Stratford is known as the heart of the Taranaki region due to its central location. Situated between Hawera and New Plymouth, Stratford is a relaxing 30-minute drive to either town with no long traffic jams delaying the journey. It is also the gateway to some of the most popular attractions in the North Island, including Mount Taranaki and the Egmont National Park and The Forgotten Highway.

Anyone can sell a house, there are many people selling homes privately online every week. Private sales make up approximately 10% of residential sales in New Zealand. Making sure you get top dollar, on the other hand, requires not only extensive market knowledge but careful research and exceptional negotiation skills, which an inexperienced person can not give.

All over New Zealand, especially with house prices where they are right now, there are many conversations being had around this topic. Do we sell, do we renovate or perhaps we wait and see what the market does? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, which is what makes deciding whether to sell or stay that much harder.

South Taranaki, like the rest of the region’s property market, is red hot with almost all home sales having more than one buyer making a written offer on a property. This is great for those that are looking to sell their home as the chances of getting the highest offer for their home is pretty much guaranteed. But what does this mean for those who are looking to purchase a new house in South Taranaki? Chances are those who are in the market are experiencing disappointment due to their offer going into a multi-offer scenario, there are also a number of cash unconditional offers. If you are a buyer in a multi-offer process, if you don’t put your best offer forward you may not have another opportunity to increase your offer. 

Let’s face it, the reason the majority of people choose to sell their homes privately is to keep more money in their pocket. Why should you get someone to do very little work while pocketing a percentage of your home’s sale price? There are plenty of buyers out there, so how much effort is it really to sell a home?

There’s a good chance that the home you’re currently living in isn’t necessarily your dream home. It’s not that it’s bad - it’s probably perfect for what you need, or needed when you bought it. But when you have lived in a home for a period of time there is sure to be a few things you’d like to change. You may want a bigger backyard, a walk-in wardrobe or scullery, maybe even an extra bedroom or study.

Our lives can change in unexpected ways. Some changes are natural, expected and sometimes welcome, like becoming an ‘empty nester or reaching retirement. Some are more challenging circumstance adjustments, like a relationship coming to an end or a change may come from deciding to embrace a simpler lifestyle. There are many circumstances where downsizing your home can benefit your lifestyle and open up a world of new and exciting possibilities.

Selling your home is a major life decision that involves a lot of thought and can come with additional emotional stress and considerations. So how do you know if now is the right time to let go of the family house and maximise the return on your most important investment? In this article, we outline 5 things to consider when selling your family home to help ease you through the stress of such a major decision.

Selling your home is one of the biggest decisions you will make. Whether you’re looking to upgrade from your first home due to a growing family or you’re looking to downsize, every homeowner is looking for the best possible price when selling their home.