Hey, my name is Andrew Duncan.
On my blog, you will find real estate tips, advice and market commentary, along with articles about climate change, plant-based food, personal finance and travel. I love working with nice people, solving problems and living in Wellington, NZ.
A few of my friends and clients have asked me whether it’s a good time to buy and/or sell considering what is going on in the world. Here are my thoughts based on what we know so far… Note: Last updated 24th March 2020. Lockdown announced! This will effectively push a giant ‘pause’ button on nearly all real estate transactions and all the advice below…
I am an investment property owner. I am just the kind of person the Tax Working Group intends to target in their capital gains tax recommendations. This policy is likely going to cost my family a lot of money in the future. But I understand why it needs to be done and I agree with it. Here are 5 reasons I agree with a Capital…
Letting fees are a cost which have historically been charged to tenants by property managers when they move into a property. It is usually equivalent to one week’s rent. It is a large cost for a tenant to bear, especially if they are only going to live in the property for 3 – 12months. While taking a sabbatical in Auckland in 2017, we rented a…
Every millennial real estate buyer wants to be in charge of their transaction from start to finish. We want to do as much research as possible before speaking to a real estate salesperson. 5 dos and 5 don’ts for marketing properties to first home buyers. Please don’t! 1. Don’t limit the number of photos on trademe to ‘make the phone ring’. If we can’t see a photo…
I believe we have a housing affordability issue in New Zealand. I fear for friends of mine who are having to load up on debt to get on to the property ladder and at the other end of the spectrum, I can’t stand the sight of families living in cars as was so well illustrated in the recent documentary who owns New Zealand. It’s fair to say…
There is now a real estate file delivery system available that every single real estate salesperson should be using to allow prospective buyers access to reports and other related info. This system is called propertyfiles and from our experience, it’s a game-changer. I’ve worked in real estate sales since 2007. Since the day I started, one of the most time-consuming tasks has been getting property info…
A new report has been released by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor which questions all our assumptions around ‘safe’ meth contamination levels in residential houses. The report essentially says the old trigger level of 1.5 mcg per 100 sq cm was way too over-zealous and contamination levels would have to be many, many times higher to even have the possibility of causing negative effects….
Lately, the ‘stop being so tough on property investors‘ rhetoric has gotten a little bit much for me to bear. Fellow property investors – it’s time we started being honest with ourselves. Taking care of your financial future is a good thing and you should be commended for it. You won’t be a burden to the state if you take care of your own finances. At…
Please note: Figures below are generated from REINZ stats and ‘Wellington City’ covers Tawa to Seatoun and everything in between… The big talking point this month… The median sale price for non-apartment properties (houses, townhouses and units) in Wellington increased to $744,373 in February 2018. That’s the highest median every recorded for that segment of the market. Just beating out November 2017’s high of $744k,…
I recently asked my newsletter recipients the following 3 questions: How do you feel the real estate industry needs to change? What would give you more confidence when dealing with real estate salespeople? What part of the real estate process do you find the most confusing? The feedback blew me away. I am touched by the amount of time many of you took to write…
