Fling a "vacuum" in the real estate market, a course designed to help new immigrants over the hurdle of buying property has been an instant hit. Set up by former lawyer Philip Alexander-Crawford, the commercial sales manager for Harveys Form Realty in Royal Oak, the programme addresses fear and confusion about buying real estate, particularly among Chinese people. It has already sparked a series of future seminars across Auckland.

Having worked under the direction of a Chinese lawyer and socialised with Asians, Alexander-Crawford says he realised there were huge barriers for new immigrants to overcome when buying property in New Zealand. "Particularly last year, Chinese buyers were such a strong part of the market. We were seeing people come into the Auckland market who had no idea of how property was bought and sold," he says.

Many of these people come to New Zealand to study, he says, but there is no course that prepares them for possibly the biggest decision they will make - buying real estate.

"We had feedback from some of the solicitors we were dealing with. Although some Chinese agents were explaining the process, it’s difficult to educate someone on the spot without creating barriers."

Instead of merely training Chinese salespeople to handle enquiries from Asian buyers and dictating from pamphlets, Alexander-Crawford went to the market to find out how many immigrants faced similar issues. "They all overwhelmingly said ‘yes’."

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