Last month I spent just over 24 hours in Melbourne visiting friends. Amanda stayed on a little longer, but with Sunday being open home day, I needed to be back. Our friends live in a very cool 1960s home about 25 minutes from the CBD, close to the sea. Over a drink, Dan mentioned the house had a few issues, nothing unexpected, and things they knew about when they bought. He said something that really...
The start of a new year always brings a sense of optimism. A fresh page, a chance to reset, and the comforting idea that last year’s bad habits can stay exactly where they belong, last year. If you’re a regular gym-goer, January is chaos. Classes book out, new year’s resolutions are everywhere, and suddenly it’s harder to get a spot in the class than Taylor Swift tickets. For gyms, January must...
And just like that, we find ourselves at the end of another year. For many, this time comes with a hopeful sense that next year will be better, as if a short shutdown in December can miraculously heal an entire economy. So, what have we learned in 2025? Rate Cuts All year the conversation centred on rate cuts and the expectation that they would reignite the market, just as we saw during the...
Only a few short years ago, New Zealand was in the grip of a housing crisis. The headlines screamed about supply shortages, record prices were locking out first-home buyers, and rents were through the roof. Political parties blamed each other for decades of under-investment in housing. Fast forward to 2025, and we’re facing the opposite problem. We now have more homes than people willing to...
It’s not often we see a genuine first, but last month Dr Anna Breman was appointed the first woman Governor of the Reserve Bank. While not a Kiwi, she arrives with no political baggage and a clean slate, and with a bit of good management she will arrive just in time to steer us through the final days of the economic slump we have been in. The question on everybody’s lips, will she be bold enough to...
1987 was a big year for New Zealand. Optimism was in the air, we hosted the very first Rugby World Cup and a little-known director called Peter Jackson released his cult hit Bad Taste. As the All Blacks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup high in celebration of our win, the stock market too hit all-time highs. What a time to be alive! And then came Black Monday in the US. By Tuesday the 20th of October, the...
Amanda loves to travel and by proxy, I now love to travel too. It’s not always easy when you’re in real estate. That nagging feeling of guilt about being away, the worry that you might miss an opportunity. It never fully disappears, no matter how long you’ve been in the game. But travel is good for you. After all, if no one had travelled, Italians wouldn’t have tomatoes. And without tomatoes…...
At school, I wasn’t exactly known for my academic brilliance — though I did once win a top academic prize, much to the shock of the entire school (and myself). When it came time for career advice, the teacher in charge gently steered me toward a trade or the military. I told him I was actually planning a gap year, followed by business school. His eyes said it all: good luck with that. Fast forward...
Last month marked a significant milestone for Amanda and me – our 16th wedding anniversary, which also happens to represent 16 years of business partnership. We celebrated with a quick trip to Sydney (don't worry, I was back for Sunday open homes). The preparation for that trip involved plenty of farmers walks – not for fitness, but to build up strength for carrying shopping bags. When I asked about...
One of the most common things we hear from buyers is: "Can you get me a good deal?"The honest answer? No — not from my vendors. Real estate agents work for the seller, even if they aren’t the listing agent. Our legal (fiduciary) obligation is to get the best possible result for them. So, this month, I thought we’d flip the script and look at how buyers can put themselves in the...