Investment Property Newsletter

Mark Hamilton is Tommy's investment property specialist.

Mark's regular investment property newsletter - In The Know - is focused on keeping you informed and to provide sound property advice.

You can read recent issues online below, or if you would like to receive a copy via email, please contact Mark ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to be included on his mailing list.

To talk with Mark about investment property opportunities, please call - Office 04-381 8600 or Mobile 021-573 506.

December 2011 - Is Santa Finally Coming Back

Hello and welcome to my 2011 Christmas newsletter. Seasons Greetings to all of you and I hope the upcoming festive season brings happiness and a good deal for anyone looking to get into the property market! With interest rates where they currently are, the cost of borrowing is at a sensational level. As I noted in last months edition, there has been a surge of activity over the past 6 weeks or so, which has set the market tone quiet nicely! As per usual, it is the well presented and well priced properties that have been moving the quickest. We have had a number of situations over the past month where there have been competitive situations amongst buyers for properties. First home buyers and the $900,000- $1,200,000 sectors of the market seem to be in heavy demand presently.

November 2011 - More Strength in Market

As often is the case at this time of the year the market has slipped up a notch with activity as the Christmas holidays approach. There has been plenty of stock coming to the market as the temperatures warm up and the sun sits higher in the sky. This, coupled with historically low interest rates has meant there has been good activity in the market over the past month. First home buyers have been active in the market, while well presented and priced properties have been attracting multiple offers. This state of play should continue into Xmas and then the market will take its usual breather until the end of January.

October 2011 - Signs of More Market Activity

An honest appraisal of the real estate market is that the usual post-winter resurgence of business activity in spring has not eventuated this year to the extent that it has in the past. Blame the euphoria of the world cup, the global economy or simply the general lack of positivity in the market place, but real estate activity has certainly not been spectacular in recent weeks.

September 2011 - More Sunshine, More Stock

Finally the weather is beginning to turn, daylight saving has arrived, and the residential market is showing signs of
life. Spring sales are looking very promising in the New Zealand residential real estate market as the median
price for homes ticks upward, inventory remains low after a period of distressed property buys and economic
confidence improves. The average price for a home has risen 2.7% for the month of August and now sits at
$415,078 and new listings have dropped 14% on a yearly comparison. New Zealand is also experiencing a period
of very favourable interest rates and the added bonus of the impact of the Rugby World Cup.

August 2011 - Housing Stock in Short Supply

The property market is edging toward the spring period – a time traditionally when more buyer activity appears at open homes and new properties appear on the market. In the past month there has been a slight increase in the number of both new listings and also appraisals which is standard for this time of the year. Those thinking of selling over the summer period will traditionally begin the process of getting appraisals for their property and also the onerous, but very important task of getting the property tidied in readiness to be presented to the market.

June 2011 - Good Opportunity to Sell

As I wrote last month, it is often a great time to sell a home in winter. Funny how this is starting to bear fruit with the number of sales through our office, Wellington and NZ as a whole on the up. There is currently areasonably significant shortage of listings which has seen a number of competitive situations occurring in the past few weeks. On the whole, the average time a buyer spends in the market looking for a new home or an investment property would be approximately 3-4 months. Buyers get to a certain stage in their buying process of having missed out on one or two purchasing opportunities, before deciding that the next property they like, they will do what they can to secure the property. If your timeframe is to sell a property within the next 6 months, with the shortage of stock currently in the market, low interest rates and the best home affordability in years, now may well be the opportune time to sell and take advantage of this current situation.

July 2011 - Market Treads Water

Looking at statistics from both the REINZ and QV, the residential market has seen increased activity and rising prices for June. From my perspective, June was an especially busy month coming on the back of a rather slow May. Sales were buoyant as buyers took advantage of low interest rates and the best home affordability in a number of years. July has been a slower month, compounded by the fact that the school holidays are now upon us. This is traditionally a time when the market does take a breather with many people being away on holiday. The stock situation is still on a slow burner as is often the case in winter. There has been good enquiry for the listings that are available, but many buyers seem to be holding out for more stock to come to the market before making any decision. Looking forward, the recent GDP and inflation figures, coupled with the upcoming election later in the year may also cloud the water to a certain extent.

May 2011 - Market Moves into Winter Mode

As we move into the winter months the market supply has as per usual, begun to contract. Typically the cycle will follow a fairly standard pattern of less listings coming on to the market in winter, followed by a spring flush in October/ November and then a sustained period of high stock listings over the summer months, before, once again easing in autumn and winter.

April 2011 - Now is the Time - Economists

Hello and welcome to my April 2011 newsletter.

Well another summer is all but over and upon reflection the market has actually been quite busy. More so from a home ownership perspective, but there are signs that more investors are now starting to come back into the market.