Moving House

Changing properties is a bit more complex than it was buying your first home. You might have questions like "should i buy or sell first?" and "what happens to my mortgage when I move?"

If you’re looking at getting into your next home, talk to us first. It’s a great time to review your financial position and make sure you’re getting the best possible deals and advice.

kid peering out of a box that she is sitting in. 'Ola's room' is on the front of the box
Swoosh
Cardboard box labeled Wilbur's hats

When you're considering a move, there's a lot to think about. We can help.

  • Should you buy or sell first?
  • How do you sort out bridging finance? 
  • What IS bridging finance? 
  • Should you pay to stage your home for selling? How do you choose a good agent?

We'll answer these and more. Our brokers are here to make the process easier, so you can spend more time on the important stuff like searching for your next dream home.

Why talk to Squirrel when you've already got a mortgage?

List detail

Review your financial situation

We'll make sure your mortgage is taken care of when you move house and ensure you've got the best rate and mortgage structure.

Strategy

More lending options

We've got relationships with all the banks, plus non-banks too. More options means a better deal for you.

Briefcase

Our advisers aren't incentivised by lenders

They're paid the same no matter which lender you end up with, so you know you won't get pushed into a loan you don't want or can't afford.

Glasses

Sort the deals from the duds

We love putting properties under the microscope. When you find a potential home, we'll check it out and make sure you're not buying a lemon.

Let's get started

Book a time to talk to an adviser today.

Check out the video of Courtney's story.

She's one of our favourite clients and we helped her and her family into their second home.

What happens to your mortgage when you move house?

What a lot of people don’t realise is when you move house, you can move your mortgage with it. 

Say you’ve got a really good rate on your current mortgage and you don’t want to lose it. If you're still borrowing the same amount, we can move the mortgage rate from one property to another. This is a smooth process if settlement for both properties is the same day. Of course lining both up for the same day isn't always possible, so don't fret - there are options for that too, like bridging finance.

Another common option is paying off your home loan in full when you sell, and taking out a new one against the new property. 

If you need to borrow more for the new property, we can approach the bank on your behalf and make sure you get the best deal.

When you’re repaying your loan once you’ve sold, you may have to pay break fees so before you sign anything, get in touch with one of our team to chat through your options.

Woman in denim jacket, smiling
Bridge

Bridging finance

In a perfect world, you'd sell your house one day and land the perfect gem the next, then settle both on the same day. But we live in the real world where that's not usually the case. If you end up buying first, there are two kinds of bridging loans you could go for:

Open-ended bridging

is where you buy first and intend to sell (but haven't sold yet.) Banks are reluctant to do open-ended bridging finance unless you are in a strong enough financial position to support both mortgages.

Closed bridging

is where you buy, and before settlement your existing house is sold under unconditional contract but is yet to settle. This is generally easy to finance.

Find out more about bridging finance

JB explains what happens to your mortgage when moving in 2 minutes and 5 seconds

Chat to a mortgage whiz

Not sure where to start? Book a chat and we'll give you a call to talk through your situation, and provide advice for your next move.

More lenders, more options

ASB Logo
ANZ Logo
BNZ Logo
Kiwibank Logo
Westpac Logo
TSB Logo
SBS Logo
Co-Op Logo
AIA Logo
Squirrel

We have access to more lenders than other brokers – and if you don't quite fit the bank's box we can step in with our own custom solution for you.

Should you buy or sell first?

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? It can be a bit of a juggling act. Lets weigh up the pros and cons. 

Have a gander at our blogs

You'll find some useful insights on the joys of moving house. 

6 March 2025


All eyes on interest rates: Key OCR dates for 2024/2025

By Squirrel

As New Zealand holds its collective breath, waiting for interest rates to start falling again, here are the key OCR announcement dates you need in your diary for 2024 and 2025.

14 August 2024


NZ property market & OCR update - August 2024

By John Bolton

Well, there it is, folks—the good news we’ve all been waiting for. The Reserve Bank has begun the process of gradually unwinding high interest rates, pushing through a 0.25% cut to the Official Cash Rate. So, now that we’re in a falling rate environment (woohoo!) what’s that going to mean for New Zealand borrowers, and our economy?

Pair of young women taking part in a sack race in a park

12 August 2024


Opinion: Greater competition in banking starts with a fairer rate on Kiwi savings

By Dave Tyrer

There's been a big push in recent years to deliver greater levels of competition across our banking sector, and greater value for customers. But Squirrel's Dave Tyrer reckons we're missing a key part of the solution, and it's not about customers paying less—it's about the banks paying more.

After some advice? 

We're here to help.