More than $63,000 has been donated to hospice services throughout the country in the second year of the Harcourts Foundation funded, Hospice NZ Grants Programme.
The Harcourts Foundation and Hospice NZ established this unique programme in July 2017 and to date more than $114,000 has been donated to hospices across the country. The goal of the programme is to provide member hospices with an opportunity to apply for grants to fund key capital items that have a direct benefit to people using hospice services. Harcourts CEO, Chris Kennedy says it is an honour to work with New Zealand hospices. “Hospices aim to help people make the most of their lives, to live every moment in whatever way is important to them. I have huge admiration for the work they do and for the difference they make in communities across the country”. One of the services benefitting from the programme is Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice, receiving $15,000 towards a lift chair. The lift chair can be used by anyone who may have trouble getting in and out of a bath safely, making it easier for them to enjoy a relaxing and soothing bath at the hospice’s inpatient facility. “To enable these kinds of projects that enhance a person’s quality of life is really special”, says Chris. Hospice NZ Chief Executive, Mary Schumacher says, “We’re very grateful to the Harcourts Foundation and to Harcourts teams throughout New Zealand for working with us on this unique programme. These grants make a real, tangible difference to people using hospice services, and help ensure hospice care remains free of charge. We’re very proud of this programme”. In addition to the Hospice NZ Grants Programme, many Harcourts franchisees around the country work alongside their local hospices, both financially and through volunteer work. Harcourts Foundation ambassador, Emma Revell says Harcourts teams from around the country are humbled to be supporting New Zealand hospices. “Our Harcourts values are: People First, Doing the Right Thing, Being Courageous; and Fun and Laughter. We believe these align perfectly with Hospice NZ’s philosophy of helping people to live every moment in whatever way is important to them.” Home-owners who use a real estate agent to sell their home can expect to get 10 percent more for the property than they would by selling it privately, new research shows. Analysis of agent and private sales by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand and OneRoof.co.nz shows there has been a huge decrease in the number of people choosing to sell their home without an agent in the last five years. REINZ defined private sales as those not sold by a REINZ member i.e. a member of the public selling privately or a real estate agent who isn’t a REINZ member. In 2014, private sales made up 17 percent of all residential real estate sales in New Zealand. That figure dropped to 13 percent in 2017 and to just 10 percent in the year to July 2018. The REINZ data showed that the median sale price achieved through an agent sale was 10.9 percent above that achieved by a private sale. REINZ CEO Bindi Norwell said: "Although this does not take into account the state of the house or off-plan developer sales, it is still a significant difference. "Even when commissions and fees are taken into account, the sale price shows a better return for the vendor when using an agent." The region with the biggest gap between agent and private sale prices in the year to July 2018 was Marlborough, where the median agent sale price was $425,000 - 28 percent above that collected by private sales. Wellington recorded the next highest premium, with the median agent sale price 20 percent higher than the median private sale price - in dollar terms almost $100,000 higher. The premium in Auckland was 6 percent for the year to July 2018, and 7 percent in Christchurch. Just two regions saw agent sales lag behind private sales: in Southland, the median private sale price was 5 percent above the median industry price, while in Taranaki the premium for private sales was 10 percent. Bayleys national residential manager Daniel Coulson says sellers are more inclined to hire agents in a less than buoyant market. “When there is less urgency for people to purchase, would-be sellers realise the importance of having an agent who will work to secure the sale rather than waiting for the buyer to turn up,” Mr Coulson says. Higher premiums on sales could also be behind the rising popularity for home owners to partner with agencies.Mr Coulson believes regional markets have done particularly well because many homes are sold through auction, an option typically only available to agencies. “And when you talk about marketing a property, there are certain avenues that only agents have access to whether that be online or in print,” he adds. Ms Norwell says the negotiating process is also something that home-owners may not feel comfortable with. “Selling privately works perfectly for those who have the time, inclination, expertise, understanding of the regulations and patience to do so, however, for busy families, those without strong sales and negotiation skills or those who just don’t understand the regulatory environment, then it might be better to utilise the skills an agent has. “Selling via an agent also enables vendors to leverage the breadth and depth of an agency’s expertise, technological capabilities and presence across a number of markets.” OneRoof.co.nz editor Owen Vaughan added: "Selling a home can be one of the most stressful and emotional things a person can do, even with an agent doing the hard part of marketing and negotiating with potential buyers." Mr Coulson says that those who think selling privately will result in savings, because they no longer have to pay commission to an agent, fail to take into account that their buyers will be thinking the same thing. “The seller thinks they are saving money by not having to pay commission whereas buyers immediately take off that price before they make an offer,” he says. Unlike Christchurch, which saw a surge in new office space after the 2011 earthquake, growth of commercial property in North Canterbury has been comparatively slow. This is despite large-scale residential projects that continue to swell the local population. NAI Harcourts commercial and business consultant Malcolm Campbell says investors looking for commercial property in Rangiora, Kaiapoi and surrounding areas now clearly outnumber listings on the market. “We’ve got people with money who want to buy a building around the $1 million to $3 million mark with a good return on investment. But we just haven’t got the stock to sell them. “So, if people are looking at selling, give us a call and we can set you up with a buyer. There are a lot of opportunities,” he says. The merger between Harcourts International and NAI Global in 2009 has given property owners who list with NAI Harcourts access to a wider pool of investors. Malcolm says these include many in Australia who, like others in the market, are being spurred to seek out investments due to the current low interest being earned on bank deposits. Previously known as Twiss-Keir Realty, the company has expanded in recent years to include offices in Rolleston, Hornby and Lincoln as well as those in Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Hanmer Springs, Belfast and Shirley (The Palms). To discuss opportunities in commercial property, contact one of our eight offices on 0800 789 1011 or find us online at harcourtsfourseasons.co.nz. |
James Twiss
Licensed Business Owner of Harcourts Four Seasons Realty 2017 Ltd Greg Roberts
Licensed Business Owner of Harcourts Four Seasons Realty 2017 Ltd Archives
September 2020
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