Ben Harwood was only 18 years old when he bought a house in Christchurch's suburb, Burnside. The move was planned a few days after he was 19 years old. Perhaps this is not a record, but for a young man, it is a huge achievement to climb the stairs of his own house, a year after graduation. He did it on his own, working long hours at two jobs and saving on everything. Now the teenager plans to buy a second house, and dreams of acquiring 15 houses.
What kind of kid is this?
Harwood, who is only 19, is working on a deep-sea fishing boat from Nelson. Each time, he goes to sea for two five-week shifts, back to back with fishermen. He then goes home for five weeks to Christchurch and works at the local New World supermarket. Then he returns to Nelson and goes to sea for the next 10 weeks.
Harwood confesses to his friends what he had to sacrifice: “The hardest thing was to see how my comrades spend money on cars, and I have to say no to a car that I would like to buy myself.”
Poverty is not a vice
Only two years ago, Harwood was poor: “I was 17 years old, and I was still in high school. I was so broken that I remember how I refueled the car for $ 4 and tried to hold out until the end of the week. ”So what has changed to turn his condition upside down? Towards the end of their studies, Ben was told that a career exhibition and a job fair for schoolchildren were planned. And they allowed me to free myself for half a day from school, if I wanted to. Harwood went. It was full of huge lines at all stands. He did not want to join them and went to the free stand - it was a fishing company. After consulting with other people, he decided: “Why not? I have nothing to lose".
Find your niche
Today, Ben Harwood admits that this work is not for everyone. But the money paid is good, and there is an opportunity to save, because there is nothing to spend it on while you are at sea. The elders on the ship looked after Harwood and helped the newcomer. He decided that he would stay on the boat and make a good career.
Another thing for this teenager was his motivation for a secure, calm future. Most people think that this cannot be done at age 18. But he just saw real estate as a good investment in the future. Wanting to buy a house as soon as possible, he saved as much as he could. Even if he just managed to set aside a couple of hundred dollars, it would be 200 dollars that he did not have last week.
How did he buy a house?
When Harwood had accumulated about $ 60,000 in the bank (all his savings), he went to Burnside. Taking a mortgage, he paid $ 242,000 for the house and spent $ 35,000 on repairs. Many people were frightened by the condition of the house - there were holes in the walls and a lot of work was required. But the teenager was able to see the potential and was not afraid of difficulties. Mainly cosmetic repairs were required. Structurally, everything was fine. The young owner renovated and painted the walls, redid the floors, built a new bathroom and enlarged the kitchen.
Ben had to cope with legal difficulties. It was not possible to use his Kiwisaver or receive a Homestart grant when he returned to the sea and could not sign the application personally. Although his mother Lisa Stoutridge had a power of attorney, she was told that only Ben could sign a statement if he had not died or was not convicted.Since he was on the boat, his mother had to make a purchase without his Kiwisaver, and since he now has a house, he cannot retrospectively apply for a withdrawal or grant. Everything was resolved safely. But it is not surprising that some people struggled to get this house.
What do others think?
Harwood lives in the house when he returns to Christchurch, and has two neighbors helping him cover expenses. The teenager says they often ask him if he lives with his parents? He replies: "No, I have my own home." People do not believe him. They ask how can they do this too? Harwood says that "if you are determined to succeed and set your goals before something else, then you can achieve them." When friends ask how he does this, Harwood has a ready-made joke: "Jump on the boat and you will see." He does not plan to stop there. Repaying the mortgage, this young man is already planning to use the house to acquire a second property. “It will set me up for the future,” he says. “My goal is 15 houses.”