News and Thoughts
Thoughts on the Real Estate market and beyond.
Market Comment 1 Oct
02 October 2012The Auckland residential market may be undergoing something of a boom - or is that a bubble ? Once again we see that institutional memories are painfully short, and the banks are starting to get back to their bad old habits of lending up to 95%. When combined with very low interest… Read More
The hidden OPEX bill
02 October 2012You will note that we are now quoting a $ per square metre rate for OPEX, in addition to details of the total OPEX. We believe that this additional figure assists to give a clearer picture of the total cost of occupation.Costs vary widely dependent on whether buildings are… Read More
Unit Titles Act 2010
31 August 2012Attending as many bodies corporate agm's as we do, we have been concerned for some time at the rising costs associated with owning a property in a body corporate - as opposed to a stand alone property. There are often significant hidden costs. Generally when discussing properties… Read More
Less legislation - more morality?
31 August 2012There are times when a chance conversation triggers thoughts, and perhaps insights, about issues which directly impact on our daily lives. A recent conversation with a British business associate had the effect of making me think about the New Zealand business environment. The… Read More
A buoyant economy - or one still in trouble?
31 July 2012We find ourselves constantly asked for our view on the state of the economy. It's certainly not because of any classical training as an economist. Or perhaps it is because we have not trained as an economist. Perhaps it is simply because we work with such a variety of businesses… Read More
Roll up, roll up - see the skinny freak
29 June 2012As a boy I was taken to the annual A&P show in Upper Hutt. My mother feigned an interest in farm stock being paraded and insisted I do likewise, she deeming this "educational". But my attention was focused longingly on the out-of-bounds carnival clamour at the park end,… Read More
Either learning or dying
31 May 2012We have always adhered to the concept that if you are not learning, then you must be dying.Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller say it better than we can in their book Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life : "Growth is what separates living things from dying things,Growth brings… Read More
What makes a good agent?
27 May 2012I am a believer in the power of simplicity. Or, to put it another way, complicating things doesn't make them any better or more efficient.Today I am here to tell you what we do, how we do it, and why we find most industrial real estate agents hopeless. And of… Read More
Perhaps the time has come for a Marxist revolution?
01 May 2012Back in the 1970's things were just a little different. We wrote letters (as opposed to email or text). We wore long socks with shorts. And our parents thought that free love and rock 'n roll were signs of the imminent demise of civilisation. As they knew it. Perhaps they were… Read More
The days are getting shorter, or so it seems
30 April 2012With the completion of day light savings and the onset of winter we're faced with what feel like shorter days. We've still got X, Y, and Z to complete, and yet we've got less daylight to do them in. It's even more important at this time of year to reflect on our own processes to… Read More
Market Commentary - May
30 April 2012It's very much a mixed bag in the marketplace at present. One day we are run off our feet with interest in properties, and offers. The next day the phone doesn't ring. Certainly the major drivers we are seeing are owner/occupier interest , mainly brought about by sustained… Read More
We appreciate feedback, as long as it's honest!
30 April 2012Dishonest feedback is not feedback at all, it's a fictional story. We realise that it's the real estate agents on the coal face that have a better idea of the market than we do, and we appreciate the feedback that they can provide us. What the market is doing, or how our vacant… Read More
Man Up
02 April 2012As a sequel to last month's tale of an experience attending family group conferences of young offenders, during the month I received several envelopes full of paper from CYFS. In private enterprise we are always searching for better, faster , and more efficient ways… Read More
Brownfields, Greenfields
29 February 2012Looks like they will remain fields for some time. Whether discussing Brownfields or Greenfields developments at present, the answer is about the same - it doesn't pay. And it won't for some time. In assessing the viability of building - and that includes clearing… Read More
A rather soft underbelly
29 February 2012It was my first time at such a conference, not being an habitué of any part of the justice system, so I left the suit at home, not wanting to appear too overdressed in such a situation. As it turned out, others were obviously concerned that they too were not overdressed and intimidating.… Read More
Business goes on
03 February 2012Amongst the talk of doom and gloom that seems to come in a different form almost every day out of Europe, our view on the economic future for New Zealand is a little different. We recognise that in a global village a butterfly hatching in Greece may cause a tsunami here, but most… Read More
Making sense of yields
09 January 2012The festive season gives us good opportunity to amply consider many things. This year, after the pavlova was consumed, and before we settled on the resolutions for the new year, I started to think about property yields – and more particularly why they are at the level they are. I… Read More
General Election and Festive Greetings
01 December 2011GENERAL ELECTION Another election has come and gone - this one notable for both how little disruption it caused to economic activity, and for the low voter turnout. In percentage terms it was the lowest turnout in 120 years. We can certainly empathise with the attitude… Read More