Advertising drive does trick

Masterton mayor Lyn Patterson attributes rising house sales to the MyMasterton campaign. PHOTO/FILE

House sales in Masterton are booming thanks to a new advertising campaign, says Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson.

Mrs Patterson said the MyMasterton campaign had been an outstanding success, with latest real estate figures showing a 39 per cent increase in house sales in Masterton for the six months the campaign has run.

Real Estate New Zealand figures show from May to October this year, 223 houses were sold in Masterton, compared to 161 in the same period last year.

Houses are also selling for higher prices with a 7 per cent increase in the median price from $219,000 to $235,000 equating to an increase of $14 million spent on property in the same six-month period.

Mrs Patterson said she was delighted there was tangible evidence in the success of the the MyMasterton promotional campaign which used print, radio and TV advertising throughout Auckland.

"It's often really hard to get some quick wins in economic development, but we have achieved a very positive outcome in a short space of time," she said.

The joint advertising initiative showed that "when we all work together, good things happen", Mrs Patterson said. "We are competing with other provinces to attract Aucklanders to the region and we have run a campaign that has proved to be very effective.

"One of the most pleasing aspects has been the amount of people who have relocated their businesses here along with their families.

"It's been wonderful to hear some of the stories of why people have chosen our district as their new home.

"They have been attracted by the lifestyle, quality of our schools and the easy access to Wellington and our beautiful beaches and countryside."

The promotion of the district and the success of the Auckland attraction campaign have also had a positive outcome for the Masterton Central Business District. The town's biggest landlord, Lands Trust Masterton, has all of its CBD retail premises under contract for the first time in many years.

Mrs Patterson said the people of Masterton have been pivotal in this campaign.

"We needed them to tell all their friends and relatives what a great place Masterton is to live and through sharing the MyMasterton Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram they became the cheerleaders for the district.

"Without that sort of community support the campaign would not have been anywhere near as successful."