News and Thoughts
Thoughts on the Real Estate market and beyond.
What I want for Christmas
02 December 2019Normally my approach is to try and ignore Christmas. I stay away from Malls. I studiously avoid Christmas parties. And I leave the gift buying to someone who has a better talent for it than I do. And I hope that if someone decides to give me a gift, that it is not socks.… Read More
Pull my chain once again
02 December 2019A recent interaction with an agent gave us cause to reflect on a contrasting interaction some 30 years ago. Different boots on different feet. And we recognise that there will be those whose reaction may well be “OK Boomer”. But bear with us. There is a point to the story , as… Read More
Expedio Refurbishment – A Case Study
02 November 2019Industrial building refurbishment is more than just a coat of paint. That’s with an Expedio refurbishment at least. Recently Expedio refurbished a generic industrial building at 54 Ascot Rd, Airport Oaks. Here is the detail of how that refurbishment went – showing… Read More
Aligning expectations with tenants
02 November 2019Is tenant selection needed? Do we want every tenant? The answer is yes. And no. Yes, tenant selection is needed, and no, we don’t want every tenant that might want to lease one of our buildings. The relationship between landlord and tenant is a long term one. In… Read More
Council Applauded!
02 October 2019There are many times we are critical of council. They are a monopoly, so can charge what they feel like. They contract out, and then don’t check and supervise the work. They are slow and unresponsive. But this week when we received a CCC from council (only took about 6… Read More
Health and Safety
02 October 2019Expedio is in the business of refurbishing, buying, selling and leasing industrial buildings. All of our buildings are industrial workplaces, either by industrial businesses (when tenanted) or as building sites (when under refurbishment). Common Sense would dictate that… Read More
OCR REDUCTION = YIELD COMPRESSION?
02 September 2019We have read various commentaries predicting that with the last cut, and the promise of more to come, of the Official Cash Rate, that yields will follow a parallel course and reduce also. It’s a simple premise – that as landlords can borrow for less, and if they have cash in the… Read More
I PROMISE
02 September 2019As a sometime watcher of American television and movies, there is one element of many storylines that makes me want to extract vengeance on the scriptwriter. I know full well that TV and movies are not real life. But unfortunately it’s a line that is repeated very often… Read More
Double Standards
02 September 2019I know it’s bad for my mental health, but I recently tuned in to talkback radio. And this time it wasn’t the crazies calling in that gave me cause to think – it was the host. One minute ranting about how much value the outgoing management at Fonterra had lost for the company,… Read More
ONE BILLION TREES
02 September 2019As Minister Shane Jones goes about planting his one billion trees, our thoughts go to the potential mountain biking and trail running opportunities all those forests will provide. It’s a win-win-win. There are increased employment opportunities in places where often there are not… Read More
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
02 September 2019Comparisons can sometimes throw up some interesting data. It’s important that prospective tenants know what a building is going to cost them to occupy. We cannot predict what devious new ways the Council will find to increase rates in the future, but at least this year’s… Read More
Measure twice, cut once
02 August 2019This was the message repeated over and over to us as a youngster as an assistant to a builder. It’s a message not forgotten. And it can be applied in so many more fields than just carpentry. When recently we were presented with an opportunity which involved a vendor who… Read More
Compare and Contrast
02 August 2019A favourite theme of English teachers (at least it was back in time when we went to school) was to compile an essay on “Comparing and Contrasting”. Usually to do with poetry or plays. And it comes to mind periodically when we think about the usefulness of some aspects of higher… Read More
Productivity is New Zealand's biggest economic challenge
02 August 2019The headline is not an attention seeking one of our making. It’s front and centre on the website of the government’s Treasury Department. They say that “Productivity and labour force participation are the key drivers of economic performance, higher wages and higher living… Read More
A case for thinking rental calculations
03 July 2019There are times that industries can be a little like a flock of sheep. If some of the flock turn one way, the rest will too. Or as Donald Trump would do: say it enough times and it must be true. And the way we calculate rentals is a little like that. The size of the building… Read More
Warts and All
03 July 2019When we are looking to purchase a new TV, a new car or even a fishing rod or a movie ticket, for most the first place they go is the internet. Looking at reviews, comparisons, specifications and prices is now second nature for most. We want the information about the product, or… Read More
Banks behaving badly
02 June 2019Some of the most common feedback we hear is that the banks are “tightening up”. There may well be a downstream impact of the increased capital requirements the banks have had imposed on them. And there is certainly not the appetite for risk that existed a couple of years back. We… Read More
The Future of Work
02 June 2019It’s a topic which has received increased media attention recently – just what shape does work take in the future? Will robots take our jobs? Will artificial intelligence render humans obsolete? It has immediate relevance in the commercial and industrial real estate sector,… Read More