, ,

Celebrating 12 years of Sponsorship

At Holmwood we are celebrating a very special relationship this year.

It is an absolute privilege to have been sponsoring Nurse Maude for more than 12 years now. Through snow storms, earthquakes, pandemics, and the ups and downs of the real estate market, we haven’t missed a beat.

Every day, our agents are travelling all over Canterbury on the back of Nurse Maude vehicles, to support the essential work this amazing organisation undertakes. It is an honour to be able to contribute directly to the care of someone in our community.

Harcourts Holmwood are deeply committed to this relationship – it is much more than just being a face on an ad to us.

24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year, for 12 years, we’ve been on the road behind Nurse Maude, literally…!

Where they go, we go.
Here’s to 12 years.

,

Our team is here to help

Bridget Gabites & Hayden Broadbelt join Harcourts Holmwood

Harcourts Holmwood Real Estate are delighted to announce the appointment of Bridget Gabites as Head of Growth & Strategy and Hayden Broadbelt as Business Owner of the Fendalton office.

Bridget comes to Harcourts Holmwood with over a decade of global real estate leadership experience. The role of Head of Growth & Strategy across the multi-office group will see Bridget concentrating on elevating the team, company and most importantly the results for their clients. Specialising in futurist thinking and team development, Bridget is an internationally renowned real estate coach and trainer. Understanding what it takes to be successful, and knowing how to educate others to reach their own success, Bridget will work intensively with agents choosing Harcourts Holmwood to progress their careers to the next level.

Hayden began his foray into real estate in 2005 with Harcourts and has worked with multiple brands over the past 15 years most recently as South Island Regional Manager for Harcourts New Zealand. His career has spanned multiple cities and real estate markets providing him a strength of knowledge that is unsurpassed in the Canterbury market. Hayden comes to the Harcourts Holmwood Group with many years of business ownership under his belt, a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies and his AREINZ Status (Associate Member of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand). The Fendalton team are thrilled to have a leader of his calibre supporting their growth.
These announcements show the strength of the Harcourts Holmwood brand in the current market. When markets are tough, people turn to the best in the industry to support them in property decisions and there isn’t a steadier hand than the support provided by everyone within the Holmwood Group.

“Recruiting these two superstar leaders was a massive win for the Holmwood business and shows my team’s commitment to providing the best possible service and support to our clients. Watch this space for some incredible industry leading ideas in development. We are the safest choice for our client’s biggest financial decisions: their property transactions. Whether you are selling, buying or investing, our team is here to help”.

Tony Jenkins
CEO, Harcourts Holmwood
03 351 3002 or 0274 322 896
tony.jenkins@harcourts.co.nz

, , ,

Pop up Penguins

The Penguins have arrived!

Harcourts Franchises in Christchurch are proud to support the Pop Up Penguins charitable promotion as the main Presenting Partner. The charity we are thrilled to be backing is Cholmondeley Children’s Centre. This centre has been an integral part of our community for many years, what a wonderful and colourful way to give back! Holmwood have selected our penguin design and we can’t wait to share this with you! In the meantime, please keep an eye on our Facebook page to see when our penguin will be released into the wild!

Schools around Canterbury are also involved in the painting of the smaller penguins. These will also form part of the “walk” around the region from the 29th Nov to the 31st Jan 2021. Harcourts is also promoting a design competition aimed at children in the Christchurch region. Any person under 18 can submit a design for a penguin; the winning design will be commissioned, displayed and will eventually be given back to the child as their prize.

The “walk” comprises the 50 large penguins, the 65 smaller school-designed penguins along with the Harcourts colouring competition penguin.

See the colouring competition below, or click here to download a printable PDF.

For more information on the Pop Up Penguins initiative, visit https://popuppenguins.co.nz/

#popuppenguins

, ,

Pink Ribbon Breakfast 2020

A little later than usual… but our St Albans office is taking part one more time in the Pink Ribbon Breakfast. This wonderful event helps support the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s vital work.

The money raised will help fund several areas. One of the most important, is to support groundbreaking work by some of our country’s top breast cancer researchers. It will also help educate people about breast health, and provide free support services for breast cancer patients.

Donate today to help make zero deaths from breast cancer a reality:
https://pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz/page/harcourtsholmwoodstalbans

The following graph shows how the funds raised are distributed:

#showyoursupport #pinkribbonbreakfastnz

,

Thinking of selling in Winter?

To some, Winter can be a daunting time to sell. It is not a predictable season and sellers often wonder if buyers will be put off in the colder months. However, when it comes to selling your home in Winter, there are just a few easy and effective ways you can make your home bright, cozy and enticing. If you’ve been thinking of selling in Winter, here are some helpful pointers:

 

  • Make a clear path up to your home. Rake up leaves and any debris, have a mat by the front door and somewhere people can put shoes and umbrellas etc.
  • Open curtains and blinds and make sure all light-bulbs are working. A feature lamp can add dimension (and light!) to any dimly lit areas.

  • Clean, clean, clean! Especially windows and mirrors. The idea here is to maximise daylight hours and emphasise any natural light coming into your home.
  • Make sure your home is a desirable temperature for open homes (your agent can help you with this!) and that heating is turned on a couple of hours before the open home begins. If there is a fireplace, light it! Fireplaces always give off an enticing warmth.
  • Create a comfortable ambient mood. Plump up cushions on the couch and on beds, add throws over a chair, dress your dining table and clear the clutter off the coffee table! A few things here is fine, think a candle and some reading material. Add some indoor plants for variation in a room.

  • Even the bathroom can be elevated by a gentle scent (nothing too dramatic as some people may be allergic), towels rolled up in baskets and a lovely soap.

  • Soothing background music can also create a welcoming sense of belonging for viewers.
So if you’re thinking of selling this Winter, your Holmwood agent is the best person to talk to about ways you can enhance your home for viewings. Get in touch for a non-obligation marketing proposal and some tips on styling your home!

 

What does Mother’s Day mean to you?

Mother’s Day resonates differently to all of us. It can be a day of celebration, reflection and appreciation, but it can also be a day that evokes feelings of loss, sadness and confusion.

You may yourself be a mother, ringing your own, to wish her a happy day. You may even be in a bubble with your Mum and are lucky enough to give her a hug.

You may be waking up to your children eagerly giving you sloppy forehead kisses and homemade cards with glitter throughout the bed. You may be looking through old cards from children who are no longer at home.

You may be celebrating the privilege of being part of a child’s life. Or you may be mourning the loss of a mother, or a child.

Let’s celebrate those who mother, who have mothered, who want to be a mother but can’t, or are about to become one. Let’s celebrate those who love tirelessly, relentlessly and fiercely without any expectation or reward.

Some of us are mothers
Some of us have mothers,
Some of us no longer do.

Some of us want to be mothers
Some of us were mothers,
Some of us no longer are.

Some of us are step-mothers,
Some of us are stand-in mothers,
Some of us play a million different roles.

To all those who “mother”
We salute you this Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day in social isolation is not ideal, but there are still so many ways you can show your appreciation for the wonderful mum in your life. Download our 30-page activity book here.

No matter how you spend it, we hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

 

Easter ideas and tips

Easter weekend might feel a bit different this year – for children and parents. But only being able to leave home for essential travel and one form of exercise a day doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Here are some cool ideas and tips on ways for the family to celebrate Easter:

1. Set up a treasure (or egg) hunt
Treasure hunts are pretty easy and depending on how many items there are, could keep the kids entertained for a while!  You can also get the children making egg-shaped clues that you can fill in and hide around the house and garden (if you’re a bit limited in garden space – how about in the cutlery drawer or behind a pillow?).
Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

2. Draw an Easter egg for your window
You can download cool coloring templates or create your own, either way, it’s a great activity to do with kids of all ages. Crayons, coloring pencils and glitter can brighten any egg. Older children could try cutting out shapes in the paper eggs to create a cool pattern.

3. Take them to a virtual zoo or have your own in your living room
Zoos and aquariums around the world are no exception — they too have been shut down by COVID-19. To help relieve the stress, boredom and loneliness that come with self-isolation, zookeepers are live-streaming animals for people to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Click here to check some
You can also become a zookeeper at home! Take photos with tigers or pandas with the live 3D view of animals that Google provides in Search.

4. Bake together
Cookies, cakes, brownies. Anything! Baking is a great lesson in measuring, ingredients, and of course, making delicious goodies. Maybe try some homemade hot cross buns

5.  Decorate eggs
Easter eggs can be customized in many different ways. With some common craft items such as markers, glitter, googly eyes, crayons, pipe cleaners and acrylic paint, you can customize and add your creative flair to the eggs.
Poke a straightened-out paperclip through to make two holes, wiggle it around to break the yolk, then gently blow through the smaller hole to push the contents of the egg out through the bottom. Rinse out the empty eggshell and leave it to air dry overnight.

6. Make an Easter card
Why not create a card for the Easter Bunny, just like we do with Santa? This will entertain the children, and you can be really creative in what message you write to the Easter bunny!

7. Egg and spoon race
Each player gets a spoon and an egg (hardboiled or plastic). Each team must carry their egg on their spoon from the starting line to a turnaround point and back again. Then, the egg is passed off to a teammate who takes their turn. If the egg is dropped, the player must stop and retrieve it.

8. Have a picnic
Grab a sheet, whatever food you have, and enjoy a living room picnic, or take the fun out into the backyard if you are able. You can even play a memory game at the same time: “I’m going to a picnic and I’m bringing…” Each person takes turns remembering (in order) what everyone is bringing and then adds one thing each turn.

We are going on a bear hunt…

…and we’re not scared!

Take a look outside and see if you can spot them… teddy bears are popping up in windows and on garden fences all around the world to create some special ‘physically-distanced’ magic for kids of all ages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired by the popular children’s book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”, by Michael Rosen, the real-life Kiwi bear hunt has seen homes from Bluff to Auckland place teddy bears in their street-facing windows, allowing local children to “hunt” for bears in their neighbourhood. The teddy bear hunt is now a global pastime as millions upon millions enter self-isolation and lockdown. The motto of the book – “We’re not scared” – has resonated for many.

At Harcourts Holmwood the communities we serve are the foundation of what we do, so to help bring a little more magic to the kids in the communities we serve we have created some simple colouring templates for you to use, share and have fun with.

Follow the super simple steps to bring the magic to life:

1. Grab a teddy bear – preferably pre-loved
2. Print off or re-draw your Harcourts Holmwood teddy bear picture template
3. Display your teddy bear somewhere at the front of your home where a child would see it
4. Surprise and delight the kids and families in your local area.

Download Poster 1 – Harcourts Holmwood

Download Poster 2 – Harcourts Holmwood

Download Poster 3 – Harcourts Holmwood

#weregoingonabearhunt

Easter Brownie Bites

Prep time: 15 mins
Bake time: 12-15 mins
Makes: 24 mini brownies
Ingredients:

175g butter, chopped

150g dark chocolate

250g light brown soft sugar

85g self-raising flour

50g cocoa powder

3 large eggs, beaten

100g milk chocolate chips

24 mini chocolate eggs, plus extra to decorate

Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 24 holes of a mini muffin tray with paper cases. Put the butter, dark chocolate and sugar in a pan and heat it very gently, stirring all the time until the butter and chocolate have melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few mins.
  2. Meanwhile, sift the flour, cocoa and a good pinch of salt into a large bowl. Stir in the warm, melted chocolate mixture and the beaten eggs, then add half the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
  3. Divide the mixture between the cases and place a mini egg into the middle of each muffin, pushing down gently. Bake for 12-15 mins until cooked but still gooey in the centre – they will continue cooking a little as they cool down. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Melt the rest of the chocolate chips in short bursts in the microwave, or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring frequently. Leave to cool until it is quite thick, then dot a small amount on each cake and stick on some more mini eggs.

Changing Seasons

It’s hard to believe that February has come and gone, Summer is now well and truly behind us – the days and weeks are flying by so fast!

With 2020 now in full swing, and people planning for the year ahead, Autumn is shaping up to be a compelling time to sell.

Traditionally, we’ve always been taught that Spring and Summer are the ideal periods in which to sell – and that’s certainly still a great time to be on the market. However, the team at Harcourts Holmwood has also noticed a marked increase in buyer activity in this current market, particularly with first home buyers.

The fresher months certainly bring some benefits. The days are still long and there’s plenty of natural light, but the fierce heat of mid-summer is starting to dissipate, making for perfect open home conditions.
The market’s in great shape at the moment. The latest REINZ stats show that 2020 started with an increase in both median price and the overall volume of sales, not to mention a whopping 20% drop in the number of average days taken to sell.
All of this means there are still plenty of opportunities to take your home to market before Winter starts knocking on the door.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling, or are just after some friendly advice, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch – one of our Holmwood Consultants will put together a marketing plan that’s tailored to your needs.

You can also request a no-obligation appraisal by clicking  HERE – the team here at Holmwood is ready to help you!