Green Shoots Predict Big Business at the Yellow Auckland Home Show

The green shoots of recovery are definitely sprouting at this year’s Yellow™ Auckland Home Show, Wednesday 9th September to Sunday 13th at the ASB Showgrounds, with exhibitors cautiously bullish about a surge in interest in the home and home investment.

The Yellow™ Auckland Home Show is the largest show of its kind in New Zealand and therefore acts as a barometer for consumer confidence in the residential market, and this year right across the show there are signs that business is bouncing back and exhibitors are preparing their order books for a positive upswing.

Charlie Nicholls from OPM Financial Solutions is one who is happy to go on record as saying that he believes the corner has been turned in the residential investment market. “I can tell you right now that the market has bottomed out and it has gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, virtually overnight,” says Nicholls. “The renovation market has been absolutely nuts, but the pendulum has swung and now there is an undersupply of properties,” he said.

Nicholls is one of the presenters at the popular Property Know How Series at the Yellow™ Auckland Home Show and is expecting packed sessions. Seminar organiser Christine Neil is also confident of a packed audience. A recent seminar series in Wellington on the same subject was a massive success she says with more than 1200 visitors over the three days of the show.

Neil says that the consumer is hungry for information on how to add value to the home as well as education on the new rules of the property market. “Everything has changed,” says Christine, “The Real Estate Act, new codes of compliance, changed bank criteria – all these things mean that even experienced property buyers are racing to educate themselves for the upturn,” she said.

And apart from the rebound in housing, she says that there are many other factors all coming to bear that are stimulating the home products and services sector. Government subsidies for insulation and heating have definitely been stimulatory, with a surge in spending on energy efficiency adding to an already busy renovation marketplace says Christine. “People are wanting to add value to their homes and their lifestyles,” she says. “And that means good energy efficient heating, insulation, outdoor heating for entertainment, all these things are perceived as good investments for homeowners.”

Taking this trend a step further has been a definite shift towards greening the home, which may reduce spending in future for some products, but for now means busy sales of a myriad of items to make the home more sustainable. These include collecting rainwater with quirky backyard tanks, passive solar energy systems, worm farms, chicken coups and compost heaps and companies that will transform any backyard or patio into a vege garden in less than a day. Even local government has got in on the act, establishing Create Your Own Eden, a joint initiative of seven councils designed to show ratepayers how to reduce waste through composting, worm farms and Japanese Bokashi fertiliser systems.

“The trend really reflects just how much interest there is in gardening, for saving money and improved health though growing your own veges, but also to make a positive contribution to the world’s environment,” says Yellow™ Auckland Home Show organiser dmg world media’s Jenny Murfitt.

“We’re seeing a desire for more environmentally friendly concepts and products across the board, from both visitors and exhibitors alike. Maybe the tipping point really has been reached and we can look forward to a greener, healthier New Zealand,” she said.

Yellow™ Auckland Home Show 2009 Event Details:

Date: Wednesday 9th September to Sunday 13th September

Opening Hours: Wed - Thurs: 10am-7pm, Fri - Sat: 10am-9pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

Tickets: Adults $16, Senior Citizens $12 (Wed - Fri), Children under 14 free.

Buy on-line and receive a 25% discount on entry tickets.

Booking and show information available at www.aucklandhomeshow.co.nz