Property Buyers & Sellers Reveal What’s Important

Media Release
18 December 2008 - embargoed until midnight

PROPERTY BUYERS & SELLERS REVEAL WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO THEM

Analysis of key search words over previous year shows mortgagee sales is clearly top but double garage, Tokoroa & oozing rate as well.

The biggest real estate website in NZ has concluded a detailed analysis of key search words on the site since the beginning of the year and the results show how deeply concerned kiwis are about the economy, the property market and leaky homes.

www.realestate.co.nz has topped 7 million visitors viewing 110-million property web pages since January and Chief Executive, Alistair Helm says many search words were expected but there are some surprising and just plain odd ones.

1. Mortgagee

2. Furnished

3. Pool

4. Garage

5. Swimming Pool

6. Waterfront

7. Villa

8. Character

9. Beach

10. Mortgagee Sale

The overall Top 10 words and phrases reflect the economic downturn as well as a home buyer’s wish-list. Being able to see water or swim in it rates very highly here.

Mortgagee generated the most searches by far – twice as many as No.2, furnished.

The words mortgagee + mortgagee sale + mortgagee sales added together generated one of every 12 searches during 2008.
Overall the Top 10 amounted to 1 in 5 of all searches.

1. Brick

2. Lockwood

3. Weatherboard

4. Heatpump

5. Kauri

6. Underfloor

7. Woodburner

8. Cladding

9. Matai

10. Stucco

WATERPROOF WINS
The concern over leaky homes is clearly not going away. The Top 10 Building Material search words are heavily focused on exteriors that are perceived to be water tight.

1. Queenstown

2. Taupo

3. Christchurch

4. Wanaka

5. Prebbleton, Canterbury

6. Devonport, Auckland

7. Raglan

8. Remuera

9. Tokoroa

10. Mapua, Tasman

KEY AREAS BY KEYBOARD
This category simply ranks the places around NZ that have been typed into the search box the most. Queenstown taking top place is no surprise but Prebbleton, Mapua and Tokoroa might shock some.

OOZING WITH PUFFERY - This category ranks the top 10 words buyers believe real estate agents would use to describe a property. It’s thrown up some words that make ‘Handyman’s dream’ look positively dull including oozing, cosy, manicured & exudes.

SELLING PHRASES – no surprise that urgent & desperate feature this year

UP WORDS – homes that are freehold and properties with a double garage appear to be increasingly important to buyers. Both featured so strongly in 2008 they made the Going-Up Top 10.

For the complete list of Top 10 search words across all of the categories and further explanation go to realestate.co.nz

ENDS

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