Buying & selling property in NZ - and the currency decision

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What is the outlook for the AUD:NZD? A pertinent question don't you think since so many Kiwis are looking to go to Australia? The press are of course trying really hard to convince New Zealanders to stay at home. Just like the churches they are presenting a lot of SCARY!! stories about Kiwis living on the poverty line in Australia.

Just in case anyone has forgotten. Australia is taking NZ's best workers, not its worst. Those on the poverty line are clearly people who didn't have a realistic sense of their own worth. This is not surprising of course. Australia is a competitive market, and NZ's are inclined to lack a good work ethic if they are not accustomed to living in a competitive market. i.e. A person coming from a country town, accustomed to spending 20 minutes talking to others at the local post-office will have an adjustment.

No, if you have useful skills, then you will find a place in Australia. The following chart suggests however that your chance to move your wealth over to Aussieland is quickly disappearing. The NZD seems destined to fall back to 0.68AUD in the next 6 months as the Australian economy regains strength.

NZD doldrums is of course good news for Aussies looking to buy property in NZ. NZ are eager sellers, whether to move to Australia, or because of the rural drift to the cities, or simply because the 'batch' is quickly turning into an investment nightmare. What is the rationale for living in NZ, or having a house here? Well, depending on where you buy, it could be easy an investment or lifestyle property. Land rates are padded with welfare here, i.e. $1800, so its best to factor that in. Retirement probably makes the most sense. There are many motels for sale or lease. My favourite locations are Rotorua, Wanganui and Nelson, and of course Queenstown if money is no issue.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Selling off NZ farm assets

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There are so many gross generalisations in this article supportive of privatising NZ assets and asset sales to foreigners.

Even if privatisation and asset sales are desirable, it does not mean NZ ought to be blaze about the process or results, and nor does it mean that market regulation cannot achieve a better outcome if properly implemented. NZ is not asset poor, it is income poor. The state of the Crafar balance sheet does not reflect the net or potential value of NZ generally. If the country can achieve population growth or global growth, there is really no problem if the govt does not artificially stimulate a housing bubble. Just because Telecom management has improved does not mean the process could not have been managed better.

There is the generalisation that foreigners bring expertise. That is not a given. Often its silly ‘bubble entrepreneurs’ buying in, who only bring money. They overpay for assets, they often have no farming expertise, and they often go broke because they are speculators. Is that a good thing? In the short term, it can mean high prices, but it might result in those farms being sold off to property developers.

In the 1980s, Telecom was government-owned, not privately owned, so that is striking at a straw man. It would make more sense to compare an Australian privatised concern with one which is now Singaporean. An example fails me.

Foreigners are buying commodity based assets because there is a commodities boom. You are suggesting they sell these assets before the boom spreads to food. How good is your investment sense? You would have them retain paper money during inflation, or pay off loans? Tangible physical assets should be held in this period as money is debased.

It is not a lack of capital investment which is the cause of capital investment in NZ, its the small size of the market. This means that Vodafone and Telecom need not worry about competition because they know that no other player is going to compete with their extensive networks, so why do they need to ‘over-capitalise’ their networks. Its a strategic decision that has nothing to do with public or private, but collusion, whether public or private.

NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com