Emblazon your decor

Capri Pink is available at Annie’s handpicked stockist Madder & Rouge. 25 Teed Street, Newmarket Auckland Phone: 09 522 1062 www.madderandrouge.co.nz

It’s a knock-out – hotter than hot so get ready to fall in love with Capri Pink – an empowering, dynamic addition to the Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan palette.

Inspired by the vivid pinks which populate folk palettes around the globe – think Mexican textiles to Pakistani truck art or Romany gypsy caravan décor –bright pinks have been turning heads for centuries.

“Capri Pink is a true hot pink with depth and energy, provocative yet captivating,” says Annie Sloan of this gorgeous new shade. “Use it as an accent colour alongside cooltoned brights, with reds and pinks for a tonal symphony, or buffer with warm cocoa-toned hues for sophisticated elegance. Named after the upscale Italian island resort, Capri Pink injects glamour, confidence and joy [into interiors].”

MAKE A PLAN, NOT A WISH

DIANNE BARLOW from enable.me talks about making the most of low interest rates.

You might’ve noticed there are two topics on high rotate in the media at the moment: soaring house prices and rock bottom interest rates.

How high will house prices go? How low will interest rates fall?

People are able to borrow more and are clearly willing to, because very low rates make it much cheaper. Suddenly, it seems like a great time to buy a home, upgrade to a bigger one, or perhaps buy a bach.

But here’s the thing – those same super-low interest rates also make it a great time to make financial progress. In fact, the perfect time! Interest rates this low are like your financial trump card – the trouble is, few people will play that card correctly.

It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten that a year ago we were plunged into financial turmoil by a global pandemic – which isn’t over yet.

Interest rates will go up eventually, and that’s unlikely to be accompanied by a commensurate fall in house prices. So what we’ll then be left with is a huge number of people with much bigger mortgages –and much higher repayments to service that debt. Their house might be worth more, but if every other house is too, they won’t really be any better off.

That won’t be the situation for those who choose to see the current conditions as their time in the financial sun and decide to use it wisely.

That won’t be the case for those who choose to implement a strategy to repay debt faster, build wealth purposefully and plan for the future.

Low interest rates do not automatically result in financial progress, but they do provide an opportunity to set in place the mindset, the strategy, and the accountability required to turn them into results.

In 10 years, we’ll look back on 2021 and realise it presented a golden opportunity to get ahead. The question you need to answer is: will you look back with pride at how you used your opportunities, or with regret that you let those opportunities pass you by?

Want to get mortgage free & build wealth in ten years or less?

Join Hannah McQueen

Botany Seminar Tuesday March 23rd — 6.00pm Ormiston Senior College Tickets $15 from www.enable.me

DIY PROJECTS CAN BE COSTLY

Smith & Sons Pukekohe owners, Lane and Melissa van den Brink talk about the cost of DIY projects.

While sitting in another lockdown, we were still busy talking to clients keen to start a new renovation project. One of the comments which came up was: “But, I can do it cheaper myself!”

We had one such client not so long ago who set out to do his own renovation – not unusual. One year on, the room had been stripped but the project was far from finished. I guess we can all understand how this happens – life gets in the way, you have work, you have a family.

Whenever we hear this scenario we often think what is your time worth? What is the cost of doing the job yourselves and what price do you put on your time? We Kiwis come from a long line of proud DIYers and it’s often hard for us to take a step back and let someone else do it for us. While dollar for dollar, it may be cheaper when you DIY but what we fail to take into account is time expended on the project. The DIYer is also the project manager and the rookie builder dealing with subbies and all the issues that arise with renovations. Then there’s the paperwork, too! What’s more, all this usually comes on top of a full day’s work elsewhere.

So, the question we put to clients is this: If you put a value on the hours you worked to get the job done, would you really be saving – money or time? And, what is the stress factor?

If only there was someone who could take care of the whole project start to finish!

That’s the unique difference provided by Smith & Sons. From design through to planning and construction, we are the renovation specialists.

THINKING OF RENOVATING? WE MAKE IT EASY WITH OUR THREE SIMPLE STEPS...

Let’s start the conversation Call Smith & Sons Franklin on 0800 764 846 or visit smithandsons.co.nz 19 Manukau Road, Pukekohe