Housing – and the cost of it – is one of New Zealand’s hottest political issues. Despite the hyperbole, the fundamentals are sound and it remains one of the best long-term investments according to Alan Henderson, Director of property investment experts Erskine + Owen. As a property investment expert, as well as an experienced residential […]

In property, as in all forms of investment, it’s important to have a long-term view and bear in mind lessons from the cycles we’ve been through before. The voices of alarm we’re hearing from some pundits now, takes me back to 2011. Then, we were four years into the life of Erskine + Owen and […]

Alan Henderson of Erskine + Owen answers the tough questions about retirement As I write this, it’s Saturday morning. I’m watching my son swim; I’ve just dropped my other son at cross fit. I’m negotiating to not have to drop my daughter at gym, but I know in an hour or so I’ll be picking […]

Should investors be scared off by the Reserve Bank’s increasingly hands-on approach to the property market? Not necessarily, as there are upsides – it creates a safety valve against potential overheating, and gives rise to some innovative investment vehicles. As investors, we Kiwis are used to a relatively unregulated property market. We’re renowned for favouring […]

The last month – Highlights on key market indicators Interest Rates: The RBNZ cut the OCR by 25bps last month – down to 2.25%. It cited slowing global growth and declining inflation expectations. We may see an even lower OCR. What does this mean? Interest rates are unlikely to tank any time soon. Net Migration: […]

During the month of October, several regions around the country reached new record median prices, while at the same time, Auckland stopped to take a breather. While the volume of property sales was up 4% from October last year, they fell 19% compared to September. While Auckland may look to have stopped in its tracks, […]

The Reserve Bank (RBNZ) recently proposed a 70% LVR restriction for investors in the Auckland property market. While it was tempting to jump straight out of the gates with a comment, we thought it would be more useful to wait for the RBNZ’s discussion document and provide a deeper analysis of their announcement. In this […]

Despite what we might have called “pre-election jitters” dampening the market a tad, the housing market rebounded in October, and is lining up for a strong finish to the year. Increased mortgage lending that is recovering from 2 year lows, cuts to fixed mortgage rates, and net migration at record highs all provide strong support. […]

In March, the BNZ-REINZ residential market survey of real estate sales agents reveals an ease in market sentiment, as agents around the country reported most regions to be in equilibrium as buyers began to tentatively re-enter the market after adjusting to last year’s change in lending rules. However, anecdotal evidence from the survey is suggesting […]

Auckland’s Supply Shortage – not new news to us! While the media were focusing on the international economic crises back in 2011, Erskine + Owen were already discussing their prediction of a housing supply shortage. At that stage there was evidence of a growing demand for property, with a declining number of building consents being […]