Dec 9, 2011

Gorgeous Home in Arney Crescent, Remuera

From our selection of properties on the market, I have chosen a very special 4-5 bedroom house to blog about. This is a home to suit almost anyone whether you are a couple and need space or a family. The quality is undeniable but the feeling of peace, the privacy, the security, the all day sun and the amazing views are what lift this home far beyond the ordinary. Let me show you some photos to explain what I mean.






Now that summer is finally here, I can just see myself in this home, basking in the sun by the pool, drink in hand. If you want that to be you, click here to go through to the property listing on our website for more information and get in touch with us for a viewing. We are available right through the holiday period.

Dec 5, 2011

Santa's House in Remuera

Santa is visiting us here in Remuera every Saturday 11am - 1pm until Christmas. To find him, wander around to the Village Green and you will spot his very own special grotto outside the divine Poppies Book Shop.

Dec 1, 2011

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S RIDDLE

ARE YOU IN THE TOP 2% OF INTELLIGENT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD? SOLVE THE RIDDLE AND FIND OUT.   There are no tricks, just pure logic, so good luck and don't give up.

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

THE QUESTION: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

HINTS
1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.

ALBERT EINSTEIN WROTE THIS RIDDLE EARLY DURING THE 19th CENTURY. HE SAID THAT 98% OF THE WORLD POPULATION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SOLVE IT.

ARE YOU IN THE 2% WHO COULD?

Nov 25, 2011

Beautify the Village Green Function

Last night the Remuera Business Association held a function to publicise their beautification of the Remuera Village Green campaign. Out on the green at 6pm, they auctioned benches, coffee tables and bricks for the paving. Those who purchased an item at the auction will have their name on it as a thank you for the sometimes substantial contribution to this project. We have purchased a coffee table.

The evening seemed to be a huge success with much excitement during the auction and lovely nibbles served with copious amounts of liquid refreshment.
A big thank you to the Remuera Business Association and in particular to the manager, Laura Carr and also to Megan Jaffe and Hayden Broadbelt of Ray White who ran the auction.
The Auction

Rashmi Naran (P10); Jayne O'Reilly (Westpac): Kerryn McCormick (Westpac Manager)

Suzie Cox (Ray White) and Laura Carr (Remuera Business Association Manager) with us, Terry and Diana King, in the background.

Apres auction with the last of the evening sun blessing us with its presence

Laura Carr, Hayden Broadbelt (Principal Ray White Stonefields) and Megan Jaffe (Director Ray White Remuera)

Jane Sheetz (P10) serving drinks

Nov 23, 2011

NZ Herald Editorial - 45 Portland Road, Remuera

The New Zealand Herald did a fantastic editorial on 45 Portland Rd last Saturday. If you missed it, click here for a link through to the article.

Nov 22, 2011

Looking to downsize? Buy a townhouse.

It happens to us all - the kids move on to the adventures of life without Mum and Dad and we are suddenly floating about in a massive house with too many echoes of children's voices.
It's time to think about downsizing. Not downsizing in terms of quality but in terms of size. How many bedrooms do you really need? How many bathrooms for the two of you? How many lounges if there are no more teenagers to cater for? Probably a lot less than the house you currently live in. Who wants a time-consuming garden to maintain now that you are going to travel more and expand those hobbies that have always taken a backseat to the children's needs? You still want to be able to eat meals out in the sun with your friends but the weekends are no longer for mowing lawns and weeding flower beds. This is the time to finally relax and indulge your own desires.
The ideal abode for you is a townhouse and we have this delightful one for sale in Upland Road. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms - more than adequate. A paved, landscaped courtyard is perfect for entertaining and the living spaces flow beautifully into one another. You could walk into this house and start living straight away - it is immaculate.
117A Upland Road, Remuera is open for viewing this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday 2-2.45pm so get your skates on and take a look.
For more information and photos, click here.

Nov 17, 2011

Christmas Decorations in Remuera Shops

The streets of Remuera will be decorated next week on the 21st November but meanwhile the shops are gearing up for the silly season. I wandered along the street today and took photos of the shops that already have some standout Christmas decorations in their windows.
Trumps
Jems
Remuera Mall

Wyllies Pharmacy

Missoni Home

Nov 14, 2011

128 Arney Road, Remuera

We have an amazing European-style family home for sale, which includes four or five bedrooms, four bathrooms, one or two studies and three or four living rooms. At 462m², it is a massive home with spaces for all members of the family and their friends. 128 Arney Road is an oasis of style and peace in the heart of the grammar zone’s most desirable area.
Have a look at this video and get in touch with us if you are interested in having a look in person. You can also see more details about the property here.

Nov 11, 2011

Unusual and Beautiful Houses

The internet is filled with images of unusual houses, and believe me some are truly bizarre, but few are also beautiful. I know that beauty is subjective but below are my choices from my own aesthetic.

The first is the Fincube by Studio Aisslinger in Ritten, Italy overlooking the Dolomites. Windows circle the house so the view is present wherever you sit, and what a view! I have been into the Dolomites and they are spectacular.


Next I found  this rotating house called Solaleya. It rotates to follow the sun and has a very low use of energy. In fact, the power used to rotate the house completely once is what it would cost you to vacuum your home.
And then I found this curvaceous Floating House by Robert Oshatz on the Willamette River in Portland Oregon. It reminds me of a snail house with all the connotations that carries of being snug and close to the earth.

I went from the sea to the intimacy of the forest and found the Wilkinson Residence also in Portland, Oregon. They must have creative architects in that state.


And lastly I spotted this home but could find out nothing about it so I don't know where it is. For me it is Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars.

Nov 9, 2011

Why isn't your house selling?

As we all know, the massive mess that certain countries have made of their economy is affecting us here in New Zealand too. But life circumstances dictate that people will always have to sell and buy houses.
If your house has been on the market for some time and not sold, it will more than likely be due to one of the following factors.

1)    Your home is overpriced

This is the biggest culprit these days. Even though the market is depressed, you think your house is special and hope to find the person who loves it as much as you do and will pay over the top for it. This, unfortunately, happens extremely rarely but perhaps you know of one case when it did and you cling onto this possibility with a bare-knuckled grip. And so the house doesn’t sell and you start looking for something or someone to blame. The truth is the buyer dictates the price. Fullstop. 

Also, be careful that you don’t overprice your home to test the market or you could lose all the people who would have paid market price for it. Eventually it will get stuck with the stigma of being the house that hasn’t sold and people will worry that if it hasn’t sold this time around, then what happens when they go to sell it later. They could have the same problem of no one wanting it.

2)   Presentation

There is always the chance that the price is right but the presentation lacks inspiration. Many people have little vision as to what a home could look like and need it spelt out for them. No one wants to see all your personal belongings hanging about and that included family photos and mementos. They want to imagine themselves living in there and can’t do that if they are distracted by lots of unnecessary paraphernalia. Many houses have about double the furniture and belongings needed to create a comfortable home. So, clean, paint and de-clutter.


3)    Marketing

You have spent next to nothing on marketing your home and refuse to do open homes. In other words, the sale of your house has remained a secret. An agent can only do so much without a marketing campaign to reel the buyers in. True, they can try their database first and that’s a good idea, but if a buyer doesn’t pop up from the database, then it’s time for a full out campaign to get the property as much exposure as possible. Only then can you be sure that every potential purchaser has seen it.

Nov 7, 2011

Remuera - a great place to live


Those who live in Remuera are the envy of many. Not just for the great position on the ridge of a hill which exposes the stylish houses on the Northern slopes to amazing views of the Waitemata Harbour, but also for the feeling of community. Remuera township is a hub of never-ending activity because of the wonderful array of upmarket shops from exclusive boutiques and intriguing gift shops to the independent butcher and the fish shop filled with glistening produce from the sea. There is even a New World supermarket not far off the beaten track for the practical side of life. But, if you don’t wish to cook, there is a great selection of places to eat where you can relax in style.
People are desperate to move into the Remuera area to raise their children. It is safe and the schools are excellent. But it is also a haven for the more mature because this is the perfect place for them to wind down and enjoy their retirement. You seldom need to leave the area because everything you could ever want can be found here.

Nov 2, 2011

4 Stunning Auctions - all in November

November is traditionally such a busy month with Christmas just around the corner and it's no different in real estate. Everyone wants to get every aspect of their lives settled by that magical date of 25th December.
In fact, we have four auctions this month, which is keeping us on our toes.
Click on the photos below to move through to our website for more information on each property.

46B Bassett Road, Remuera
128 Arney Road, Remuera
10A Dromorne Road, Remuera
19 Ranui Road, Remuera

Nov 1, 2011

Why The Register?

We have only been open for a few months but already we are in the thick of things with five properties sold and fifteen listings on the books. This is what we love to do and we couldn’t be happier. Our agency is situated in the middle of the shopping centre of Remuera. As you can see in the photo, we have furnished our space with beautiful antiques, some which we own and others which John Stephens & Co. Ltd has lent us and are for sale. Come in to check out what properties we have listed and have a look at the furniture at the same time.

We have started up this agency with a slightly different focus. Unlike most agencies, we have an extensive database of people who are actively looking to buy a house in the Remuera area. When we list a house, we immediately send an information flyer out to this database and there's every chance we will find a buyer even before a cent has been spent on marketing. This means, not only no cost in advertising, signboards etc., but also no eternal cleaning up for open homes with the accompanying tramping of people through your pristine house. How ideal would that be! And it can be a reality with our approach.
Over on the right, at the top is a link to our website where you can see our current properties for sale and also a list of Buyer Briefs from a few of those on our database. Do get in touch with us if you are looking at selling and if this approach interests you.