NEWSLETTERS

 

 

Dec 2023 E-Newsletter

It's heating up out there!

It’s been a quiet 15 months for the Far North property market, with property sales down over 50%. You’ve probably been hearing for a while that the tide is starting to turn in major centres like Auckland, but it always takes about six months for those trends to fully filter out to the regions. And now we’re finally starting to feel the seachange in the Far North ... Read more

 

May 2022 E-Newsletter

Changing times

Over the past two years we have seen a period of incredibly buoyant real estate sales throughout the country. These trends tend to be cyclical in nature, and indications are that we are now entering a more conservative phase. 

As is the case across NZ, we’ve recently seen a large reduction in the number of active buyers in the market, and those buyers are now more concerned about overpaying. Last year ... Read more

 

 

December 2021 E-Newsletter

Love at first click: How buyer behaviour is changing

At first it was a trickle, then it was a flood — we’ve seen more and more people buying Far North properties “sight unseen.” Of course, the extended lockdown in Auckland contributed, but it’s not just that. People in NZ ... Read more

 

September 2021 E-Newsletter

Real Estate listings are now down significantly nationwide

You might have noticed that your TradeMe Property notifications have been a little less frequent recently. Or perhaps you’ve seen that the ... Read more

 

January 2021 E-Newsletter

2021: What to expect (in Far North property, at least)

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that predictions are a risky business. But in our small corner of the world, there are a couple of things about which we’re willing to make a forecast...Read more

 

October 2020 E-Newsletter

Hot market

Last month, we told you about the strong demand for property in the area — and the trend continues. This combination of a hot market and a shortage of available properties has led to a surge in “multi-offers” — which simply means multiple buyers submitting competing bids for a single property. In fact, ...Read more

 

September 2020 E-Newsletter

Demand is Strong

Despite COVID restrictions, demand for property remains strong in the Far North. People from all over NZ are wanting to move here, as are many recent returnees from overseas. Our climate is obviously a key attraction, but the overriding factor for most is a desire to improve their lifestyle — to enjoy more space, less debt, and a better quality of life... Read more

 

July 2020 E-Newsletter

Post Lockdown Lifestyle Changes

After lockdown we certainly came out of the gate a lot busier than we expected. It seems during lockdown a lot of people had time to reflect on their lives, and decide to live life differently.

Many people also experienced working from home, and a high percentage do not want to... Read more

 

April 2020 E-Newsletter

The New Normal - What will it look like?

Welcome to our second newsletter where the world has changed in a way that few of us could have imagined. Up until now it had been our busiest year in 15 years, but that is going to change, as it is for most people. How will it affect our market? We think just as in the past New Zealand's distance from the rest of the world was an issue, that has changed radically in the last decade and has now become a positive, particularly now with COVID - 19... Read more 

 

November 2019

We are having our busiest year in 15 years, with more and more people moving to the Far North. 

Our largest proportion of buyers are 45-65 years old. We think a lot of these people are eyeing the future and quite wisely downsizing now, as against waiting until they retire. You can buy a nice home here for a lot less than you would in a city, and if you can also garden and fish, a comfortable retirement looks achievable up here in the Far North.

With the global economy still contracting and interest rates on investments very modest, we expect the Far North to continue to be a very attractive place to live. Read more 

 

Local Profile 

Toby and Marianna moved to the Far North in 2014, initially housesitting as a kind of trial period and then, once they were convinced they wanted to stay, looking for a lifestyle block in the Mangonui area with the intention of building their own home. Before moving north Toby and Marianna had been living in a central Auckland apartment successfully building corporate careers (Toby in the media industry and Marianna in environmental law) but yearning for a more balanced lifestyle with more freedom to pursue their varied talents and interests. Both having numerous strings to their bows, they were confident to take the leap of faith and make it work one way or another.

Rickett Family 

For Toby, moving north gave him the time and opportunity to transition from working in radio to launching himself into the voiceover industry. Toby had spent years recording the voices of others as a studio sound engineer, but it wasn’t till he and Marianna made the clean break from Auckland and set time aside to give things a go that he was able to successfully launch his voiceover career. From that point on he has gone from strength to strength, gaining a wide range of high-profile corporate clients and cleaning up at the British Voice Awards (Toby is English born), winning Voice of the Year for the last two years running. https://www.tobyrickettsvoiceover.com He works remotely from his custom-built studio with clients and ad agencies based all over the world from London to New York to LA, but can still find time to build their new eco-home and man the local St John’s ambulance as an Emergency Medical Technician. 

Marianna initially retained ties with Auckland, working remotely for the law firm she had left and flying down to attend hearings and important meetings. However, she soon realised she preferred to keep her attention in the North and worked with Toby to launch a real estate photography and copywriting business http://www.viewnorth.co.nz . This has given her more time to progress her interest in establishing a permaculture garden - that would enable them to become increasingly self-sufficient - and raising their son, Forrest, who is showing all the signs of becoming a budding nature enthusiast. When she can, Marianna also volunteers her time and expertise to various conservation groups and she has a view to moving back into that sphere professionally at some point in future.

 

 Toby and Marianna