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.
UPDATED: May, 2020 Learning how to negotiate while buying and selling real estate is a tricky business. The process can be full of traps that you can’t be expected to know about as most people only enter the market every 5-7 years. If you only rode a bike, drove a car or swung a golf club every 7 years you…
Please note: I am not a qualified financial adviser and the opinions offered here are purely my own. It is critical that you seek professional advice from a solicitor before embarking on any property purchase. Read: Don’t buy a home without speaking to these 5 people first What a scary time it has become for first home buyers, especially if you…
In a market where the majority of properties are marketed by Tender / Auction / Deadline Sale, it is critical that you become proficient in valuing property as quickly as possible, so you can: A: Avoid missing out on your dream property by pitching your offer too low, and… B: Avoid paying too much for a home you fall in…
How are some buyers able to make unconditional offers? Why does my bank insist I have a finance condition even when I have pre-approval? Why do I keep missing out to buyers who are unconditional? What does ‘unconditional’ even mean??? Our last podcast with local mortgage broker Jenny Cheevers was so popular we decided to do a follow-up chat. Listen…
This article was featured in the January 2020 edition of ‘Your Home & Garden’ magazine. Thinking of selling? These 5 steps will provide you with the best possible return on time and money invested when it comes time to sell your home: 1. Painting You should paint bathroom ceilings if they need it, paint kitchen cupboards if the colours are…
One of the most stressful things you can do in your life is move house. Here are 27 moving tips to make your next move a little easier… Note: Would you like someone to transfer all your utilities for you? Completely free of charge? Click here to find out more about our business partner Movinghub Moving Tip No.1: Pack an overnight bag containing…
In case you missed it, TV 3 showed a story recently (10th Aug) about real estate salespeople being approached by property developers wanting to buy houses cheap (avoiding an Auction situation), and offering in return to renovate the property and sell it through the same agent, allowing them to achieve 2 commissions. One of the agents in question told the undercover…
I meet so many people who will do anything to avoid spending money when they buy a home, which is just crazy. Buying is not cheap, and while it sucks to miss out when you have spent money on lawyers, builders etc, you can’t let that put you off taking the right approach and doing your homework up front. It…
There is an extreme shortage of real estate for sale in the Wellington area and understandably, buyers are becoming frustrated by the severe lack of choice out there. Current listing inventory is approx 30-40% of what it was in February / March. One of the consequences of this is increased competition for the few homes that do come on the…
This is a continuation of last week’s article. Please click here to read Part 1 of negotiation tips for sellers. Negotiating Commission I believe commission should (to a point) be the least of your worries when selling. I may be a tad biased here but from what I have seen in the past 8 years far too much emphasis has…
