Over the past 6 months I have been working towards a small book looking into the leaders that aren’t leaders in the workplace. This may sound a little weird but what it looks into is the workers who on a daily basis are put into positions of leadership and they don’t necessarily know it….
New Plymouth Named Best City In The World at The 2008 Global Livable Communities Awards
Three weeks ago North & South Magazine named New Plymouth the best city in New Zealand and last night at 3am 11 November 2008 NZ time New Plymouth was voted best city in the world in both of the competitions it was in the running for in the LivCom awards held in Dongguan City China. Coming…
New Zealand Housing Market Slows Further – But Are We Going To See Signs of Improvement Soon?
QV’s October statistics for the residential property market report a 6.8% decline in national property values over the past year (calculated over the three months ending October 2008 in comparison to the same period last year), down on the 5.8% decline reported in September. The average New Zealand sale price for October remained steady at…
John Key – National Led Government – The Face of A Changing New Zealand Politics
On the 5th November 2008 America Voted in Change with Barack Obama and on the 8th November 2008 New Zealand Voted in change with John Key. A huge symbol of what the world wants and is looking for. At a time when the world seems to be swinging towards governments which are more like our Labour…
New Plymouth Real Estate – Westown – Full 24 Months of Recent Sales and Market Activity
The Recent Sales Catalouge is now avaliable to you for FREE by simply clicking the image above. The password to open the document is deonswiggs This has taken a lot of hard work with many hours have been spent updating and getting it right ready for you to see on here. (Updates are done Monthly)….
Barack Obama – A Historical Victory of the 2008 American Presidential Elections
Barack Obama will become America’s first black president after emerging triumphant from one of the most talked about elections I know of. Obama made his vistory speech in front of 70,000 people at Grant Park in Chicago – and hundreds of thousands more outside – as TV networks simultaneously declared him the winner at…
The Future of The Baby Boomer Market
You have no doubt heard of the “Baby Boomers”, those individuals born between 1943 and 1963. I have written about them and also about their offspring, generation X and the ones after that named generation Y. This is a topic that interests me with a great deal of enthusiasm. The baby boomers are coming to…
2008 Melbourne Cup is On
At 4pm today New Zealand time work comes to a crash halt, the projector gets switched on, the beer gets cracked open and preparations for getting the mind in the right place for this year’s Melbourne Cup begin. The Melbourne Cup Day almost stops Melbourne and practically halts the rest of Australia and New Zealand….
What is a Mortgage and How do I Choose The Best One For Me
A mortgage is a lien on a property/house that secures a loan and is paid in instalments over a set period of time. The mortgage secures your promise that you’ll repay the money you’ve borrowed to buy your home. Mortgages come in many different shapes and sizes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Make…
100 Post Milestone Achieved!!
Well I couldnt help myself. I logged in today and noticed I had 99 posts on my blog so I just have to have a special one for the 100th. So I decided to print the entire blog out so that I could have a full hard copy of the blog right up untill this…
Mortgagee Sales on the Rise
Last week I spent a number of days in Christchurch checking up on the market conditions and many other things in preperation for part or all of my family moving there soon. As stated in my previous post I was quite taken back by the Christchurch Market to how different it is compared to New…
New Plymouth named top New Zealand city
North Island coastal town is judged the best place to live in New Zealand The accolades keep coming for the coastal town of New Plymouth. New Zealand’s North & South magazine has named the port, located in the Taranaki region on the North Island’s western coast, the country’s top town – and the best…
Christchurch Real Estate Market
Well Today I had the opportunity to meet many of the Harcourts team down in Christchurch City Branch (Grenadier). I was totally surprised to see a 4 story building standing in front of me. With a cafe on the ground floor this office seems to have it all. Anyway I was fortunate to watch a…
Rent or Buy – What are the people saying?
This evening I am just relaxing after a fantastic day in the sun down here in Sunny Christchurch. I cought up with a good friend of mine Brendan Burns who is running for the Labour Candidate Seat in the 2008 election for Christchurch Central. It was a cracker day and I think most of New…
The Real Estate Market Crash of 2008 – How Did We Get Here?
I have just been reading up while relaxing in the torrential rain of the west coast on whats actually happened in the world of housing markets and Their falls, and its dam intense. There is so much that is going on that no one person can truely grasp the whole scale of the crisis. But…
Whitebait
This short post is really just to tell everyone I am alive and well. I am right now down on the Little Wanganui River catching Whitebait and relaxing. No phone, no email, no people – (hardly). It’s a time to reflect upon life as its been and have a bit of a laugh with the…
My House Hasn't Sold – Should I Take it Off The Market?
Sellers around the country are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their homes. Two years ago sellers could put their homes on the market and slap a for sale sign in the yard, and buyers would inevitably come. As an agent in New Plymouth, I feel very fortunate to live in a city with…
The History Of Labour Day (aslo known as the first national long weekend after winter)
Labour Day in New Zealand falls on the 4th Monday of October each year, as opposed to 1 May in Malaysia. And because Kiwis love long weekends, it’s great to have a break as we haven’t had a long weekend since Queen’s Birthday (which fell on 4th June this year — 1st Monday of June)….
Property Market Tightening
QV’s September statistics for the residential property market report a 5.8% decline in national property values over the past year (calculated over the three months ending September 2008 in comparison to the same period last year), down on the 4.5% decline reported in August. The average New Zealand sale price for September was $379,854….
New Zealand Dollar Falling Sharply Against the US Dollar
Well its not looking to flash out there at the moment in terms of the financial markets. Just look at these graphs of the New Zealand Dollar against the American Dollar. This is the last three weeks This is the last…
How To Make Blogging Enjoyable, Fulfilling and Get The Most From The Experience.
After an enlightening rum with some fellow bloggers I think it is pertinent to mention one of the things that we all had a cry about and it is one of the things that we all agree that makes blogging and if done with passion will be just as important and will grow your…
New Zealand is Beautiful
I write this post to you as I just leave Otorohunga on a bus heading for Hamilton. Where I expect to spend a night and then head to the big apple and catch up with some old friends for a while. Go public transport Yay! I havent actually been on a bus in a vry…
How Can Blogging Help Your Business
Don’t think that blogging or having a website is the magic pill that will turn your business around. But do expect if done well to work for you in terms of exposure and credibility. This is the 21st Century. We have to realise what is now. And we are in an online revolution. The Fact…
Daylight Savings – Brilliant!
Here I am sitting here at the batch with a drink in hand and the BBQ sizzling away with a steak and some other things and I just realised its 7pm. Last night we lost an hour of our sleep, but what we gained was anextra hour of our daylight at the end of the day….
New Zealand Economy Officially in a Recession
This makes for some interesting reading… NEW Zealand’s economy has slipped into a recession for the first time in a decade, official data shows. The decline in second-quarter gross domestic product data signalled further aggressive interest rate cuts by the reserve Bank in coming months. Statistics New Zealand said production-based gross domestic product shrunk 0.2…
What does Freehold, Leashold, Crosslease and Strata Titles Mean to You When Buying Property in New Zealand
When buying property in New Zealand you are effectively buying the building on a set piece of dirt. This piece of dirt is divided up on whets called the councils dwelling plans. Which diagrams where each dwelling is and where all the services and other things are, each of these are called a title.. When…
New Plymouth in Running To Be Named Best City in The World
New Plymouth is in line to be named the best place in the world to live. UPDATE NOVEMBER 11 2008 – NEW PLYMOUTH HAS WON THE TOP CITY IN THE WORLD AWARD. Click to view article. But we up against some solid opposition from standout towns in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, Switzerland, England, Poland and…
New Plymouth Real Estate Market Statistics August 2008
Although August was said to be a very low month in general for sales around New Zealand, New Plymouth found itself still holding up strong. All the stats show that it was a better month than both June and July. Not a whole lot better but could be a signal that things are moving. This…
Some Things to Look Out For When Buying an Investment Rental Property
When you choose to invest in a property to rent out – you should choose wisely. You should initially choose a property that will create a positive income for you as well as a place that will keep the cost of operating low. It would be ideal to create a list to keep you on…
No More Negative!
Slump, Recession, Depression, Crisis, Doom, Gloom, Debts, Bankruptcies, Shortcomings, Backward, Poor, Redundancies, Decline, Dip just to name a few! NO more Money, Housing market to fall 30%, Homeowners Beware, Banks Failing, Credit Crunch, Market Disaster just a few of the headlines you see in the media now. Why is this the emphasis of our lives….