Shall we Dance?

There’s something exciting about music and dancing. Maybe it’s the opportunity to get some really good exercise, and not even realise you’re getting it, that we enjoy.

Most people can’t help but tap their foot to a good beat or if you can dance, there is something truly lovely about being able to dance well as a couple. It is always fantastic to watch and can be very inspiring for those born with two left feet. We are never too old to learn and in Christchurch there are many different dance clubs to consider.

Check out Ceroc . It is a fabulous style of dance, as it is very easy to learn and ideal for all social occasions. An ideal winter past-time to help keep you warm. Give it go!

TEDx In Christchurch

Wow! What an amazing turnout and conference this was last weekend in Christchurch at Burnside High’s Aurora centre.

We were bombarded with fantastic speakers who had equally fantastic visions and practical suggestions for the Christchurch recovery and re-invention. The task, as we know, is daunting and won’t happen quickly. Estimates on time-framing, based on information imparted by the speakers and those in the know, appear to indicate 5-10 years of hard-work and patience to get us to where we want to be. That is, the central city up and running in whatever shape or form that takes in the future, with urban living, commercial and retail premises integrated into the spaces and the inclusion of communal green recreation areas. There are suggestions that cars are kept out of the 4 avenues and that walk-ways and cycle-ways are encouraged back into these areas for future generations to utilise and enjoy.

Suggestions were also made that those in charge of the re-structure need to pull out all the stops to get the recovery moving promptly and if necessary, the rule book needs to be re-written if required to facilitate the speed needed to get things done. This was raised in relation to getting access to buildings for owners and tenants and if necessary allowing them to sign waivers if they want to enter allegedly “unsafe” buildings to retrieve important items.

It was also suggested that a time-line be put in place for the general public to access that gives people some true indication of when properties will be deemed to be able to be repaired or demolished and when the compensation or EQC payments will be paid out to those concerned. This is so that people have some certainty and would allow choices and plans to be made by those badly affected. This was very well received by attendees, as was the idea of a waiver for property owners and tenants.

This was a great day of ideas sharing and visions and there were some truly useful and insightful views to absorb. One thing that did come through loud and clear was that the citizens of Christchurch must have a voice and it must be heard! As one speaker said (from the Christchurch City Council)  “people are what makes  a city” and he was very sad when he had to walk around it recently and it was lifeless and broken.

So speak up and talk to your delegates and community leaders and be heard, so we can all get back on with our lives sooner rather than later! Go the Garden City! Thanks TEDx you blew me away with your content and inspiration!

Check out http://tedxeqchch.com/

Lovely days!

The sun is shining on Christchurch at the moment. We are being woken up by sometimes foggy and overcast mornings, that once cleared, turn out to be the most glorious days….sunny and warm. Sunny days are good for our well-being and lift our spirits, all great for those struggling to get on with some normality or  the” new normal” as the powers that be, keep talking about.

Some sports clubs and venues have re-opened for people to participate once again in their gyms and swimming pools. This is great as we start to head into autumn and gives us something to do again. With many recreational facilities still unable to operate, those that are open are busy.

Cafes and businesses in the suburbs are having a busy time also, as the CBD remains in lock-down and inaccessible to the general public and often the business owners themselves.

We are all being told that the city will be rebuilt and we know it will but we don’t have a good idea of when and where the work will begin! Will the CBD be first to be rebuilt or will the CERA (Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority) start in the suburbs and get people back into their homes as promptly as possible. It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg story. Which one comes first? We need businesses to be operational to allow them to employ people and give them job security and income so they can then support their families and themselves. This in turn provides cash flow for our economy in the form of taxes and spending.But we also need homes to be rebuilt to house people so they can comfortably get on with working and sheltering their families and of course themselves and then start spending. It’s not an easy answer but I do believe we must get our businesses up and running pronto, to enable the domino effect to kick in.

We have a long slow road ahead of us, as a country, to recovery but we are getting amazing support from not only New Zealand but from many, many people and countries around the world and we really appreciate everyone’s contributions and help.

It will be a very interesting five years to come, as we all get on with the job of rebuilding our broken city and lives.It’s amazing what a few seconds can do to your world! Kia Kaha Christchurch!

Where to from here…Canterbury March 2011.

It is 3 weeks since the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit our city of Christchurch.

We are all struggling along with the reality of what such an event brings. We have witnessed the horror of Japan’s earthquake and are truly linked by the mutual tragedy of these events.

So, where to from here? The local council and government are trying desperately to restore power, water and sewerage to the entire city. They have managed this in the majority of the city but the very badly affected areas are testing their ability and skills and it is a very frustrating time for all concerned. We all now, more then ever, value the work involved in having amenities such as fresh water and flushing toilets and those trying to restore such services deserve our gratitude. The roads above these services are so badly damaged and just trying to get to the pipes and lines must be testing the workmens patience.

Rebuilding the many damaged homes and commercial buildings will too be a huge task and will take a very long time and in the meantime presents some very trying situations. Getting assessments and reports completed to allow sales to continue is very important. Vendors are being advised to get structural reports done prior to listing their homes for sale to give purchasers peace of mind in purchasing and EQC claims are being transferred from one owner to the next via the lawyers and sale and purchase contracts. Insurance is still the most difficult aspect to selling but most insurance companies are agreeing to transfer existing insurance across to the new owner after a conversation and it too is in the Sale and Purchase contract, approximately 10-15 working days currently is the normal time-frame to complete this process. Just check that there is no stand-down period from the day the insurance takes effect which is from possession date.

On the positive side, things are progressing and people are still wanting to buy in Christchurch for many reasons. Access to the CBD is improving allowing business owners some opportunities to retrieve essential business tools and try to get back on with their business. Kids are returning to school slowly even if they are having to combine schools and split the day into two different time frames to allow this. Some work-places are now operating and the ones that are open are very busy as are the open retail shops. People are still wanting to go out and have social contact so the single level establishments are proving popular for eating and drinking. The water is still needing to be boiled to contain any gastro problems but we are getting there.

All we can hope for now is for water, power and sewerage to be returned to all so we can get on with our lives no matter what the future holds for each of us , we just want to move forward and live. Kia Kaha Christchurch! Stay Strong Christchurch!

Earthquake Christchurch 6.3…..No Way….Not Again!!

Yes way!!

The unimaginable has happened to our lovely city of Christchurch.

Homes and people are in ruins! Businesses have taken the full impact this time in the CBD and it will take us quite some time to get back on track….but we will! Water is out in 80% of homes and power is out in 25% of homes also. The implication of this is that people are not permitted to flush toilets or have showers which as you can imagine, is very hard on everyone and this looks to be what we will have to endure for weeks at least. Simple washing of food and hands in safe water,  is becoming very important to avoid stomach upsets and diarrhea, as with limited toilet facilities no one needs to be dealing with that at the moment. All schools and many businesses are closed and will remain so until next week at the earliest. Until water and power services are restored to the city it will remain closed. We are getting very good assistance from Police, Civil Defence, Council and Emergency services and volunteers. Everyone is working hard to do what they can to help. There are young university students volunteering their time to dig out streets covered with liquefaction and sewerage to allow the clean up by councils to be hurried up. This is the spirit of Cantabrians and we will rise again.

So please remember us today when you are going off to bed around the world because the one thing most of us would love is just one good nights sleep with no aftershocks to wake us and have us bolting for the door-frame. Keep us in your thoughts and pray for us.

Take care Christchurch…you guys are so brave and strong…bless you all over the next few months!

“Good Ole Days”

February already!
Kids are back to school and parents are breathing sighs of relief that the holidays are over.
The new year will be bringing some people the opportunity of starting a new job or career path and for others it will be bringing the much anticipated and maybe dreaded retirement.

When people retire they often fear how they will fill their days.
I haven’t yet met anyone who has regretted retiring and I have yet to find any retired person who cannot fill their day with what becomes their new routine. It seems we wonder how we found the time to work!
I was discussing retirement and family with a friend lately and how different it is now for families.
Mums often now are expected to work, unlike several generations ago when Mums were just expected to be Mums. Their job comprised of washing clothes, cleaning up after everyone, cooking family meals and baking for school lunches. Clothes that were damaged by boisterous play were repaired, often by hand, shoes were repaired and Mums were home to greet children after school and husbands after work.
I believe women have inherited a bigger workload since becoming “liberated” and I’m not convinced it works or is best for us or our families. We talk about work/life balance, but do we actually manage to pull this off?
Our expectations are growing all the time and each generation has so many more gadgets and options, you wonder where it will all end? Life was simpler and wants were less, 30 or even 40 years ago. Now we have to have everything right NOW! Nobody wants to save up for the new washing machine or car anymore, we just put it on the plastic card or accrue more debt. What is this teaching our kids? I want my children to appreciate what they have and I also want them to save up for the things they really need or want, I don’t want it to be too easy as this teaches them nothing about budgeting or the thrill of accomplishment which should be one of our motivators for working hard. I am a bit sad that we are contributing to the problem by the simple fact that both parents now work and things are then more affordable, this makes it easier to provide them the gadgets but at what price? Think about it, there were some good values learned when families were bigger and poorer!

Buyers Market….True or False?

We need more good family homes to sell…..now!

If you believe the hype of the media you’ll be thinking that it’s buyers market at the moment. Well I don’t believe it is the case in Christchurch! We have lots of buyers looking for all sorts of homes in different areas and price ranges and not enough good stock to sell.

In Christchurch Harcourts has had amazing success at auctions in the 2 months leading up to Christmas with a 70-80% success rate. This is because there are very few homes fitting the different criteria that people are needing to fill. The median number of days to sell a house in Christchurch at the moment is 33 and the median price is $330,000. If your home hasn’t sold in that time you have to ask yourself why? It usually comes down to the 3 P’s…Price, Profile and Presentation. Get these right and you usually have a successful recipe for a sale. Priced homes have had about a 28% success rate in this median range of 33 days, in the last quarter, whereas auctions have had 57% success rate in comparison. If you currently have a home for sale and it is has been on the market longer then 33 days, maybe it’s time to ask yourself and your agent some hard questions and look at the 3 P’s to see if one of them is letting down the sale of your home.
If you are wanting a fresh approach to marketing your home please give me a call and I’ll be happy to pop out and talk to you about the best way to go about raising your homes profile and getting it sold…it won’t cost you anything to list with me until I sell it for you! So what have you got to lose??

Expectation also has a lot to do with sales in the last few years. The younger generation are not so prepared to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into DIY like some of the previous generations have been. Instead of buying older, more affordable homes with a view to doing them up and getting the capital gain in the future, they would rather get a bigger mortgage and not have to do the work which then starts making it harder to find enough properties to fill the demand. The older homes then sit on the market waiting for someone with gumption and energy to see their potential and gobble them up.

Come on you youngies with energy….get some good advice from qualified trades-people before you get stuck in. Then get out the paintbrushes, hammers and gather up some wise older DIY relatives and friends to help you with your project even if it’s just good old-fashioned practical advice and not labour, they are bound to know some good ways to save money doing some things yourself. For those jobs you know are beyond you , budget for that and then sit back and enjoy the home you can create with a little hard work and TLC! It can be very rewarding!

What makes us happy?

It sounds like a simple enough question, but is it?

If you had to stop for a minute and answer this SIMPLE question, what would your answer be? There are millions of answers I suspect to this question, but I believe it boils down to a few good old faithfuls.

The love of friends, family, partners, children, parents and even pets. Financial security…this doesn’t mean having bucket-loads of cash but having enough to let us pay the bills and to also have some left-over to play with, doing the things we love….which co-incidentally is why we go to work, hopefully. Job satisfaction is a biggie and when it takes up so much of our day, week & life it really ought to be enjoyable for the most part. Sure you’ll have the odd fail day when you just want to throw in the towel but that’s when you need to have something else in your life that “makes you happy”. Recreation is a very important and often overlooked or sacrificed part of our daily lives. We need to have something that allows us to ……if you are boys…use up your build up of testosterone (male hormone) and if you are girls……get rid of some of our often self-induced stress levels, when we are trying to do too much. Sport, dancing, walking, swimming or simply picking up a good book and blobbing can do wonders for giving us a healthy distraction from work or home stresses.

So this year why not take up something that you have thought about trying or have put off trying because you thought you were too old, too unfit or because you were just plain being lazy! You may discover your life will be richer and everything will work and feel better when you have balance. Go on find your happy distraction!

 

Happy New Year!!

Well doesn’t time fly?

I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas and New Year and are keen to now get into 2011 and embrace a busy yet rewarding year. I’ve spent lots of time with my family and friends over the holidays, which is always good, and allows time to talk about the many things that normal routine tends to get in the way of. It’s amazing what you learn about your kids when you get the opportunity to sit quietly and chat with them without someone having to head off somewhere. I learned that my two children are very funny! They both have an amazing sense of humour and timing as they grow older and I find myself grinning at their ready wit. I also discovered that my husband is in fact trapped inside the body of a budding chef and with some encouragement and a half decent cookbook he can produce great meals. We have had fresh sushi, delicious quiche ( albeit with a sweet crust pastry) the list goes on. It’s such a treat to not have to cook each night and I’m really excited about 2011 and the meals he will cook …… go man go.

I have a tendency to plan too far ahead so this year I am determined to live more in the moment and appreciate each day for what it is and what it potentially holds…..why not give it a try too? This became all too apparent when my darling Mum took ill the week before Christmas and we were worried we may not have her with us for Christmas or New Year as she got very sick very quickly. It made my family and friends all realise, as these things tend to, that life is so precious and we must cherish each day we are given as a gift. So this year I’ll be making more effort to keep in touch with friends and colleagues so you have all been warned….. expect to see me pop in for a coffee or wine when you least expect it….I will however not come empty-handed as you know!! Good luck and good health to you all in 2011!!

Busy, Busy,Busy.

Organised chaos, that’s the best way to describe the silly season I believe.

Everyone is pulled in so many directions at this time of year, which is great, if you can keep up with it all. The kids are finishing or finished school and so the class parties are being held, as are the school formals for those leaving and the assemblies to acknowledge their achievements for the year. Add to this the work Christmas parties and gatherings to meet up with friends for one quick drink before family takes over the Christmas priorities. Work continues for most right up until Christmas Eve as we frantically try to finish the years tasks off in preparation for 2011.

Real Estate is no better, auctions are happening right through until the week before Christmas and many deals are still being completed to allow families to move into their new homes for Christmas, its all go! New listings are still coming onto the market and with the last Bluebook being published on Wednesday the 15 December the rush is on to get those new listings in so people have something to choose from over the holiday period. The first Bluebook for 2011 comes out January 12.

So take a deep breath, embrace the madness that comes at this time of the year and make the effort to catch up with those that invite you and sit back, relax and enjoy the moment.