IS THERE A COST FOR AN APPRAISAL?

No, they are entirely free, and really resemble a friendly chat. They can take as much or as little time as you like and can even be done remotely. 

While we work for you, we also like to work with you, and the more we know, the better we are able to work as a team. 

We won't put you on a list that gets followed up on some arbitrary roster I promise, nor will we start sending you emails you never signed up for. 

what does your legal background add?

Being qualified as a legal executive, and having studied Law at the University of Auckland, means I have a comprehensive knowledge of contract law and title transfer processes. I count many solicitors as dear friends, so I have someone I trust to refer clients to wherever they live in Auckland.

My particular interest in compliance and criminal law means you can be assured our processes are robust, vendor-protective, and meticulous. 

I have repeatedly managed to get deals over the line that we otherwise would not have, due to either this background, or the network that comes along with it.

What does having the branch manager's LICENCE add?

I completed the branch manager's papers as I wanted to ensure a level of professional acumen and knowledge that was most optimal. 

In the same way my legal training assists my team to ease the passage of complex contracts or homes with unforeseen issues, the branch manager's papers routinely ensure our clients are best positioned to have their contracts proceed so they can move cleanly and easily on to their next step. 

The papers also qualify me to supervise my peers.

which areas do you service?

We specialise in curating bespoke marketing campaigns for properties, rather than focusing on a particular area, but the majority of our listings are in Auckland's West, Northwestern, Central City and North Shore suburbs.

WHY DON'T YOU LOOK AT THE CAMERA in your photos of sold stickers?

It's not my 'moment'. Face-forward shots are for proud new owners!

I put them up with great pleasure if one of the parties can't and make a quiet wish that the next occupants are happy there - a little like blowing out candles on a birthday cake :)

do tenants need to be told if a property is being appraised?

We are regularly asked to appraise property remotely. This avoids tenants becoming distressed unnecessarily. Images from the last routine inspection help, but we are able to competently appraise from your description - with a notation that the final estimate is subject to eventually sighting the property.

When a home goes on the market, tenants will need to be told in order to comply with The Residential Tenancies Act.

Our aim is to always have a warm and respectful relationship with your tenants right through the campaign and beyond. This allows a smoother process for you, and, as they control viewing times, likely a much better outcome. 

It is common but not mandatory to give a rental reduction while on the market as a little 'thank you' for the inconvenience viewings will cause your tenants.

Do you do open homes?

Yes, if it is suitable. Most properties we recommend doing them for at least the first couple of weekends but sometimes it doesn't suit the home (those up or down long shared driveways or on busy main roads with no parking). On other occasions, it doesn't suit the clients. 

The 'pro' of an open home is being able to channel many people through at the same time resulting in less disruptions, and creating the valuable perception of competition among the buyers. 

The 'cons' are that once advertised, they are challenging to call off at short notice; they mean buyers arrive unqualified and can give false details; and agent interaction is limited as a fair proportion of our time is spent signing buyers in and ensuring children are safely supervised. Furthermore, if the turnout is low, it is very apparent to the buyers present that there is scarce interest in the property - which can hamper a later negotiation. 

If it were my home? I would do open homes for 30 minutes both days of launch weekend and probably the one after. Then, unless they had an excellent turnout, for the balance of the campaign (assuming my agent had the time flexibility), I would ask them to bring buyers through by appointment.

who negotiAtes?

Always me! I am a bit of a control freak like that, and I believe buyers given the choice will buy from people they like, so being willing to get to know them, their story and goals, makes the process as value-laden as possible for them.

Conversely it is imperative that they know who I work for. If a buyer feels you are not acting in your client's interest, they will certainly feel uncomfortable trusting that you are transparent with them. It is a case of faithful in little, faithful in much, and I think buyers sense when an agent is being less than genuine.

I prefer to have my fiduciary duty to my client at the forefront, and deal with buyers honestly and clearly, such that if I say "There is another buyer interested in this property, so you need to put your best and final offer down." they believe me, and don't assume I am playing them off against a buyer that perhaps doesn't exist (or isn't in a real position to buy). 

can pets and people be in the photos?

I would love that!

why don't you do a lot of videos?

Pretty as they are to watch, buyers eliminate homes based on floor plans and videos. They catch sight of something - a laundry in a garage instead of a designated room - and decide not to come to visit the home on the weekend.

I am trained to overcome objections, but if there is no buyer in front of me explaining their hesitation, I don't have a shot of selling the other merits of the home persuasively enough that they proceed.

Once they visit, buyers often fall in love with homes they initially would not have considered.

Further, if a video or floor plan is more likely to promote me on social media than it is to make the property sell more quickly... I am not comfortable taking a client's money to pay for that.

We can of course produce them as and when desired (and both are extremely helpful during market disruptions as we experienced through the pandemic or for properties of a calibre likely to attract predominanly overseas buyers). 

what method do you recommend?

They all have their place. 

I believe that negotiation starts with the very first step a buyer takes towards the property, and it doesn't really end until they are happily in their home.

Every interaction a buyer has, from the advertisement title, the images, and the descriptive text, right through to the answers to their questions, needs to create another brick in the wall of positive associations they have with the property. The entire process is one of building intrinsic value via feelings, associations, and the property's ambiance, as well as extrinsic value in terms of making economic sense in a way a buyer can rationalise. 

Therefore unlike the rest of the industry that leans, broadly speaking, toward recommending an auction method from the outset, I generally tailor my recommendations to the demographic the house is most likely to appeal to and the character traits of their buying position and style, as the more buyers included, the greater the competition, and the higher the overall sale price is likely to be. 

Three key factors dictate this:

1. Buyers are more likely to pay the most they can when they know they are in competition with someone, but can't actually see what level their competitor is willing to pay. 

2. Time is an important element in every negotiation. Considering overnight whether or not it is worth letting something go that really works for their family over an amount that is able to be saved by settlement (if mindfully planned) frequently results in a buyer raising what they previously said was their 'best and final' offer. At auction the time pressure that works effectively on some buyers has a quelling effect on others who forget they can apply for more lending, sell a car or boat, or simply ask for a longer settlement to allow time to save the additional funds. 

3. The majority of buyers are not in a position to bid unconditionally at auction. So you need to be certain the property is going to achieve an excellent turnout before an auction is a sensible option.

As a consequence, I will often suggest a bespoke strategy that includes as many buyers as possible, and is most likely to result in a blind competitive negotiation with time allowed sufficient that I can tailor my negotiation process most effectively to ensure the market pays the highest possible price for your property. Sometimes giving the unconditional buyers, in the instance there will be many of them, a head start with the auction process makes perfect sense, but very much more often than not, I will present an alternative option as well or as my preference as an auction is a method that comes with significant risk of underselling a property. 

How do you get your listings?

After 10 years in the industry most of our listings come from our past clients and local professionals referring us. This is both humbling and exceedingly rewarding. We do say thank you, usually by passing them (or donating to their preferred charity) $500 when we sell a property. It is a small token of gratitude to honour a treasured relationship.

I would not enjoy receiving a cold call at dinner time, and dislike junk mail as much as the next person - no one needs more life admin created by a forest of mail drops - so our focus is on looking after our current and past clients as well as local professionals so that we are their first choice to refer rather than by utilising unsustainable and oppresive marketing methods.

This is as, to me, being referred is the litmus test of doing a good job. I will always provide a service such that I become the very first person a client ever thinks to suggest to their friends, family, and own network of clients. 

Do you deliver junk mail?

We do not deliver material that promotes us.

When a home is listed that is advertised, and once sold, that is advertised too.

I do not believe it is an environmentally conscionable to drop a rainforest of paper in a belated attempt to remain 'top-of-mind' when an owner might consider requesting an appraisal.

Nine times out of ten, word of mouth is what gets you business. 

do you work as a buyers agent?

Not generally. When friends, family, or past clients want help to find a property I give them exactly that - help. I would be very unlikely to take a fee or commission share for it - especially when the listing agent will disfavour their offer due to having to pay me a cut - as this disadvantages the buyer, I prefer to simply help.

Tammy is absolutely adept at - and quite passionate about helping buyers who are quite serious and clear about the area they wish to shop in. She has a natural talent for matching people and property in an admirably smooth manner. I respect her crafted technique very much. 

Will you allow other agents to 'work in' via conjunctional agreement?

Yes - on every listing and from the very first day of listing.

This does impact our fees significantly, but I would rather do an excellent job and have the honour of being referred to neighbours and friends as a salesperson that worked assiduously in my client's interest, than clutch tightly to the potential to retain a greater commission share after what risks being a long or arduous process for our clients if we decline interest from other agencies. 

It is absolutely in the vendor's interest to allow all buyers working with all agencies through, so we do. 

what does your team do?

I believe that everyone has strengths and their time is best spent passionately utilising them. My training is in law, psychology, sales and marketing, so I focus my day around client and buyer contact, negotiation and contracts (both drafting them and getting them to stick), writing advertising text, networking with legal professionals, stagers, accountants and market experts, while Tammy works at streamlining processing, supporting buyers with information and their due diligence, and finding and connecting buyers with property they fall in love with - hopefully at first sight.

I do not delegate anything client facing to an extended team.

Teams regularly now have a "face" that lists the property, but buyers' agents that deal with the buyers, often all the open homes and usually the entire negotiation process.

I believe that our vendors expect us to be present and instrumental in the entire experience, both for them, and the buyers that are visiting their property, and as a result, I am not interested in operating a large or under-skilled team. 

How much does marketing cost?

Marketing is priced on application. In general, you are looking at significantly less than a lot of the industry charges due to our brand partnerships, long held relationships, plus the way we customise our marketing plans to advertise your property rather than using client marketing funds to promote ourselves or our agency.

For the same reason, I tend to avoid most print media - unless the house is highly suitable for it - as the medium really just puts us and the brand in front of an audience (at a cringingly significant cost to our client), and becomes painfully expensive fish and chip wrapping the next day.

Do you need a lim and property file?

Generally yes. In limited circumstances (like in the case of a section that has just had a title issued, or a dwelling that has just received a CCC), you can go to market without a Property File, but it is rarely our recommendation. It is in your interest to have all the information that may hamper a campaign, slow down (or void a contract), or cause an unpleasant repercussion for you from the outset so we can remedy it pre-market (or otherwise deal with the information in a manner that will cause the least delay or price shrinkage).

A Land Information Memorandum (LIM) often contains errors that can dissuade a buyer, and identifying these early allows us to ameliorate them prior to going to market or in the very early stages. 

A Property File is a record that is especially invaluable if you are not the original owner of a property as it specifies the records of the property as the council believes they stand. Variations made to the actual property may need to be disclosed to subsequent buyers for your own protection. Furthermore, the Property File in particular helps us answer questions professionally and competently while accentuating the features and benefits of the construction. 

Do you deal with commercial or development property?

Yes, and we love to do so.

My partner of ten years worked solely in the commercial property space for over a decade. It would be our pleasure to appraise your commercial property or connect you with an agent uniquely suited to managing the particular campaign.

The negotiations in the commercial space are highly specialised and particularly encumbered with the requirement to be meticulous due to the magnitude of the sums involved. It is this skilled pressured work that I find most satisfying.

What are your fees?

I would describe our fees as 'industry standard', you don't pay more for having a team or a highly experienced salesperson, however we do customise them in the instance of multiple listings - or when listing commercial property. 

can you appraise over zooM?

Absolutely! We do all the time.