Like Possums in Headlights

September 30, 2024

We’ve had a bit to say about inflation and interest rates over the past year or so. This is a hot topic and has had a massive impact on many Kiwis. It’s not just those with mortgages, but also the businesses and retailers who bear the brunt of consumers spending less.   Our motivation for…

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Goodbye 8% – It was the Best of Times; it was the Worst of Times

August 29, 2024

Has 8% been your friend or foe? At Erskine Owen we see both sides of the 8% coin. For people with property debt, mortgage rates of 8% +, it has been painful. The rate at which interest rates rose meant the impact was felt quickly and it was hard to make changes rapidly enough to…

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The War on Inflation is Won, Prepare to Occupy

July 31, 2024

You know that feeling – when you’ve been in a hard battle, the fight is still going on, but you basically know you’ve beaten your foe. I’ve had the experience several times over the last few days as I lived vicariously through Olympic athletes.    In the rowing, the men’s pair had a stunning race and…

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The Inflation Genie is Back in the Bottle…

May 27, 2024

The Inflation Genie is Back in the Bottle… What are we Waiting for?   When there is ‘an elephant in the room’ that needs to be addressed, how do you deal with it? Let the air from the beat of your wings waft over people and make them think….i.e. approach with incredible diplomacy? Shoot the…

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Property Market Update: “Farewell, we expect you’ll go well son…”

March 14, 2024

Property Market Update: “Farewell, we expect you’ll go well son…” Our eldest departed for university a couple of weeks ago. I expect he’ll go well. He’s quite academic, sporty and determined (maternal traits). We gave him a credit card for emergencies which has already come in handy on several occasions – once at the Marlborough…

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The Three Musketeers

December 11, 2023

The Three Musketeers (The Property Implications of the Coalition Agreements)   Before you chortle at the idea of Luxon, Peters and Seymour galloping in on stallions, dressed in tights and brandishing cutlasses, bear with me….it might not be as fantastical as you think. First let’s refresh ourselves on the fictional story. The Musketeers were formally…

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Climbing Back Up The Cliff

November 21, 2023

This article is the second in our series on what to do if you find yourself in financial stress, with a particular focus on property ownership. Part A addressed the psychological and emotional stress of dealing with challenging financial situations. If you are looking down the barrel of being short on the next mortgage payment,…

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It’s Hard Knowing the Future

November 6, 2023

It’s Hard Knowing the Future The Pain of Knowing When and Where Capital Growth will Occur We have all seen the future…you see your child pushing the limits with their sibling and you just know it’s going to end in tears; your best friend has a new partner…once again – tears. You make a joke…

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Director’s thoughtpiece: Hanging on for Dear Life – Is this high interest rate environment stressing you out?

September 22, 2023

“Hanging on for deal life” is a saying of desperation…right? Actually, it’s a statement of how precious life is. You see, it was coined by someone hanging off a cliff about to fall to their death…and in that moment, that moment when they are on the precipice of departing this mortal coil, they suddenly realised…

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Director’s thoughtpiece: The Challenges This Country Faces

August 16, 2023

Our beloved NZ has serious challenges; we are not faring as well as other small countries… we may well be at a critical inflexion point. As property investors it is important to understand the key issues, the likely future coalition structure on both sides of the spectrum, how each of them might deal with the…

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