After nearly a year of watching the media report the worst of everything, I think I have finally just had enough. I feel like banning news papers and the evening news from the house. I know there is the adage of “Nothing sells newspapers like bad news”, but seriously some good news, or at least something that closely resembles something positive would be nice. Imagine the difference in your mood if instead of reading “250 staff at IRD to be made redundant”, the headline was instead “6000 staff at IRDremain employed”. Your mood would be just that little bit better as instead of thinking “oh gosh those poor people, getting made redundant” (or perhaps because they work for the IRD there is a little less sympathy), you thought “Good for them, they kept their jobs:)” (Again, maybe my using the IRD isnt the best example… :P).
I was talking to one of our clients in the UK tonight and they remarked “only 250 people, thats not bad”. And you know something, in a weird way they are right. Wouldn’t it be great to have a little bit of optimisim out there. Wouldn’t it be really nice if the media occassionally went out of its way to report things in a positive light. It would just make everyone feel that little bit better.
Ok, that’s my little rant for the night - on a positive note at least I feel better 
Shayne
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Shayne's blog, Thoughts and Opinions
We all know that there is a recession. Its on the news, in the papers, in every second conversation at the office, everyone KNOWS there is a recession. But how is it effecting you? Really?
The recession is like a large stone thrown in the centre of a really big pond. The big splash is what you’ve seen on the news - Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for example. But New Zealand is really on the very far edge of the pond. We have only experienced a few ripples, some minor inconveniences. Some have sufferred job losses, some are finding the rising costs of food, transport and every day living are making life tough. But for the average kiwi its life as normal.
Its not until you try to do something a little out of the ordinary - like sell or buy a property - that you realise that things aren’t normal. Or if your rental property suddenly isn’t making as much as it used to. The rental market is seeing its lowest point in a number of years, and many are panicking. Vacancies are taking longer to fill, rent increases aren’t as easy to get, and the number of tenants defaulting on rent payments is on the rise.
But this won’t last forever. Now is the time to hang on to our investments and ride the ripples. When the pond settles again it will be the resilient investors who’ve kept their heads above water.
Pam
Pamela Wilson
Lambton Property Management
Pam's blog
Rachel is our practice manager. She makes sure everything happens. Everything! From organising team meetings, scheduling showing times, to making sure ads are in and also scheduling my day. She has a fantastic approach to it all, and only rarely gets annoyed with me for throwing things into the calendar moments after she’s finalised it for the day. Rachel quite cheerfully tackles anything that comes up and just gets it under control.
She is often the cool calm collected influence amongst the chaos of a frantic day.
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Our Staff, Shayne's blog
Just the other day, one of the people we know was really stressed out. He has $2000 over his mortgage limit and didn’t understand why. I had him come into the office to meet up with me and Ben Du Flou (our accountant www.allaccountedfor.co.nz). He came in and showed us his bank statements. In a flash Ben had sussed the problem. He was set up for fortnightly mortgage payments, so in his mind that was two payments a month… not quite correct… 26 fortnights in a year mean that March and September mean that in each of those months you have three payments to make. (something to keep in mind).
Ben, in true saintly fashion, helped him figure out how to sort the current situation out and worked his budget so it shouldn’t happen again.
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Professionals, Shayne's blog
Duel On Vivian
I simply like this development. Maybe 1 to 2 weeks from settlement, its a building I think has something. From the double entrances (1 for normal entry and the second for moving in or out), including good security, to the rather cool lifts (and the lift lights on each floor that remind me of Hal from 2001). These are dual key apartments - meaning two apartments on each title - a 1 or 2 bedroom and a studio. The studios are fully furnished, while the 1 and 2 bedroom apartments come with dishwashers, fridge and a washer/dryer. All the apartments get great natural light. Most of the apartments have either balcony’s or decks, adding just that little something.
The two bedroom apartments vary a little in design - from those with two doors onto the decks to ones with a study area outside the bedrooms. The one bedroom apartments are spacious and well, feel comfortable. The studios are bigger than a lot around the city and even without a firm move in date, we have already received rental deposits and applications galore.
While admittedly the front of the building has the best outlook, being over the Vivian St Park, the other sides have interesting views as well. Everything is a stones throw away. within a few seconds of leaving the building front doors, you have cafes galore to choose from, shops to browse and places to stay out late at night. Its a simple walk to the CBD and work, and a short stroll to Courtenay Place.
Taking into account the demand in the area - even in winter we rented rooms in an apartment on Vivian Street for between $160 per week (for an internal room) to $300 per week (for a very large double) - I feel really confident about this building. And I don’t say that often.
The developer has chosen a decent body corporate management company, good architects, and a great location. I look forward to saying more good things three odd months after people move in and then six, then twelve.
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Properties, Shayne's blog
Quite often I see properties that deserve talking about - quite often because they have some X Factor, or are simply nice and occasionally the opposite.
So from time to time (especially when a place keeps going around in my head for several days) I thought I’d would share my thoughts with everyone about them.
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Properties, Shayne's blog
Claudia. I don’t believe I have ever met someone with a more ‘can do’ attitude. There’s never a task that she won’t try, and do well at. She has a fantastic attitude and always goes the extra mile to make sure things get done.
Claudia does a large amount of our ‘running around’ work. Putting up signage, taking ad photos, checking to see what maintenance is needed, and all the other small related tasks. She also does a lot of showings and inspections - and is just simply good at her job.
We really value her and her attitude and love having her as part of our team.
Shayne Thurston
Lambton Property Management
Our Staff, Shayne's blog
