If I could

Alex Bradley knows a thing or two about Christmas, he is one of the people behind the Nelson and Richmond Santa parades and loves to wear a big red jacket on those special days. His influence even extends to the big man himself, helping to organise this interview with Santa for the Nelson Magazine.

If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be...

Don’t eat all the cookies, I have had many years of eating many cookies that little boys and girls leave out for me on Christmas Eve. I learned the lesson the hard way, that a bite of each is better than the whole thing, sometimes I’m left those little Cookie Time cookies in the bucket, they are my favourite, and I use the buckets to feed the reindeer.

If I could be on a reality TV show it would be…

The Great Christmas Light Fight, I don’t think anyone could compete with all of the Christmas decorations and lights we have at the North Pole, the elves and Mrs Claus spend half the year planning for our great Christmas Light Show and the rest of the year putting it up.

If I could travel anywhere, it would be to…

I’ve always wanted to spend some time on a nice tropical island. After flying around the world for the past few Christmases I think somewhere like Rarotonga would be a great place for Mrs Claus and I to holiday, I’m not sure if we would take the elves though. They have a habitat of causing a little bit of mischief, so we will have to choose the bestbehaved elves to come with us.

If I could have a superpower, it would be…

Perfect wrapping. I have to admit that I’m not very good at wrapping the presents and usually get demoted to the tape dispenser, so I would love to have the power to wrap perfect Christmas presents every time.

If I could swap lives with someone it would be…

The Easter Bunny. He has a lot less work to do than me. I have to spend all year building toys, wrapping toys, checking lists, looking after the reindeer and elves, and all he has to do is hide a few easter eggs around the place.

If I could donate $1m to any charity it would be…

I think I would have to spread it out among a number of great causes including The Fifeshire Foundation and Nelson Community Foodbank who are doing amazing things for Nelson. I even heard that there is going to be an option for Nelsonians to donate to the Nelson Community Food Bank at the NBS Nelson Santa Parade, which you will see me at of course.

If I could spend Christmas day anywhere in the world it would be…

The North Pole, there is no where I would rather be than home for Christmas. Spending time with Mrs Claus and the elves is the best way to spend Christmas day, especially after travelling around the world delivering presents to all the boys and girls, sitting in front of the fire in my nice cosy chair is where I want to be.

If I could have anyone over for Christmas dinner it would be…

I think it would have to be the King and Queen of Christmas Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey, they do such a good job of spreading the Christmas Spirit all over the world and imagine the singalong we would have with the elves…

If I could choose just one thing I’d like for Christmas it would be…

Peace on earth and goodwill to all. These past couple of years have been hard for so many for a number of different reasons and no matter how you celebrate this festive season, remember that there are people out there who might not be able to celebrate with their loved ones this year, so get out into your neighbourhood and make sure that everyone has someone to spend the festive season with. Merry Christmas to all!

on the couch

with Glyn Delany and Callum Gilchrist of Team Delany gdrealestate.co.nz

Callum Gilchrist and Glyn Delany

Experts in their field, Summit Real Estates top sales team, Glyn Delany and Callum Gilchrist, make up Team Delany. They share some insights on current property trends and what we should consider.

How is the property market trending at the moment?

The current market is still steady despite what you may read or hear. We feel our region tends to buck most trends because we are such a desirable place to live. In saying this, there has been a significant drop in values in our region since the peak in early 2022, we are back to where values were approximately 12 to 18 months ago - which is still well ahead of where they were two years ago. We feel the market is beginning to level out, but probably has some further correction to go yet before it begins to stabilize.

What advice can you give to property sellers and investors?

If you are thinking of buying or selling, there is literally no better time than now as the longer you leave it to buy the higher the interest rate you will be paying, and if you are selling the longer you leave it the greater the risk of the unknown value in our current climate. We hear the argument all the time that values are going to go down considerably in the coming months. We feel, while you wait for this to possibly happen, the interest rates are going to affect you considerably more than a small drop in value, so our advice is to act now rather than wait and hope, as in the long run, it could cost you more.

What types of challenges are you seeing that differ from previous years?

The biggest challenge is the uncertainty the world faces and the buyers having a fear of overpaying (FOOP), this is a complete 360 from 12 months ago when there was a fear of missing out (FOMO). This is all generated from a change in stock levels, this time last year there was a total of 250 properties on the market in our region, today there are 800, slowing the market down as there is more choice. The next challenge is the rising cost of living and the rising interest rates. This has a direct impact on values as potential purchasers can borrow less, also lending rules and regulations have become far tighter making it more difficult for people to secure loans.

Where do overseas investors sit in the current market?

With the overseas investment act enforced, overseas investors are very quiet at the moment. For that matter, investors overall are very quiet. The only place we see investors in our current market are in building new homes for either rentals or to sell, as this is where the government has pushed them with the new rules implemented on investors and tax breaks they have been offered on new homes.