We are NZers living in Melbourne for the last 6 yrs and have kept our original family home as an IP.
I would like to hear opinions on an interesting phenomenon that has happened several times over the last 12 mths.
We have received several letters from various Real Estate Salespeople in NZ enquiring whether we would be interested in a market appraisal of our property. They point out that the market has improved substantially over the previous 12-18 mths and that we could achieve significant gains if we were to sell (typical fishing for business).
What we are wondering about is that we have received several of these personally signed on personally addressed letterhead and envelope, and posted to our Melbourne address (not the usual letter box drop).
We have been rather bemused by this and have done absolutely nothing as we have no intention of selling it. We have always kept a close watch on Realenz and various other property websites as to equivalent or similar property values, both from a rent value and a sale potential perspective. We will be getting an updated RV soon, to tie in with the expected GV closer to the end of the year.
Our IP is in a high interest +ve cashflow suburb of Auckland and is on a corner site with 2 driveway accesses, fully fenced, and a large 2-storey, 4-brm house. It is in an average area of the suburb and there are not many other homes similar to it nearby. We are well aware of the potential of our own property and suspect we may have been the target of drive by ‘spotters’.
What do you think? Have any other Australian residents owning NZ property experienced anything similar to this? Is this just an extension of the Sales Reps marketing strategies in a high demand market? Or do you think we may be a ‘special’ case?
Eager to hear your responses.
Sapphire
We haven’t received anything of the like so I’m guessing you’re special! All jokes aside I would say that you’ve found your way onto some immigration list that identifies your forwarding address in Australia (e.g. are you having rates notices forwarded to you or something similar?).
I suppose you could solve this mystery by phoning one of them and asking them how they got your unlisted address in Australia?
Sigrid de Castella & Antony Anderson
http://www.kiwiproperty.biz
New book “The Guide to New Zealand Property Investing – Australian Edition”
Available at our web site along with other NZ Resources for Australian InvestorsIt is standard marketing. A property owner’s address is available through tools like RP Date. The information can be mail merged and personalised letters printed. The agent will just sign a few hundred hear and there to personalise it (or some will use a colour printer to add their signature in blue). Throwing a stack of signed (or printed) letters through an envelope machine takes a few minutes and it is off to the post office.
It is very common practice!
The Mortgage Adviser
http://www.themortgageadviser.com.au
[email protected]
Essential LinksHi All
Not sure if I am able to shed some light on this but I’ll do my best.
I am living in WA and in a part that is going through a huge boom during the last two years. I get people knocking on my door every two weeks to ask if I might be interesting in selling and that they will give me a free market apraisal. I know their is a shortage of properties so maybe it would be a good time to sell to get a high price…However it’s still booming so I suppose it’s a question of getting out at the right time.
Anyway, real estate agents only make money by selling so if their is a shortage they’d be sure to try and drum up business.Hope this helps a little even if I don’t have NZ property
All the best
jb
Thank you all for your comments and feedback. I DO realise this is standard marketing practice but usually through letterboxes. We just didn’t expect to receive them personally addressed to our Melbourne address! They must be desperate for listings! We did used to get the council land rates posted here but this has been handled by our Property Manager in NZ for the last 2 yrs (prior to any of these letters).
Sigrid/Anthony –
I suppose you could solve this mystery by phoning one of them and asking them how they got your unlisted address in Australia?Yes, I could, and I will! I just preferred to ignore them.
By the way, we received yet another one today! Most of them have come from two different branches of the same company. They are certainly persistent and must be either desperate for listings or think we’d be a ‘soft touch’ as an ‘overseas’ owner.
Anyway, will phone them tomorrow – at least I can request them to cease – not that it will do any good, I’m sure … we’ll see …
Thanks again
WendyWendy Weightman
WEIGHTMAN Typing & Design
A step in the right direction – working my own hours from home! Next step – another investment property!
http://www.asecretary.com.au/wheelershill.htmIt may be that a particular interested party is attempting to see whether you may be interested to sell. Perhaps the neighbour…or the neighbour’s new owner?
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