Interview with John Kenel in the August 2019 issue of Business Central Magazine:
For Cambridge based property developer John Kenel, helping investor clients create their own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is one of the key reasons he’s so passionate about the sector he works in.
John’s company, Assured Property Investments, concentrates on the burgeoning multi-plex apartment industry in Hamilton, a city that is experiencing massive growth in these affordable and attractive residential options.
“In this day and age, these homes offer a way in for first-home buyers and investors alike. We’ve got 14 projects underway across the city and it doesn’t look like it is going to slow down anytime soon, given the council’s decision some years ago to allow dwellings to be constructed on smaller pockets of land.”
He says this decision and the economies of scale this creates has made investment by purchasers outside of Hamilton a very attractive option.
“Property is cheaper here and the rental market is just as buoyant, if you buy in the right areas.”
Assured Property Investments offer investors entry level investment packages and with the company specialising in turn-key multiple apartment projects there is plenty of investor demand.
“We do everything from planning, designing, consenting, constructing and we have been doing it so long we know how to make projects of this nature run smoothly.”
Before a project gets underway the majority of the apartments have been pre-sold and when Business Central caught up with John, one project at 10 Burrows Place in Dinsdale was about to begin. Of the 24 town-house precinct only two units were unsold and John expected these would be sold very soon.
“These townhouses are priced from $390,000 with a mix of one or two bedroom two-storey homes constructed in six blocks, each with its own car- park. It’s a gated community using a mix of building materials and colours providing visual appeal,” John explains.
When the project is complete, the environment will be enhanced with native plants and grasses softening the spaces.
John has been involved in the property investment market for 20 years and with areas close to the University, the Hospital, the Central Business District and, in suburbs such as Dinsdale, there’s been a real boom in apartment block facilities across the city.
His confidence in the district’s evolving prosperity continuing, echoed throughout the city and beyond in massive commercial and industrial facilities, is palpable when John speaks.
“I am very confident in Hamilton and the Waikato, and the business people I run into are pretty much of the same mind with new businesses and infra- structure development leading the charge. This city is experiencing a boom.”
This, he says, guarantees the need for more and more housing as people flock to the city and surrounds.
He puts his company’s successful track-record down to creating and applying simple repeatable systems and processes.
“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. We work with great people and companies we can partner with and rely on. Our professional approach is transparent, based on common sense, trust and solid communication.”
John says that typically his investors are not large-scale operators. Often it’s their first investment or they have a small portfolio.
“They are predominantly aged 40 to 60 years old. They have done everything right, worked hard, bought their own home and supported their families well”.
“They get to a point in their lives where the family is growing up and they ask themselves ‘what’s next’ for them to secure their future and reap long- lasting benefit. In this time of very low interest rates, investing in residential property makes more sense than ever.”
And after all these years and so many projects behind him, John admits he still gets a kick out of seeing great builds through and handing the key’s over to excited owners.
“In this time of very low interest rates, investing in residential property makes more sense than ever. You could put your money on term deposit for 3% or you could buy a new investment property and earn 5% plus the potential for capital gain. By purchasing off-the-plans, you also get the benefit of knowing you are helping others by providing more warm, healthy homes giving renters more options. It’s a true win-win”.
