The "Donald Trump effect" is having an impact on lifestyle property demand in Hawke's Bay, with not enough stock to meet requirements, says a Hawke's Bay real estate agent.
Reacting to Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) figures released this week that showed a shortage of supply was consistent around the country, Colliers rural and agribusiness director Hadley Brown said that was also the case in Hawke's Bay, with plenty of inquiries for lifestyle blocks but little to offer at this stage.
"It's interesting to see how many inquiries we are getting from both the domestic and international markets, but Donald Trump has helped us out with that, with American inquiries up 300 per cent on the same time last year."
He did not divulge the numbers of people from the United States looking, but added that potential buyers were being private about their activities and were "not open to being told what they should be doing".
Tremain's agent Jenness Clark agreed there was a definite shortage of opportunities for people seeking a bit of land in Hawke's Bay that was close to town, with room to keep a pony and the other trappings of the traditional Kiwi lifestyle block.