for the repairs plus some extra funds or equity to make the deal stack up for them.
If you're a first home buyer with a tight deposit, these ones usually aren't the play.
Doesn't mean they're a bad house. Just means you need the right setup behind you first.
