Insights

Being a city set on a sparkling harbour, it's not surprising Wellington is home to some stunning beaches and bays. Whether you're looking for a spot to surf or scuba dive, or somewhere to take the family for a swim, Wellington has got you covered.

"All arts need a home and this will be our home - our place for the whole spectrum of performing arts"
Kāpiti Performing Arts Centre represents our regions most significant new public building project - and what an incredible state of the art facility this is going to be. 
On Wednesday night, we attended a wonderful ceremony at Coastlands, with a showcase of musical and singing talent. The ceremony was to celebrate Coastlands Shoppingtown Limited purchasing the naming rights to the theatre, with their tremendous donation of $500,000. 
CEO Richard Mansell spoke and said that "supporting community projects is an important part of giving back, as well as supporting town growth." How true this is. 
This wonderful facility at Kapiti College still needs significant funding to help complete the project; and we can all help build this creative hub, by making a donation.

Poised and ready for our open home at 7 Beckett Lane, Raumati. We met approximately 50 people today and it was lovely to know that more than half of them were from out of the Kapiti area - a positive sign that our marketing of this beautiful property, is working well!

Did you know...
About $1 million is spent every working day on the MacKays to Peka Peka expressway.

Average national asking price in April climbs to new national record of $521,729, while new listings and total inventory plummet.

Auckland average asking price inches up to new high of $789,581.

The New Zealand property market in April continued the trend of the last four consecutive months with yet another increase in average asking price, creating a new record of $521,729, an increase of 1.4% on the previous month.

“For Rich, ’13 Was Good for Making, and Spending, Money” - an article in Yesterday’s New York Times, highlights the fact that the wealth of the über-rich continues to grow.

For some time now, we've seen affluent foreign buyers snapping up luxury homes for their children being educated in the U.S.   This report suggests that in many cases affluent American families are "chipping in" on luxury home purchases for their children.  Not surprising given current economic and equity market conditions, the amount of money on the sidelines, and the current real esate market.

Are you seeing this trend in your market?  What do you see as the drivers?

According to the National Association of Realtor’s 2013 Profile of International Home Buying Activity, 12% of International home buyers in the U.S. are Chinese. In Canada, Chinese investors have been snapping up properties in Canada's largest cities, driving up prices and according to observers, often outbidding Canadians.

Liberace’s once gold laced, not-so-humble abode is now being sold for what seems a bargain price, considering it is rumored that the previous owner paid $3.7 million for the property during the housing boom. Now bank owned, offers on the once lavish home must be cash only and according to the LA Times, owner JPMorgan Chase would prefer a quiet pre-sale.

According to the Knight Frank The Wealth Report 2014 which surveyed about  600 private bankers or wealth advisors representing around 23,000 UHNWI clients across the world,

"Almost a quarter of UHNWI investment portfolios is accounted for by property and as an asset class it is growing in popularity.

For those of you who like to look at the most expensive homes on the market (and who doesn't?!) The Huffington Post Canada has published a slideshow of the most expensive homes currently for sale in each province.  Enjoy.

Forbes’ new Billionaire List hit the newsstands and the Forbes website this month. The current list of 1,645 billionaires reveals that after four years, Microsoft magnate Bill Gates has jumped over Mexican Carlos Slim Helu to retake the number one spot on the list. The five wealthiest on this year’s list with their estimated wealth and home country

Staging your home before showing it off to potential buyers is highly recommended as it can help you sell it faster. This is your chance to weave dreams and ideas into the hearts of those viewing your home – to see its beauty, as well as its potential. It’s a fairly new trend, though, so let’s lift the curtain on home staging.

Kapiti Coast real estate agent, Della Randall, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at RE/MAX’s national awards in Wellington last night.
Her achievement was initially announced at the real estate company’s international convention in Las Vegas several weeks ago.