Bayleys Marlborough Property

A Marlborough Garden Party

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As spring arrives with a riot of colour and fragrance to tantalise the senses, it inspires a natural desire to ditch weekends and evenings by the fireside and fill our social calendars with friends, family and fabulous functions. One event that never fails to get us into the swing of spring is the Nelmac Garden Marlborough Garden Party. This year’s event will be held at Wither Hills on Saturday 11th November and Bayleys Marlborough is once again proud to sponsor this fun-filled, festive evening.

If you can’t wait until November to enjoy the ultimate Marlborough garden party, then why not hold one of your own? To help you plan, we caught up with local design guru and Queen of Colour, Alex Fulton; and award-winning foodie and generous host at Arbour, Liz Buttimore.

Garden Party Marlborough

Here are their top tips to help you throw the perfect outside soirée!

Style your Garden Party – Alex Fulton

The New Zealand Spring can always offer a variety of weather patterns on any given day.  If the elements choose not to play ball, there’s nothing in the rule book to say you can’t have your garden party inside, but if you know you want to embrace the outdoors then plan to buy or borrow a pop-up gazebo, this can be decorated with pot plants and fairy lights; and draped with fabric and streamers.

If the weather gods are kind to you, the best way to bring the indoors outside at a garden party is as simple as literally bringing everything inside…outside! You don’t need different tableware, furniture or decorative features just for outdoor use, using indoor stuff can be fun and easy. There’s no need to fork out cash for decorating and design, dragging the kitchen table outside and setting it up as you would inside will cost only your time. Look at what you have around you and take your cues from those elements.

Bottoms will need accommodating, but spending money on cheap plastic chairs is harsh on the environment and your wallet, and they will likely end up in your garage collecting cobwebs. So, cut your costs by borrowing chairs from neighbours, friends and family. You’ll end up with a variety of shapes and sizes, so, if mix ‘n’ match isn’t your thing and you are after a more cohesive look then approach community groups like churches and schools. Offering a donation may very well secure the seating you need.

Theming your party is a fun way to direct your design style but having an open brief is okay too. If you simply want to inject some spring colour into your styling then bring out the pastel shades, these always give a nod to the new life and fresh optimism that the turn of this season brings.  Team your pastels with natural greens and nature inspired colours such as terracotta and muted blues. This will help to ground the soft palette and bingo, you have an on-trend colour combo that is very Spring 2017.

Cater your Garden Party – Liz Buttimore

Spring is the perfect time to enjoy long table lunches, where people can linger at the table all afternoon. If you’re catering for a crowd don’t over complicate things with a large number of dishes. Pick a small, crowd pleasing menu with the focus on fresh, local produce.

Spring New Zealand lamb makes a wonderful main attraction. Depending on temperatures and the timing of your party the first asparagus may be available as well as early summer potatoes. Local strawberries start to appear at the beginning of spring, as do beautiful fresh peas. Black garlic, clams and mussels are regional specialties so choose some of those for your menu too. Spring garden parties tend to coincide with the new releases of local Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc wines; and, of course, it wouldn’t be a party without some Marlborough sparkling wine to toast the occasion.

If you’re catering for a large crowd at an informal or family event, a buffet is often the easiest way to serve your food. It is always nice to spend some time creating a beautiful table for the dishes, make sure you have back up food you can add during the meal so that everything always looks clean and appetising.

Prepare as much of your menu as you can in advance. Pickling vinegars, flavoured mayonnaises and infused butters can all be made prior to alleviate pressure on the day. Have a few tasks in mind for those close friends and family you know sincerely want to help. They will enjoy playing their part at the gathering and you will look like a cool, calm and collected garden party legend!

When you have a large gathering, oven space can be difficult to juggle, so this barbecue friendly lamb leg is our family’s go-to dish for feeding a crowd.

1 leg Lamb, boneless

  • 2 sprigs Thyme
  • 20 leaves Rosemary
  • Zest and Juice of one Lemon
  • 4 cloves Garlic, peeled
  • 50 mls Olive Oil
  • 10 grams Smoked Paprika
  • 15 grams Salt
  • 10 grams Pepper
  • 10 grams Cumin

Make a paste from the ingredients, no need to be too fussy over measurements. Massage the paste into the lamb and sit overnight. Grill over a medium heat on the barbecue to an internal temperature of 55 degrees C (timing will vary depending on size). Then allow to rest under tinfoil in a warm area for about half an hour. Slice against the grain for the most tender eating.

 

Building in Marlborough?

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If you’re keen to start building your dream home in Marlborough, remember that Stage 6 sections at Boulevard Park on Taylor are expected to be released early next year. With titles for stage 4A & B being issued later this month.

building marlborough

If you’ve never experienced building a home before, there’s no doubt that this will be an exciting time for you, but equally there will be lots of decisions to make and lots of advice you need to seek.

To get you started we caught up with New Zealand’s leading authority on building law, Rosemary Killip of Building Networks.

BM: What is the most frequently asked question you get asked by people who are thinking of building their own home?
RK: Why didn’t I find you sooner?! Often people find or hear of me too late; when they are in trouble or something has gone wrong. People assume they are getting professional advice from an architect, designer or builder; and whilst this should be the case, I often find people may have done very little due diligence when selecting their professionals. Obtaining a building consent is a complex process and it pays to understand more about it yourself so you can select the right team to have around you. Generally, people can be astute when they buy a car but quite naïve when it comes to their largest purchase ever, their home, because they depend too heavily on others.

BM: What choices are available for people who would like to buy a section and build a home? Do you have any words of advice or tips for each of these options?
RK: There are a few options to choose from. You can go with a group house builder (like GJ Gardiner) buying land and a section as a package. This can be the easiest route, you’ll get a few options to choose from but can safely leave a lot of the compliance, and the appointment of building contractors to the group house builder. Alternatively, you can decide to commission your own home build, but remember, if you’re are a novice it can be challenging! Get yourself a good building surveyor or project manager who understands residential building to be your eyes and ears. It could save your sanity, it will keep eveyone on the straight and narrow and ensure the building is how you want it to be. Remember the Council are NOT your project managers they will do spot inspections and checks but in the months it takes to build a home you may be better off having someone run the complex process of contracts and warranties, as well as compliance.

BM: What’s the best way to choose a builder?
RK: The Government has put extensive information together to answer and guide you on this. Check out this website. But my key tips are firstly, do your research locally, ask others who have used a builder you’re considering what it was like to work with them. Then, interview the builder and make sure they have a good working relationship with the Council as they will be acting on your behalf. Determine how you will stay informed and in the loop during the process. I recommend people get every piece of correspondence and even attend the Council inspections to get full disclosure of the process.

BM: What’s your #1 piece of advice for builder/owner relationships.
RK:  Pay your bills promptly, BUT never pay them until you see that work has been signed off (this happens in stages) and never give your final payment until the Code Compliance Certificate from Council is in your hand. This means your job is finished!

BM: How can one best build a home that’s going to stand the test of time?
RK: The New Zealand Building Code contains industry minimums. Think about the things you can’t see, like insulation. Consider how the materials and claddings you want to use will last in the New Zealand environment. Different locations will have different considerations. Look beyond pure aesthetics, and if you don’t know what you are looking for get advice from a building surveyor.

Ready to build in Marlborough? Visit www.boulevardpark.co.nz for further details on available sections. Or register your interest with your preferred Bayleys Marlborough salesperson today.

Keeping the wheels turning

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We’re thrilled to be the brand new sponsors of the Blenheim urban bus service.

The passenger bus, which is widely used by the town’s elderly residents and those with reduced transport access to social and retail amenities, loops around Blenheim six days a week – stopping outside the town’s main supermarkets, as well as the library, Wairau Hospital, medical practices and retirement villages.

We’re always grateful for the loyalty the Marlborough community shows to us, and we believe this is a great way to show some reciprocal love and loyalty!

For many in the town, the bus service is a lifeline to the wider community; it is far more than just a ride to the shops…. It’s a place to meet friends and talk, and catch up on what’s going on in the local community.

To celebrate we thought we’d share five ways that selling with Bayleys Marlborough is a just like a ride on the community bus…

  • We know what your destination is and we promise to make your journey as enjoyable as possible.
  • Planning makes perfect… A bus doesn’t run without a route map, and neither does a successful sale. We’ll spend time establishing a sales plan that works for you as an individual.
  • Once you step on board with Bayleys Marlborough we take care of the details so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.
  • If any unexpected diversions come up on your journey to a SOLD sign, we’ll make sure you get safely back on track, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
  • Just like the community bus, we represent excellent value for your money. When you list with Bayleys Marlborough, you tap in to years of valuable real estate experience. The experience we offer you equates to dollars in your bank account when you’re looking to sell your greatest asset.

Contact Us to find out how we can help you on your journey to SOLD today!

 

 

Introducing Anna Drury and Richard Barton

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It’s time for the seventh in our series of blog articles for 2017, profiling our Bayleys Marlborough team members. It’s part of our quest to ensure you get to know each of our agents a little better allowing you to make the right choice when you come to sell. This month we’d like you to meet Anna Drury and Richard Barton.

Anna Drury

Anna was a Bayleys Marlborough pioneer in Picton. Four years ago she was living in the picturesque seaside town we all know and love, and decided to approach our team based in Blenheim to find out whether they would like an agent working in the Picton area. With a resounding yes as a response, Anna dived straight in and having sat her Real Estate papers, was working from home (in Waikawa Bay) within three months.

How times, have changed… Anna’s now part of a team of five agents working out of the thriving Bayleys Marlborough High Street Picton office. Anna’s can-do attitude was most definitely a contributing factor in the office’s growth and it’s the same attitude she brings to marketing your property, she’ll work hard to find you the right buyer whilst giving you good, honest, service.

Coming from a background working within the service industry, Anna is most definitely a people person; her empathetic nature means she understands that selling a home can sometimes be daunting, but assures her vendors that they need not be worried about change, and the support she offers throughout the sales process, ensures that very few are!

Anna also comes with a wealth of personal knowledge about what needs to be done before a house is brought to market, she and her husband, Joe, who runs their construction company, are busy renovating their seventh home, so you could say they have an eye for detail when it comes to property.

When Anna’s not marketing property, you’ll find her boating in the Sounds, or enjoying time with friends and a delicious glass of Marlborough wine.

Richard Barton

Here’s the thing about Richard… He knows rural! Growing up on a Kumara farm in Gisborne, a decade of experience working within the viticulture industry plus four years as a shepherd on a large scale North Island sheep and beef farm have all done much to prepare him for the pivotal role he now holds as part of the Bayleys Marlborough Rural and Lifestyle division.

Bayleys Marlborough holds approximately sixty-five per cent of the local rural market and that keeps Richard out and about doing what he enjoys most, meeting vendors and purchasers, having a good yarn, and making a match. Richard finds the stories behind the sales and purchases fascinating, and he enjoys playing a part in those stories; he recently helped to secure a first home for a keen buyer after they had placed numerous offers on houses in a competitive market. Richard says, “It can be really hard to get your foot on the property ladder in this market, but by working with a good real estate agent and a with a little persistence, buyers can get quality homes within their budgets.”

Asked for his number one piece of advice for vendors, Richard says, “Just enjoy the process!” We know you will with Richard, because of his enthusiasm and down to earth approach, all combined with great communication and an understanding of an individual’s needs.

Richard’s a family man, and when he’s not selling real estate, you’ll find him hanging out with wife, Alexandra, and kids, Rosie and Gus, enjoying sport and the quintessential Marlborough lifestyle!

 

 

Find Us

BLENHEIM: 33 Seymour Street
PHONE: +64 3 578 7700
Email Us: marlborough@bayleys.co.nz

PICTON: 35 High Street
PHONE: +64 3 578 7700
Email Us: picton@bayleys.co.nz

KAIKOURA: 60 West End Parade
PHONE: +64 3 319 7049
Email Us: kaikoura@bayleys.co.nz

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