Archive for the 'General' Category
September 1st, 2010
What an unsuccessful night in trying to connect to other RE portals……
1] my Activerain login screen welcome tonight……
2] my Posterous one.
Perhaps in NZ there may be 1 or 2 people that might read it ……. who knows?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Endangered Species ~ Realtors Personal Assistant (PA)?
Sept 1st, 2010
Huh?
There’s no doubt that advantages have been offered to buyers by the advent of the ubiquitous www experience/exposure.
In the past…yes…buyers would’ve made the phone call….or the personal visit to the shopfront/coalface.
Today, in so many ways the web define’s that coalface.
Need an example …………..look no further than the many Augmented Reality apps now available …. on the iPhone, and perhaps soon on the Android platform too.
Let’s be frank, this type of situation ………it’s certainly not without precedent. Big business was there ………..at least a decade ago!
Moving forward we welcome the decade past………… the “noughties”(aka 2000’s) …..and now……welcome the CIO!
In case you’re wondering……Chief Information Officer, it just sounds more relevant that Chief Operating Officer candidly?
Perhaps you are sick and tired of hearing about “Best Practice?” Direct translation here in english…..is just about this.
“Be the best at what you are……..and if you personally can’t be…..then employ someone to assist the “team” to be that best that is possible in your practice (“vocation”) today.”
I’ve talked to many this last year who just tell me “I just can’t get this twitter / facebook %$@ thing?”
So long story short…..here we are in late 2010….and you find yourself investigating the possibility of hiring a PA (personal assistant) who can display;
1] clear, exact. transferable desktop publishing skills
2] copy writing skills
3] database skills – and I mean REAL skills ~ get the person to demonstrate what they can do at an interview. (if your franchisee really has your best interests at heart I would suggest after your initial interview, you get your office administrator to also interview the person …..importantly without you present.)
TEST Q. What do they know about heatmaps?
The points I’ve highlighted are to my way of thinking the “absolute basics”.
I would be waiting til after the first interview where the person said they were good at this, and this, and that……
Then I would ask them to prepare for a 2nd or 3rd interview…..and hand them a piece of paper with a fictitious address in your area….informing them it would have to be a property relevant to your location…. but just as importantly if you were overseas on a 2 week holiday and this potential listing came in……..how would they personally canvass….…propose it to the potential client with your personal theme/attributes included.
Obviously if you are a top 2%’er you would intercept this phone call with-in the hour (perhaps even via yr iPhone internationally) ….and every thing would be just “as per normal” …….but in a worst case scenario…….its gotta be nice feeling confident that while you sip that coffee in that back street in your favourite back country town in Spain………that back in your office in Christchurch, you confidently know “hand on heart” that your clients best interest are being looked after in your absence?
You may say I am asking too much….but surely you have also heard the saying “that if you don’t ask….”
What’s the absolute worst that could happen?
You get an absolute wiz who is destined for further greatness. perhaps beyond the real estate industry….but hey at least you are exposed to/get 9 months benefit out of it.
Tell me what’s wrong with that……plus you can feel reassured that they have got 9 months real REAL world experience to boot!
Ok your new PA needs to not only know about the above basic things as a MINIMUM, but also needs to know about SEO, web optimisation, etc.
Folks that is the future….and that is the step that will take you beyond……..frankly if they don’t know what all this means…..keep interviewing….when you find the right person you’ll know.
After all what is it that takes a person about ordinary….its the extra isn’t it….I think they call it extra-ordinary!
September 01 2010 | General and Nelson and Sellers and The Market and Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 30th, 2010
About a year ago when I subscribed to the local paper the Nelson Mail, they also made mention that the paper could be accessed digitally too.
After registering and getting accustomed to the service, it all came to an halt once the “trial online subscription” ran out. They wanted payment not just for the physical papers delivered to my mailbox each week, but also another payment sub for the online version.
At that stage I thought one was enough so went with the newspaper print version.
Then about 6 months or so back I got wind that the local council, Nelson City Council that is………allow you to use this online resource as a part of your library card membership.
And I’ve been using it ever since, its great.
I discovered that thinking most everyone was aware of this, was an error in my judgment.
I have spoken to quite a few over the last month or so, and most were none the wiser such a resource existed, and that it was available to all Nelson City Council library card holders.
UK ex pats living in Nelson Bays can read the paper the day of publication, and in the format they are used
Over the last 10 ~ 20 years the Nelson Bays region has become much more cosmopolitan, and its not uncommon to hear US, German and UK accents every day while traveling in the area.
A service like this will be a boon to these folk so that they can, if they want, keep up to date with happenings back home and share in discussion with friends and family when next they talk on the phone.
Quite a few papers available actually......
My interest was piped again a few weeks back when I noticed the local council via their Nelson Life householder delivered print medium discussing PressDisplay again.
This time they were mentioning it as part of “Library Week”, where they were holding demonstrations in the library to show folk what it was and how to use it.
examples of current Editions avail. at 4pm today
The list of features is actually quite surprising
1] the layout is exactly the same as a print newspaper
2] for any overseas newspapers, you read them in their original languages
3] translation is available for most articles (into and out of English)
4] options are there to email or print articles (watermarks are inserted)
5] content search is comprehensive within a specific newspaper, or across selected, or all, newspapers. This includes classifieds, notices and adverts.
6] most New Zealand papers are online as soon as they are produced, in the format in which they are printed. This includes the Nelson Mail, and the weekly Friday produced Nelson Property Press
7] text can be enlarged, or headphones can be utilized to listen to an audio version of selected articles
The Papers online equivalents are available for 60 days from date of publication.
In fact its amusing to see that Flip-Pad app for the Apple iPad is actually going back to the future with their implementation of a newspaper /magazine style layout aggregation of social media mediums.
So if you are a NCC library card holder head on over to PressDisplay here.
Just enter your library card barcode number as shown above, and you’ll be in.
For further info…….
Ask at the Libraries or check our website www.nelsonpubliclibraries.co.nz
August 30 2010 | General and Nelson and New Zealand and Technology | No Comments »
August 29th, 2010
And it’s all because of Bill. In case you were not aware that’s the nickname of the Webb Ellis Trophy – the Cup I’m looking at below.
The same one that all those qualifying rugby teams from around the globe will be playing for next year in New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup 2011, with 2 official matches right here at our newly upgraded Trafalgar Park, in Nelson.
"Bill" & I yesterday contemplating his permanent move to a new home in NZ in 2011
Nelsons upgraded Trafalgar Park was opened officially yesterday morning, jointly by Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall…..
World First in Nelson
……….and local Nelson Member of Parliament, Dr Nick Smith.
Official Trafalgar Park Upgrade unveiling - Saturday August 28th 2010
New Zealands RWC 2011 supremo, Martin Sneddon was also there, and mentioned “fond” memories of playing on the field back in the mid 1980’s, when as the skies got darker, cars were quickly assembled on the embankments, with all then turning on their headlights to assist with the completion of the game.
Martin Sneddon sharing a fond memory of Trafalgar Park.....
Whats World First?
Trafalgar Parks turf has been growing nicely thank you to the $7.4m upgrade, for the last 6 months on top of what is a world first for a Rugby playing field. Glass! Yes a bed of Glass.
Comparing the two "sands" - spot the Heinekens?
Underneath that green stuff is a base of crushed glass, no not as those science boffins know that silica is, I’m talking about real crushed glass.
Good drainage is the key
The chap from Opus joked that if you look at it finely enough you can make out the Heineken, Speights Old Dark and Tui bottles from their obvious respective colours.
Opus were the main project managers, working alongside many other local architects and suppliers. In fact this point was made loud and clear by Mayor Marshall who indicated the council had a massive preference to source the work locally wherever possible.
on a very non-Nelson type of weather day....
2,800,000kg of the stuff
While thanking the government for their $1.5m contribution, Mayor Kerry Marshall, mentioned sustainability as the cornerstone of the new Trafalgar Park upgrade where 2,800,000 kg of recycled glass was used to make the playing field, thats 7% of the total amount of glass accumulated in one year in the South Island.
He also mentioned the Cricket Pitch that was a feature in the middle of the old Trafalgar Park, had also been recycled.
Fittingly, 40 m2 of that dirt, including its foundation Waikari clay, (“best stuff to use for a cricket pitch” – according to Mayor Marshall) has been transferred up to Nelson Boys College, the birthplace of Rugby in NZ.
Related photos about this here.
NZ's Oldest Rugby Club
I suggest fittingly considering their links to the establishment of the game of rugby in New Zealand.
One of the understated features of the new glass sand, is that in each of the coming 30 years (that’s how long the Mayor said it should last) any top-ups required to maintain the grounds “as new” can be completed with almost scientific precision. The reason why is that the original composition is documented so clearly its almost like a recipe out of a cooking book, so apparently relatively easy to top up / replace, and match the exact same grading of the sand particles.
Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall, "Bill" and local MP Dr Nick Smith
Local Member of Parliament, Nick Smith mentioned in his speech that he believed Kiwi’s really hadn’t grasped the enormity of the coming 2011 Rugby World Cup. To highlight this he said it was the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world. To put it in perspective, he added New Zealand will probably not see an Olympic Games, and it was just as unlikely that a FIFA Football World Cup would grace our shores either.
....Game on!
So this World Cup will be, and quite possibly will stand in history, as the largest sporting event ever to take place in New Zealand.
Upcoming Matches at Trafalgar Park 2010
Nelson Bays/Marlboroughs own Mako’s have a few home games here this year.
Lets home they repeat the formula shown last weekend……………
Win or Lose - everyone can now see
where they beat last years defending champions, Canterbury, 27 to 25.
August 29 2010 | General and Nelson and New Zealand and Technology and rugby | No Comments »
August 22nd, 2010
…..continues from Part I.
As you may recall from Part I, the Real Estate Salesperson/Branch Manager is calling at the home of the seller at 7pm ready to present 3 buyer offers, all in sealed envelopes.
We find 3 offers from 3 different buyers who each want to own a house in the sunshine capital of New Zealand, Nelson, where the weather map looks pretty much like the one above every day 
They sit down at the dining room table and open them, in turn looking at the $$$ offered, the deposit, the possession date, and most importantly the conditions………
A] do they need to sell their existing property first (is it even on the market yet?)
B] do they need 3-5 days to get a builders report / engineers analysis / finance approval?
C] do they require a LIM / long / short / unfavourable possession date
D] are they being cheeky with no / very small deposit / trying on silly clauses
E] do any of these offer us an unconditional sale tonight, right now, here on the spot, SOLD?
…..once all three offers have been opened and they are laid out on the table…..
Photo: Andy Newson
……its decision time.
All have come in around the right dollar figure for the clients expectations of what they wanted to achieve, the possession dates for two are ok, one is out an extra 4 weeks.
nearly a clean contract.....
One needs so many days for bank approval of the finance, along with the final check of the form & title from a solicitor or a conveyancing specialist.
Lets look at number two…..
there’s not much missing from this one, certainly the buyers wanted to be certain this was the right one for them, and like many today did not want to commit to any expense until they were sure in their words “they won the deal.”
The point here is that up against the others, a seller may not feel confident that these people are as serious as the other agreements he/she is looking at tonight.
No certainty
In other words up against other offers, the sellers signature on this agreement does not offer the certainty that, for example the next one does. His/her signature on the next one usually indicates its SOLD the moment its signed, tonight.
……..the third offer…..
Which one would you pick? (the above examples are obviously from different occasions ♣)
If you are being frank with yourself its quite obvious that with the clean one the property is SOLD on the spot tonight, whilst the other agreements have differing time-frames that would mean you, as the seller, will need to wait. Believe you me, if there is one time that waiting can seem like its in extra slow motion, then house sale negotiations will make it do that.
The situation is more compounded if the seller is in-experienced with the multi-offer situation, and went with the higher $447,750 offer with 5 days bank finance approval required while saying no to the $444,500 offer that was unconditional, only to find out 5 days later the finance was turned down and they have only been approved to $430,000. Then they discover the other party has since found another home they like just as much.
"Don't want to miss out on your Dream Home?"
Many have experienced the situation in a multi-offer where a buyer seriously over extends themselves to get into that perceived winning offer position, only to find out later that the finance can’t be approved at that “we really stretched ourselves this time” higher figure.
The sellers then fall back to the other offer, and ooophs, upon re-visiting the earlier unconditional offer, the sellers find that they are not in the powerful position they were previously.
Its about here that the previous unconditional buyer puts 2 + 2 together, has worked out for themselves that the other “original winning offer” party can’t complete the transaction, and realises now, that they as the buyers “hold the cards.”
In quite a few situations like this I have seen buyers revise their offer down to $440,000 unconditional. Its about now that the seller feels caught between a rock and a hard place.
Its also about now that some of the parties wished they went with a more experienced salesperson, one who knows how to ensure the situation didn’t happen in the first place, and for whom, if it did through no circumstances of his/her own…..can still work it through to a win/win for both concluding parties.
All of this will fall on deaf ears if you have already made a few offers in recent times, because any good knowledgeable agent would have already explained this too you already. That way you were already forewarned and fore-armed for when the next opportunity does present itself.
Must finish……. off to Open Homes now…….
♣ – and the reason you often never find out what competing offers from other agents were for is that they need to protect their buyers privacy too
August 22 2010 | Buyers and General and Sellers and The Market | No Comments »
August 21th, 2010
I hear a lot of talk about the media reporting many regions quoting (per REINZ latest figures) the lowest number of sales in a decade for July 2010.
Obviously that means that there are a lot of buyers waiting for the “perfect one” to come along before they commit. Either that or there may be some truth in the comment I saw on a board that stated “otherwise, based on turnover, it looks like Kiwis have decided to stay in their present home for the next 27 years!” (can’t remember the exact wording but that was the momentum behind it)
the "Renovators Special?"
All of this means that when that “dream one” comes along, you will probably discover, much to your chagrin, that, you won’t just be the only one wanting it. When more than 2 buyers want the same property we find ourselves in a “multi-offer” situation.
Who wins?
Well………… for that you have to put yourself in the shoes of the seller.
Sometimes its not just about the price
Is there anything I can do to ensure my offer is in the best position?
Actually glad you asked because there surely is.
Number 1 you need to have organized a lawyer/property conveyancing specialist in advance, way in advance actually, of making any offers. You need to feel confident (aka have some prior understanding/agreement between you & them) that you can go to them at short notice for swift turnaround, and one that won’t cost the earth.
What sort of swift turnaround are you talking about?
The sort of swift turnaround that accompanies this question from you………….
“Hi Bob, its Dave here, just seen a property I really like, and I was wondering if you could please look over the Certificate of Title to 123A Main Rd, Anytown and/or any associated council files to see that there are no problems / issues.”
Now I know that as standard, many of us typically allow 3 working days for a solicitors approval, & that’s usually just for an approval of the Certificate of Title. You want a person who can do this and get back to you, in say, no more than 24hours.
might pay to check out the Form as well as the title.....
To ensure the Form of the agreement is correct also, you could ask the Real Estate person involved to prepare a contract and get/fax/email that to your nominated person so that they can check the Form of the Agreement is ok too.
Now, clearly after visiting and falling in love with the property, you need to express your interest with the Real Estate Salesperson involved.
Along the lines of “I’d like to express my interest in this property, if any offer comes in, can you let me know right away?”
Secondly, and hopefully if you have read what I wrote above, you make that phone call to your lawyer/nominated conveyancing specialist and ask them to go over the property details/file/title for you to ensure that they and you are satisfied with any easements, covenants, etc.
Thirdly, (“and by now you’re with the program?”) you’ll also be in touch with your lending specialist to seek a 99% confirmation that the pre-approval*** you are carrying around with you is ok for this nominated property.
Fourth – we’re nearly there…..if you believe the property needs a specialist report, from a builder or an engineer, get that organized before too – obviously its very handy if you know a builder, whereas for an engineer there will an upfront expense involved so you do need to take that into your calculations.
Fifth – check with the Real Estate salesperson for what would be the most suitable / ideal time frame required for possession / for the sellers to exit the property – be aware that if tenants are involved there are legal rights / requirements regarding notice for them to vacate the premises too.
We’re just about there……what we are trying to achieve here is a Sales & Purchase Agreement to buy a home that has hardly any, or preferably no conditions or extra clauses.
That way you will have an Agreement that, excepting the price issue, will shine the brightest.
This list is by no means 100% comprehensive, for example there may be a few other circumstances where further conditions can be satisfied before the offer is presented too, but after all this exact process that I have described is exactly what you would already do if you were buying at auction anyway!
Many folk also advise to investigate a LIM report, I would discuss this with your conveyancing specialist prior too any offer, again, ……….exactly the same process you would conduct were you looking to bid at a property auction.
Knock Knock......
Now I can paint a picture. Real Estate Salesperson/Branch Manager arrives at home of seller at 7pm ready to present 3 buyer offers in sealed envelopes.
…….Continued in Part II
*** – be aware that some pre-approvals will still require a registered valuation on the property – please check with your lending specialist on this, or at exactly what dollar figure you can go to before its necessary to get a registered valuation.
August 21 2010 | Buyers and General and Mortgages Finance Money and Sellers and The Market | No Comments »
August 20, 2010
We really rely on our international airline, simply because we really have no other mainline regularly scheduled transport system to connect us downunder with the rest of the world. And so it is the same for many new immigrants, they too would have been transported to these shores by Air New Zealand.
A short while back I highlighted some safety video presentations that Air New Zealand were going to show travellers on flights.
Crazy about Rugby
After all the name of the game is to;
1] make sure everyone watches them, and
2] make sure they clearly understand the content.
Well, our International,
Airline, Air New
Zealand, has just
gone and done
it again, this time
from the “pinch me
if I don’t smile”
category comes this beauty with a bit of help from some rugby players, some of whom you might just recognise.
This is what they said they did;
We jammed a plane full of rugby fans, some crazy Air New Zealand staff and asked some of our All Black friends to lend a hand.
This could go viral.
August 20 2010 | General and New Zealand and rugby | No Comments »
August 16, 2010
Saw my first iPad the other day, chap was actually using it in the main street in Richmond to find out where a cafe was on Google Maps.
Must admit the graphics were pretty good, and for this type of device it looks like its time has come. Mobile Broadband has undoubtedly assisted this.
Now the 64 thousand dollar question is………………how does your blog look on the iPad?
Is it too big/wide?
Good news, so that you can see how an iPad user will see your blog on their device, head on over to the iPad Peek website and enter your blog address.
http://ipadpeek.com/
Hopefully if all is ok, then you’ll get a screen like the one above showing my weblog.
Obviously the constricted width that NZ real estate bloggers work with here in NZ via the Voices platform is an advantage because it plainly fits easily onto the screen.
SOURCE – http://ipadpeek.com/
August 16 2010 | General and Technology | No Comments »
August 16th, 2010
In a word, yes. Let me explain.
Be very careful next time you feel like saying….
“well of course you would want to invest in a rental property….when compared to….Exhibit A ….Exhibit B or Exhibit C”
…..well….just don’t!
If you do make such a statement, and you are not a qualified person under the new Act, you could very well find yourself in serious trouble, possibly in contravention of the new Financial Advisers Act 2008.
In case you are unsure about this, the words in the FAQ over at the NZ Securities Commission website say;
“…..only Authorised Financial Advisers can give advice on Category 1 products.”
And yes, Real Estate is included in the list of Category 1 products, as in;
Category 1 products are securities (for example shares and many types of investment products), any estate or interest in land, and futures contracts.
They spell it out pretty clearly too….
Q: What is financial advice?
A: The Act covers people who are in the business of giving financial advice, making investment transactions or providing a financial planning service. For the purposes of the Act, people give financial advice if they make a recommendation, or give an opinion or guidance in relation to acquiring, holding or disposing of a financial product. Providing factual information only about a financial product, in the absence of any recommendation, opinion or guidance, would not be considered financial advice.
I’ve highlighted above in orange the “interesting” bits.
So if you believe that you could find yourself accidentally saying something like that mentioned in the first sentence up above, or have said it already, then I suggest you head on over to the Securities Commission site. (link below)
And once there, make sure you are very familiar with the new Financial Advisers Act (FAA) 2008. (there’s plenty of links to the actual Act but more importantly, plenty of down to earth info in the FAQ section written in easily understood plain English)
Alternatively if you want your 15 minutes of fame, having your name or photo broadcast by the media on the nightly news as a result of them publicizing a court case about the 1st NZ Real Estate salesperson charged under the new Act, (which becomes 100% operational on 1st Dec 2010) then ignore what I have cautioned about at your peril.
Sunday Star Times - August 15th 2010
You may have noticed this in one of the Sunday papers. Let not yourself be one of the first to help establish precedents / case law for these new Acts.
Financial Advisers Act 2008 (latest versions available)
NZ Securties Commission Financial Advice Section – FAQ regarding new Financial Advisers Act 2008**
** NOTE – Changes were made to the Financial Advisers Act by Parliament on 23 June 2010. As a result, the following (link above) material is currently under review by the Securities Commission.
August 16 2010 | Buyers and General and Mortgages Finance Money and New Zealand and Sellers | 1 Comment »
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