Real estate tips, advice and market commentary brought to you by Andrew Duncan, with some off-topic ranting occasionally thrown in for good measure. I love working with nice people, enjoying plant-based food, CrossFit, NFL and living in Wellington, where I help run Relatable, an independent real estate agency where we help buyers and sellers make smart property decisions.
property@andrewduncan.co.nz
+64 27 428 6686
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 month at relatable, we analyse the stats and take a deep-dive look at the Wellington real estate market. Please note: Figures below are generated from REINZ sales up to August 31st, 2018 and ‘Wellington City’ covers Tawa to Seatoun and everything in between… Holy smokes, it’s still going up! The median ‘% over RV’ for non-apartment properties in Wellington City hit +55% for the…
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…
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…
The home ownership rate in NZ is currently the lowest it has been in 66 years (approx 63%). It peaked at a high of 73.8% back in 1991 and has been falling ever since. So what’s happened since then? We can all agree, I hope, that a higher home ownership rate is a good thing for families, for children and for our society as a…
When you read through articles on my blog, you might start to think I’m being a bit tough on our poor old real estate industry. Some of you, on the other hand, might think I’m not being tough enough! Here’s the thing: I am more passionate about this ‘world’ than you could imagine. I have worked in it for 15 years (and counting) and have…
