Time for a quick residential break from all the Excel awesomeness. I have an exciting news to share with you all.
We have a home in New Zealand.
New Zealand? I thought you are in India!
In the middle of 2016, we moved to New Zealand. We have been living in windy, lovely and beautiful Wellington ever since. After renting a house and sampling life in NZ, we decided to call it home for next few years. The next natural step is to buy a home and move in. Unfortunately, this is where things went crazy for a few reasons.
Buying a house in Wellington
- The housing market in New Zealand (more so in Wellington) was going gangbusters with prices increasing every week.
- There is very limited stock and any modern, warm, well situated house would go in to a bidding war and sell for ridiculous amounts over asking price.
- I never liked the idea of paying a mortgage. I have bought all my houses (except the first one) with cash. But that was in India where prices are amazingly cheap compared to markets like New Zealand. After shuffling around some funds from India and living well below means for the last 18 months, we had enough to pay good chunk of purchase price. We still needed some mortgage, but it is not terrifyingly large and I could pay it off if needed.
So after going to numerous open homes, reading heaps of builders reports and losing half a dozen bids, we were ready to give up. Then almost randomly, we ended up purchasing our home.
Details and pics of new Chandoo.org HQ
This is by far the biggest house we have ever owned or lived.
- Size: 170 sqm house, 625 sqm land
- 4 bedrooms (3 rooms where we will sleep and other will be the real Chandoo.org HQ, my home office) and open plan living with dining and kitchen
- Location: northern suburbs, Wellington, NZ
Check out the pictures.
All the furniture is seller’s. We are moving in this Friday (24th of November).
From outside:
Living room:
Kitchen:
Master Bedroom:
View from back:
Thank you & Thanks to Excel
It is amazing how much of my life is owed to you. Thanks to your enthusiasm to learn, I get to live in a beautiful home in one of the best cities in world. I get to raise a family, travel, do awesome things and feel purposeful, all thanks to you.
It feels fitting that we are moving in to our new home on thanksgiving weekend.
Thank you.
I am also thankful to Microsoft, for creating one of the most wonderful software ever. Without Excel, you wouldn’t be reading this blog, I wouldn’t be living in New Zealand. Thank you MS.
Thank you also to my family, teachers, friends & colleagues for helping me learn, grow, make, fail, prosper and understand.
More Personal Stories
If you would like to learn more about the personal side of Chandoo.org, have a read thru these,
87 Responses to “Thank you, we have a home in New Zealand”
Congratulations!!!! This is is so great!
Do you miss all the bright red inside the India house?
I'm gonna go spill some red wine everywhere on Friday, Oz.
Good idea!
Excellent idea!
Thanks Oz. Before Jeff brings a barrel of red to format my house, let me confess: There is a bit of red in the kitchen. I will try to post a pic later 🙂
me from india , as much i am happy for you , i am jealous too 🙂 .Wow brother , what i did is awesome .Even i am crazy for excel and make people learn new stuffs .Please do help as how can we make an enterpruner journey with excel alone .Is still there are lot of market which are still untapped .What does it taken to have an excel driven business and competing with high sophisticated tools ? Please do plan out for a video .We all want to hear from you .Thats you will not only motivate us but also give us the right direction .
Your new home looks lovely. All of that wonderful natural light will keep your rooms warm. I hope your get to enjoy it for several years!
Wish you all the very best...
Congrats Chandoo & Family
Its Well Deserved
Enjoy
Congrtz.....the house is amazing & the country as well.
Congratulations Chandoo ! God bless
Heartiest congratulations Chandoo, inspiring to read!
That's amazing... I am from India too and ever since my NZ visit this year.. its my dream to settle someday in NZ. It definitely inspires me to do more consistently. Congratulations !!!?
A fairytale place... Something just like this !!! Awesome !!!
Congrats Chandoo. You deserve it for all your hard work!
Enjoy your stay in Newzealand.
Congratulations.
Looks amazing. Good work!
Congratulations. Lovely to see your progress.
What a beautiful house. Congratulations.
Congratulations to the family. We look to a future full of happiness and Excel awesomeness!
Congratulations Chandoo! As one myself, welcome to home ownership in the northern suburbs!
So glad you managed to find one to call your own. The market is a little bit crazy, but it seems everything aligned for you to get this amazing house.
Thank you Nathan 🙂
Congratulations Purna, It is all your hard work and elders blessings. Enjoy your new home and stay in New Zealand.
Congratulations. May there be more personal and professional. God Bless
Dear Chandoo
I have been following your website for some time now. It has helped me in a lot of ways. I always plan to join one of your online classes but keep putting it off because I am lazy. 🙂
Congratulations on your new home and office.
I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am for you and your family. Somehow, I feel proud of you and your achievements.
Good on you brother. Keep rocking!
Congratulations Chandoo.
You have become the prime example for the hardwork and inspiration.
It's amazing and inspiring to read your story from India to NZ. Can't believe it that somebody can make a fortune out of Excel! But you did! Just because of your focus, daring and will to do it!
Congrats for the new house in New Zealand! It is awesome beautiful!
Congratulations Chandoo!!!!!!
A well deserved home for making so many people awesome in Excel!!!!!
This is really a great news, Chandoo, Thank you for your great posts.
Congratulations. We are lucky to have you here with us in New Zealand.
Congratulations Chandoo and great to see you living your dream with you passion as vocation. Life is beautiful when these merge 🙂
Congratulations! The place looks incredible. I bet you do your household budget and layout planning in excel 🙂 I do. Maybe it's an idea for a blog entry? 🙂
That is interesting to hear. May be you should write a guest post telling us how you did this.
I did plan our purchase and mortgage options using a primitive workbook, but nothing fancier than that. Over the years, we have learned to spend money carefully, so I have done away with budgets long back.
Congrats! I dream of improving my Excel skills to your master level and of being able to do something similar.
Congratulations on your new house Chandoo. I hope your move goes well and that it is a happy home for you and your family.
Don't forget, though, to invite all chandoo.org followers to your house warming party!
Duncan
Of course, if you ever find yourself in this part of the world, ping me. We can have a barbie and chat all about Excel.
Congrats! Nice open concept house 🙂
Hi Chandoo - this is a very pleasant surprise - WELCOME to NZ - Wellington is a great place to live, - but of course the South Island is better !! 😉
looks like a dream come true. Congrats!
Congratulations....
This is great and congrats
Congratulations to you & your family Chandoo! What a lovely house you have there! Most well deserved & I hope the new house brings you greater prosperity & happiness. May you continue to inspire us with your work!!
Congratulations & God Bless!
Congratulations Chandoo !
Contratulations! It looks very nice!
Why, just yesterday I was wondering if Chandoo ended up getting a house in NZ yet. I promise you I'm not joking.
Congratulations! Let you HQ be bigger and more bigger, wish you success and happiness. And thankyou for sharing your knowledge.
Greetings from Holy Jerusalem
The best of Good Luck
I hope that your move this weekend went smoothly and that your family is happy in your new home.
Hey Chandooo....Congratulations...Nice House !
Congrats Sir........!
Congratulations!!! 🙂
Congratulations Purna. Going Brilliant
Congrats for the beautiful home!
Chandoo, the new house looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your story, your tips, and inspiring so many.
Dear Chandoo,
At the onset, many congratulations to my 'Guru' for having such a beautiful home in one of the finest cities of the world.
Truly you are an inspiration to all the inspiring young people who want to "Excel" in this ever created fascinated software by Microsoft.
Great to know that you moved in to your new dream home on 24th November which is also my marriage anniversary date. 24.11.2017 was special for me as I celebrated my first anniversary and my 'Guru' was welcomed by his new home in NZ. Wishing many more good time in future. God Bless!!
Hey, Chandoo,
That is very inspiring that you started chandoo.org based on Excel teaching and you owned a Home in NZ. Its great inspiration. Please keep sharing all knowledge about excel and yes about NZ as well. You shared your Cycling Activities while you were in INDIA!!. Really Awesome!!
Congratulations!
Bidding for house.Crazy to imagine itself
Congratulations !!! it looks amazing...!!!
Thanks everyone for warm wishes and love. Everything went well with our move and we are now enjoying a truly beautiful and inspiring home everyday. Thank you.
PS: as with every move, the internet took almost a week to work. Hence the delay in responding to comments.
Congratulations
Wow!!
Congratulations Sir... 🙂
Congratulations and welcome to Wellington! Couldn't have picked a better time to move, just as summer has finally arrived.
Wow, Chandoo! That house is beautiful! I love blue. It is big, open, and just right.
All the best to you and your family!
Hearty congratulations Chandon, keep it up, of course it's well deserved for you
Congrats..!! Awsome home!
Congratulations! Home is awesome as you. Good work mate.
Congratulations! Thank you for helping us all through excel. I have learned so much from you and I think you are a wonderful teacher! You deserve this!
The wife and I spent a few weeks touring NZ in 2013; North, South and Stewart Island - Fabulous places, all of them and I'd love to live there, anywhere, myself.
If you haven't already, check out the blue cod - you'll find it on most restaurant menu's.
Hi Chandoo
Congratulations !!!
I thought of meeting many times in Vizag ... but could not so since I am residing at Hyderabad but my hometown is near vizag.
Seen your home pics .. it is really awesome .... Appreciate your hard work.... teaching skills... solutions provided in Excel...
Hope all in your family doing good..
Best of Luck
.... Buddhi
Hi Chandoo,
I remember having talked over phone from Chennai, when you were here in Vizag. Its quite long time that I have not touch-based with you. Good to see your beautiful and romantic house in NZ. Keep professing the needy about the EXCEL.
Incidentally, I have done my first teaching on the EXCEL (Basic & Intermediary and some advanced) to a Networking & Security company here in Chennai (for their Sales, Accounts & HR personnel) and I could enjoy the joy when the learners realises that he/she got the SYNTEX clicked right, as if his wife has delivered a baby. A pie of the credit goes to you too Chandoo.
May God Bless you and your family members.
Congrats Chandoo.
You have a beautiful house. And the view out of the M.Br. window seems absolutely amazing.
Wish you and family many years of joy in this house.
Subhash
Great news! You have made wonderful progress since we met at the J'ville Mall soon after you arrived.
I'm keen to do a dashboard course with you in the new year
Happy to learn that you are now settled in New Zealand - a land of breadth taking landscapes, mountains and valleys, glaciers and fjords.
Make the best of living with the nature. Wishing you and your family members all the very best and a Happy New Year 2018 in advance,
Wow, Congrats to purchasing your lovely home. Keep up the good work and thanks for helping this "blonde" to look "normal" at work!
Hi Chandoo.
Congratulations !!
House is a big thing in these markets (anywhere for that matter). Wonderful. Enjoy the NZ nature.
Congrats Chandoo 🙂
Congratulations,
I wish the best for you and your family, in your new house & home city.
Hearty Congratulations Purna..
Props to you for your hard work.
Wow! Beautiful home! Amazing how Excel can totally change a person's life. You are a great example of determination and persistence. Keep it up!
Hey Chandoo, congratulations, well done. Lets catch up over a coffee if iam down in NZ one day. Cheers
I want to move to New Zealand! I live in Hurricane driven Florida, USA. I am referring to the weather of "Mother Nature" as well as the "Presidential Tweets." LOL
Congrats on the house! Very cool
Congrats on the new home. The house looks amazing!
Congratulations Chandoo !!! Excel rocks and so do you !!!
Keep excelling and help us excel too...
Congratulation Chandoo for the new House.
Keep inspiring 🙂
Congratulations Sirji.
This is really nice.
Simply great. you deserve it buddy.
this is a wonderful place .i hope you and your family be happy forever