Christmas greetings from the Wakatipu! We hope that all our clients and friends of Resort Property Rentals enjoy a relaxing and happy break over these coming weeks. It has been a pleasure working with you in 2011, and we look forward to a successful 2012. Before we head off for the holidays we’ve enclosed a few words of news below from our Queenstown office. Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all the team at Resort Property Rentals.

Rental Increases on the Horizon?

While there hasn’t been much change in recent months in terms of rental prices, we’ve noticed an increasing trend in Queenstown property purchasing that may mean that demand for suitable rental properties could force prices up over the coming months.

Increasingly rental properties are being snapped up by first home buyers looking to live in the properties themselves, rather than rent them out to tenants, and if this trend increases it could mean less rental stock is available, pushing prices up. Less new properties are coming onto the market too, as figures from Lakes District Council report that only 51 residential properties were built this year to date, down 21% on last year. We’ll keep an eye on this trend over the next few months for you – watch this space!

Tenant Selection – Getting it Right

When it comes to successful property management, in our experience one of the most important factors that landlords need to consider is tenant selection. Picking the right tenant can be the difference between a smooth-running, rewarding property management experience and, well, a real headache! 

Selecting the right tenant shouldn’t just be down to luck either. At Resort Property Rentals we have fine-tuned the process for ensuring that the right tenant ends up in the right property and our processes are rigorous, including credit checks, character references, previous renting experience and more. We’ve had great feedback from clients over the years about our process, for example as one client recently told us, “We have used you to find tenants for us since we first bought our rental property and have been thrilled with the high calibre of tenant you have sourced for us…We start with a really positive relationship with our tenants as some one else has asked the tough questions and done the checking for us. We will certainly continue to keep using Resort Rentals.”

Introducing our New Team Member – Brigit Russell

We’re delighted to welcome Brigit as our new assistant at Resort Property Rentals. Originally from Sydney, Brigit has been living in Queenstown since 2004 and brings with her a strong background in administration, having worked as a PA and receptionist within industries such as building, fashion and media sales. Brigit will be helping ensure the smooth running of administrative duties at Resort Property Rentals. Welcome to the team Brigit!

Queenstown 2011 – A Good Year for all?

Looking back over the last 12 months if would be fair to say there have been some highlights but also a few challenges for our alpine resort. It was obvious during October that the projections for Rugby World Cup visitors failed to materialise in terms of local activity and accommodation, and although there was some benefit for the region it did seem to fall short of expectations. That meant that some holiday home owners would have been disappointed with the numbers they secured over that potentially lucrative period, however signs are hopeful for short term tenancies picking up for the summer holiday period. Also on a plus side the 2011 winter season was a good one for the resort, and although the snow was a bit late in coming, tenancy numbers performed well compared to recent years.

What’s on in Queenstown in 2012

There are some big events coming up on the Queenstown calendar in 2012 including:

• Super 15 Rugby Highlanders v Chiefs (Feb)
• NZ Golf Open (Feb)
• Queenstown Bike Festival (March)
• Arrowtown Autumn Festival 2012 (April)
• American Express Queenstown Winter Festival 2012 (June)

For more details about any of the above events visit http://www.queenstown-nz.com/