7 Jan 2025

Hamilton property market leaves Auckland behind

Oliver Pearson from Waikato Real Estate said that for the final three months of 2024, 29% of tenants who gave notice to vacate their tenancy did so because they were buying themselves a home to live in - a big jump from the 5%-10% normally.

20 Jun 2024

Builder’s concern over granny flat proposal

Waikato Real Estate manager Oliver Pearson, who has himself installed a self-contained unit on a rental property he owned with his wife, says the law change could be seen as one less barrier for property investors to tackle and may speed up the process.

However, Pearson didn’t remember finding the consent process particularly onerous when the couple added the granny flat to their property.

2 May 2024

Renters paying double to secure housing

Waikato Real Estate manager Oliver Pearson says they are seeing cases of incoming tenants paying rent on a new property while also still paying for their old property because demand is so high.

“It seems like when tenants find something they really like, they feel like it’s worth paying an extra week or two’s rent just to secure it because there is still a lot of competition out there in terms of in terms of viewings."

8 Apr 2024

Private landlords could fall through the gaps in proposed bill

A national register for private landlords could help property owners navigate increasingly “tricky and complicated” rules, says a Hamilton property manager.

Waikato Real Estate manager Oliver Pearson says landlords doing it themselves may fall through the gaps in the proposed Residential Property Managers Bill (RPM), which passed its first reading last year before going to select committee.

11 Mar 2024

‘It’s super tight’: Number of empty rentals as low as it ever gets

Oliver and wife Michelle Pearson, who is the head of growth, said they have numerous anecdotes of people looking for homes, including a family of eight who were seriously considering splitting the family up while they searched.

“We ended up... contacting other property management businesses in Hamilton to try and help them out, just to to help them find a house. They were in desperate need.”

30 Nov 2023

Waikato Real Estate a winner at Property Management Conference 2023

The agency’s business development manager, Michelle Pearson, expressed her honour in receiving the award and dedicated the win to her team.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to uphold the highest standards in quality, service, and performance, and this award is a recognition of the collective effort that each member of our team puts into making Waikato Real Estate a standout in the industry."

2 Sep 2019

How to renovate a rental property to maximise your return

When you own a rental property, you need think about what’s practical rather than imposing your own personal tastes, say serial renovators Oliver and Michelle Pearson of Waikato Real Estate.

“The number one mistake is getting emotionally caught up in the renovation and adding unnecessary bells and whistles that appeal to your own personal taste,” Oliver says.

The couple have done up four rental properties in their 15 years of business, so they know how to stretch every investment dollar.