The OneRoof Radio Show

Aspire Property Management's Mike Atkinson discusses tough times for landlords, calling it the worst market in 50 years. 

For years the story was rental shortage, rising rents, desperate tenants, but now we’ve got softer rents in some main centres, more townhouses and apartments, and tenants needing affordability.

So, the question arises, is it a renter's market, and if so, how long will it last? 

And what is the go...

Rates are going up again, more than 7% in Auckland, buyers are cautious, the OCR will not be dropping anytime soon, and the market remains soft. 

In such a volatile market, those selling a home need to be careful that their property has value, and any changes actually add value if they have any hopes of real estate success.

Interior designer Kelly Gammie joined Tim Beveridge to reveal which renovations add value, and which det...

Staging homes has been a popular way to market your property for years. 

It's not your home as you have lived in it God Forbid  but it gives potential buyers an idea of what their future home could look like if it were intentionally designed and hardly lived in. 

We know our home likely won't look a whole lot like that once we move ourselves in - but there's a rising trend of digitally altered property photos that ar...

We've all heard the age-old advice you should buy the worst house on the best street - but is that still the case? 

The divide between what's considered a 'good' or 'bad' street seems to be less obvious than what it once was, and the cost of building or renovating has skyrocketed in recent years.

It's just not as easy these days to throw a little bit of cash and a few weekends of hard work at a run down house to bring it up to...

So you want a loan to buy a property. 

The bank sifts through all the money that's gone in and out of your accounts going back an uncomfortable amount of time, and give you a number they're willing to lend you.

You think to yourself, the process is so long and gruelling, and they require so much of your usually private documents, that surely you can afford to meet those repayments - right? 

Wrong. 

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Have you ever walked into a home and thought - there was so much potential and it's all been lost. 

A room with limited natural light, painted in dark shades and made to look smaller than it is. A poorly shaped couch that throws off the whole room. Or one that we see all too often - old, outdated lighting that can make a gorgeous home immediately look neglected.

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For a long time, the kiwi dream has been to do whatever it takes to get onto the property ladder and work your way up from there, but some investors are moving away from that advice - instead suggesting that it might be a better idea to rent and put your money elsewhere. 

It's not just the cost of the property and the mortgage repayments. You're paying to maintain the property in a way you wouldn't be if it were a rental, you'...

It's pretty common these days when buying a house to throw in a couple conditions with your offer. 

You're going to want a building report, your bank may want a property valuation before they agree to insure the property, and most commonly - you may need to sell your home first before your able to settle on the next one. 

But for a seller, any one of these could be a deal breaker - and could mean a lower offer is accepted...

New builds and townhouses alike have become the best option for first home buyers looking to get into the market. 

Townhouses offer a lower-cost alternative to standalone homes without having to fully commit to apartment living, and new builds often mean low-deposit loans and easier access for first home buyers. 

Problem is, the boom of new build townhouses is quickly slowing down - they're no longer classed as new builds...

Mum and dad investors are pulling out of the property market. 

The housing market is shifting to focus on the needs of your everyday owner-occupier, but the demand for rentals as still as high as ever and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. 

The problem is that, among other reasons, the cost of running a rental is at an all time high, debt-to-income and loan-to-value ratio rules have blocked a lot of acce...

Those in the market to buy a new home either know or will learn very quickly, that an agent is essential in the process. 

Sure, we can search agency websites and windows ourselves, or scroll through OneRoof after work every day - but we're doing ourselves a disservice if we don't have an agent keeping an eye out for a place with the right metrics for us. 

Here's the problem - these agents legally work for the seller. ...