News

The Christchurch Central Development Unit and CERA have published a new chapter in the Chirstchurch Central Recovery Plan that asks for written comments on the ideas and objectives outlined. The chapter puts forward a vision and objectives for central city living, along with several initiatives to stimulate the development of housing and communities and in this way help central Christchurch to recover and thrive. The period for making written comments will be from 16 July 2014 to 13 August 2014. TAKE...

A few years ago our neighbours back yard looked a lot greener and Kiwis crossed the ditch for higher wages and a better standard of living. The tide is turning and many are heading back, and for the first time in years, there is the real possibility that the numbers heading this way will out number the those moving to Australia, Tracey Watkins reports. " Bank of New Zealand economist Tony Alexander said yesterday he expected the crossover point to come...

When revised flood management maps were released in October 2012, nearly 2500 Christchurch properties were identfied as being at risk of flooding as a result of the city's earthquakes. As such, the Christchurch City Council will be expanding the flood zone by as much as 30% throughout the city. In these areas, all new homes and commercial buildings will be required to have their floor levels at a height that protects them from a one-in-200-year flooding event. Read the full article...

New Zealand's mortgage rates have been higher than most other OECD countries for over 20 years. This article discusses some of the reasons why.

There is a growing demand for mid-range rental properties in the Christchurch area. Tenants are actively seeking properties in the $400 to $600 range. On the other hand, demand has slowed for properties that are renting at the higher end of $1000. We have a list of top quality tenants who are seeking properties, so if you're considering renting out your home or investment property, please get in touch with us to learn more about our property management offering.

The recent revaluations have left some property owners a little confused and the issue appears to be around zoning. It appears the zoning of your property has influenced the land value, not just house sales in the area. This becomes interesting when your property has been 'tarred with a TC3 brush' because you are in the proximity to a river (even though you are 80m away from it and elevated 50m and sit on bedrock and the geotech engineer says this...

QV's revalutations will be revealed to ratepayers by mail over the next few days, and available online tomorrow. There is the opportunity to log an objection, but you have 6 weeks to do so

Following up on our reports on WOF's for rental properties, the scheme will start with 500 Housing New Zealand Homes between now and July.

Market lift due to more than just property shortage There are a variety of reasons why the Christchurch Residential Property market has enjoyed such healthy growth since the earthquakes. Demand for residential properties continues to out strip supply, as more people arrive in Christchurch to work in the rebuild, plus people from the Red Zone looking to purchase replacement homes. Buyers are now much more motivated to make the deal happen. Another reason that hasn’t received much press coverage during the...

When buying a property, some of the things that will be forefront of mind will be to check land use in the area, research leaky building issues and, if you live in Christchurch, land zoning and EQC categories will be hot on the list. One of the things that may be furtherest from your mind is to get the home tested for meth use. The growing problems around meth use in homes has made the news again today with the Real...