British-based property buyers targeted at NZ expo

News Release
October 4, 2007

British-based property buyers targeted at NZ expo

Ex-pat Kiwis and British buyers wanting a slice of the good life in New Zealand are being targeted during the Opportunities New Zealand Expo in London and Manchester later this month.

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo is the biggest employment and migration expo specifically for New Zealand anywhere in the world and is aimed at both ex-pat Kiwis looking to return home and skilled people wanting to migrate to New Zealand.

Hundreds of last year's visitors to the expo are now living and working their dream in New Zealand.

“The interest in New Zealand and coming to live here is just consistently ramping up,’’ says David Murray, chairman and director of Bayleys Canterbury, who will be attending the expo.

It’s more than five years since Bayleys Realty identified the UK market as a target area for its properties and took the bold step of setting up a display office in London and securing the right to be the sole national real estate company at the Opportunities New Zealand Expo.

“Research was showing that a significant amount of property was being purchased by UK citizens either as an investment or because they wanted to come and live out there,’’ David Murray explains.

Since then the company has sold a significant amount of residential property to UK-based buyers keen to start a new life for themselves: “They’re eager to move here because of the perception of safety, because of climate, because of less congestion and because it’s a young country, relatively speaking, with incredible opportunities for employment for people with appropriate skills,’’ David Murray says.

The company currently has a database of more than 8000 UK-based buyers, many of whom are planning to move to New Zealand within the next six to eight months.

Statistics New Zealand figures show that in the past two years nearly 20,000 Brits have migrated to New Zealand.

“Interestingly the most inquired about area is Canterbury . . . the British really relate to Canterbury,’’ David Murray says.

Financially, buying property here is very attractive for UK-based buyers, particularly those from the large cities like London where even a garage can set people back 150,000 pounds.

One ex-pat Kiwi was so intent on relocating his family to New Zealand that he recently flew from the UK to New Zealand for half-a-day simply to view a French Farm property on Banks Peninsula that he had spotted on Bayleys website. Within four days of returning to the UK he had placed a conditional offer on the property, which he eventually bought.

Many vendors are also realizing the benefits of targeting the British market and are specifically seeking to have their properties marketed by Bayleys in the UK.

Bayleys Canterbury chief executive Scott McCrea says there is a huge potential in the British market: “It is great to have our chairman David Murray over in the UK this month promoting our vendors’ properties to this enthusiastic group of ex-pats and British nationals who are keen to emigrate to New Zealand and carve out new lives for themselves here.’’

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo is on in London on October 13 & 14 and on in Manchester on October 20 & 21.

Ends.

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