If you are planning on purchasing a property in New Zealand, watch out for leaky buildings! Known as ‘Leaky Building Syndrome’, it affects between 30,000 and 90,000 properties which were built in the last ten years.

Ensure that your New Zealand dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare by researching on the facts. The Mediterranean look has become increasingly popular in New Zealand over the years, and as such, the trend of flat or minimally sloping roofs.

Buildings have also been plastered white to give a Spanish feel to them. Unfortunately however, this ‘plaster’ is monolithic plaster; a synthetic material which is sprayed onto the outside of timber buildings to give the effect of a plaster finish.

A result of the use of monolithic plaster is that some of these beautiful homes are now taking in water from the exterior of the building, and this is just the beginning of the problems faced by many New Zealanders. The water absorbed makes its way into the wooden frame of the building, and, being untreated wood in the majority of cases, the wood begins to rot.

If you have your heart set on one of these Mediterranean looking homes then beware and find out as much information as you can so that you can at least be prepared for the worst. However, you would be well advised to stay away from properties like this as they can end up costing you.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in New Zealand, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘New Zealand Property Buying Guide’