Apartments Expert
Apartments
Ask Aaron Tunstall, owner of Impression Real Estate, questions relating to apartments.
Aaron Tunstall is the owner of Impression Real Estate, specialising in sales, building and property management. Impression has been awarded property management company of the year three times.
Small apartment development
jess asks:
I’m lucky enough to be able to develop the section my family home is on. I have invested for years. However, this is likely to be my biggest project to date and I quite honestly don’t know where to begin. I’ve been told by a house building company that we could get up to 10 of their terraced town houses on to it. However, I’m curious as to whether we could build apartments and, if so, are they cheaper to build or could we get more on? Also, what companies build smallish apartment blocks in Auckland? Can you recommend anything I could read or do I just start with council? Thanks for any help you can give.
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Leasehold vs freehold
Miriam asks:
I'm interested in finding out more about apartments with a view to investing in one. What is the difference between a leasehold and a freehold apartment? And what are the pros and cons with both?
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Apartment change of use
Jo asks:
We are looking to buy a “Work/Live” unit in an area zoned “Light Industrial” in Auckland. In the development, you may operate a business from the ground floor and live in the upstairs apartment. This is a professionally built complex which complies with all the building regulations and etc.
We would like to seek a “Change of Use” to allow both levels to be operated as apartments. We would rent out the current upstairs apartment and convert the professional office on the ground floor to our own apartment to live in two to three nights each week.
The Body Corp has said while this is not currently permitted, that an owner would be allowed to do this if they got the Council to agree to the change of use. How would we approach that? This would be an application to Auckland Council, but where and how do we start?
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