August 23, 2025 • 41 mins
Buyers agents are one of those things we all know is there, but rarely use them.
They're often seen as a luxury in the world of buying houses, but are they worth the splurge?
Bryan Thomson is the Managing Director at Harcourts, and he joins the OneRoof Radio Show to explain how you can find the right agent.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Where see im mes facing you now, whereas.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Had a very good afternoon. If you've just joined us,
welcome back if you if you have been sticking around
for the first hour, this is the Weekend Collective. Actually,
I think this is the first time we played a
bit of Dave Dobbins as a bit of theme music
to get us underway for any of our shows. So
here we go welcome home with a bit of Dave
Dobbin there to get us going. And that is actually
selection from our next guest who's new to our show's
(00:57):
obviously not new to the business of real estate, because
you don't get to be the managing director of Harcourts
if you're a newbie. And his name is Brian to
and he's with us. Now, okay, Brian, how are you going?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Good?
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Tim's great to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Look, by the way, before we carry on my little
intro and chat with Brian, we are gonna have a
chat about choosing an agent and also the prospect of
whether people are using by buyers agents more and more
and would would you ever use one? But also if
you are someone who's involved in the real estate market
(01:29):
and buying and selling. I mean, let's face it, most
of us in our lifetime, lifetimes have something to do
with it. How do you go around choosing your agent?
Do you just rely on the advice of your friends?
Do you look at the ads and is this some
particular ad campaign that's impressed you? Is someone's face on
a bus stop? What gets you? Is it the brand?
You start there and then see what happened? See here
you bumping into when you walk in? Actually, Brian, I
(01:50):
reckon that would be. Is that quite common where people
go for a walk in the local shops. So let's
say you're you're looking in Milford and you wander down
the Milford shops and you see your real estate agents
and you pop in and somebody comes out and smiles
at you. Is that the job done?
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Well? It's really interesting when you a real estate agent, Tim,
because everyone's got an opinion of real estate agents, and
most people know one or two. But it's probably the
most important thing you'll do when you're looking to buy
sell a piece of real estate, and it's pick the
person you're going to work with. And there's a lot
of things you can do nowadays online and you can
look at reviews through Google and through the different review sites.
(02:24):
You can look on the portals and look to see
who's got the most business going on in the particular
area of the type of property you like. You can
go to open homes and you can look at sales records,
and you can ask friends and family for advice and
you'll get a whole lot of information. But the key
thing you've got to do is you've actually got to
meet a real estate agent and you've got to talk
(02:45):
to them and ask them how they're going to help
you and how if you're a potential seller, ask the
right questions. How are they going to maximize the sale
of your property, How are they going to make sure
it's as uncomplicated and stress free as possible. And during
all that process, you've got to decide if you actually
like them.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
That was my next question because so literally is writing
this down. Is there a difference between trusting your agent
to do a good job and liking them? Do you
actually have to like them? Because I mean, I've heard
people talk about different personalitiesn't going in To be honest,
he's a pretty difficult customer, but Jeezy did a great
job jobs for selling my home.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
I mean like trust what they go together. People like
to do business with people they like and trust. So
if you don't want to spend time with a person
going through what can be one of the most emotionally
challenging transactions of your life, because selling, particularly residential property,
is an emotional transaction and it doesn't always go one
hundred percent to plan. So if you're dealing with a
(03:44):
real estate agent who's working really, really hard and they
come around to meet you on a Thursday night after
a couple of weeks of marketing, they say, Tim, we've
had twenty seven people through. We've had all of these
people look at the property online, and unfortunately the feedback
is not quite at the level you were hoping it
would be in regard to price. Now, that's a difficult
message to give, but it's factual. It's information from the market,
(04:06):
and if you don't like or trust the person, that
conversation is not going to go well for you, and
that will affect your your transaction. So I think it's
actually critical that you trust the person that you select
and that you actually like them. Now you don't have
to fall in love with them. But well, if we
won't start, we won't get out of that track. But
(04:27):
I think if you if you don't like the person,
you're not going to enjoy the marketing of your property
and the result, no matter how good they are. So
I think like and trust goes together.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And let's just before we get into this, and we
love your calls on this. By the way, how did
you choose your agent? And I mean the simple question.
Was it about liking them or was it just I
mean again, liking is a strange thing, isn't it. It's
a you know, as Brah is saying, you don't want
to fall in love with them either. But tell us
about you, about bron because you know, you don't get
to be managing director of hard courts if you've just
(04:56):
been in the game five minutes. So what's your what's
your background? And what's what's managing director of hard courts
actually do well?
Speaker 5 (05:02):
If you ask a lot of my friends, they wonder
how I ended up with role as well. But I've
been really, really fortunate. I was born in a little
town at the top of the South Island called Murchison.
Oh yeah, perhaps three underdd people on a dairy farm
with my parents and went away to boarding school and
ended up working in the stock and station industry and
auctioneering and fell into doing real estate but on the side,
(05:23):
and I found out I really enjoyed it. And I
think my view has always been, if you do your
best to do a really good job every day, you
tend to get opportunities thrown at you. And I've been
very fortunate that I've bumped in some great people during
my career who've done everything they can to help me,
and the opportunities have just kept flowing. And a lot
(05:44):
of that is because of the people that I've had
around me helping me.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
So obviously, I mean, you'd be recommending a hard courts
agent every time, but when it comes to I mean,
from what are the qualities and how does it work
with you in a real estate company? With getting agents,
do they sort of self select because people want to
be a real estate agent and then new to the game,
I mean, how does it work for them and becoming
(06:08):
part of your organization or any organization.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
Yeah, So when people have an interest of moving into
the field of real estate sales, they sign up and
do their papers and get qualified, and they often do
that with a real estate company helping them and coach
them through the exams, and then they select the brand
they want to want to work with. They are interviewed
and they'll need to be offered a position, or they
might interview with several and they come in and they
go through the training and they start doing all of
(06:32):
the work that you need to do to get established
in the market, letting everyone you know know you're in
the business, making sure that the area that you want
to work or the type of property or the community
you want a service that you promote yourself into that community.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Is it difficult? Obviously people are new to the real
estate industry. I mean often business comes through friends. That's
a difficult sort of thing. It must be a difficult
thing to negotiat as new agents that you don't want
to become. Sorry, the expression of pain in the butt
to all your friends is like in the business like, yes,
we know you're realistate agent. You know, But I mean,
(07:08):
is that a difficult one or do you actually have
to really make the most of all those contacts?
Speaker 5 (07:12):
I think I think it's a There is a managing
of relationships, isn't there Because you're a friend or a
family member and all of a sudden you're in business
as well. But I tell you, I actually believe the
people who know you want you to be successful. So
whether your family or your friends are looking to sell
or not, if they are real, if they're part of
(07:33):
your circle, if they are your friends and your family
actually like you, they will do everything they can to
help you to make sure you succeed, because there's nothing
better than seeing your mates doing well. So, yes, there
is a balance between your friend and now can I
sell your house please?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
But it could be a test of a friendship, of course,
if the market's not giving the message that the seller wants, say,
there isn't.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Yeah, and I tea it's probably one of the more
difficult things you do. But at the end of the day,
a friend, a real friend, not someone you've never met
who's clicked on your website, like a proper friend, you'll
have a relationship where you can be be honest with them,
and if you're doing your best, it'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
So obviously, real estate agents also like to advertise. And
I was mentioning before we went to air about I mean,
I don't know if i'd hire this person to sell
my house. If I was selling or not. But they
there are some clever advertising campaigns.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
You can get a poster at a bus stop in
the area, or you can hire the back of a
bus if you like. But the one that got me
was she did a handyman's It was a tradesperson's book
if you want to build a plumber, drain layer, anything.
And it was quite a complete directory and I lost it.
I've even got in touch with the real estate company
to say, I can't remember who did this, and I
(08:46):
now I know who it was. And she dropped off
another three directories. But to me, that was a great
bit of advertising. But and maybe it told me that
that's she's inventive. It's thinking outside this, a little bit
outside the square, and that's telling you a little bit
of the story about who you.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
Might be hiring.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
They'll work hard. But again, it still wouldn't tell me
much about what she'd be like at selling houses.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Ultimately, No, but you would work that out quite quickly
because without mentioning the name, I know the INDI video
you're talking about, and I'd love it if she was
part of our company. She's not. She's one of our competitors.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
But Kelly you need to call Brian.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Okay, I said to you before her dad used to
work for us for our company out in west Auckland.
But if you look at that, during your life as
a real estate agent, you constantly have clients who are
looking for things to be done with their property, and
if they don't know a trades person, if you know
people are used over and over and over again, you
(09:41):
refer them to the client to do the job. And
that's exactly what happens with the real estate agents. If
I was your agent did an incredible job and one
of your friends said I'm thinking of selling, who should
I use, you would probably say give Brian a call.
You did a great job. That's how it works.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Start off with a one of the text that's come through,
which seems like a basic question, but I think this
is a mystery to some people. Hi, Tim, would you
please ask your guest Brian to explain what real estate
agents do behind the scenes when they're selling your house.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah, and that's a really, really good question because setting
the property up for sale right at the start is
absolutely critical. So you must make sure the marketing's done
well and the photographs are all worked really well. Then
you've got to work with the team in the office
that you're working at to identify who the correct target marketers,
because there is a target market for every property. Then
(10:30):
you have to make sure that everyone who surrounds you
and through your CRM and your company, that all of
the buyers are already active in the market are being
advised the properties for sale. And then once the marketing starts,
the really hard work comes in when people start inspecting
the property or inquiring of it and the follow up
that needs to go on. So the work behind the
(10:52):
scenes is absolutely critical, and you have to be on
your toes because marketing can be changed so quickly now
to adjust to what's actually working. Not like you know,
way in the past where you sent you poos into
the newspaper and they printed and that was it for
the week. You can adjust. You You're going to adjust
your marketing every day online. So the work behind the
(11:12):
scenes is really critical.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
How much do you expect how much do sellers involve
themselves in the day to day process? I mean, do
you find there are some sellers who are constantly wanting
to adjust the marketing and they're sort of writing the
agent quite hard on this it's like, look, we've only
had so many clicks on the whatever, you can we
change this word here and there. But I mean, how
(11:34):
involved should a celler be in that stuff? Or do
you guys prefer hay back off, let me do my job.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
I think you get the whole range. Like some people
want to dig into the deep, like if they are
an analytical client, they want bulk information right down to
every different, every different criteria, and other people may be
a little bit more hands off. But the more that
a client can be involved and looking at a marketing
script for example, and maybe selecting signing off the photos
(12:02):
that are going to be used, so that they understand
what's going on in the campaign, because if it's a
bit I was told a story once and if you
fall off a boat and a shark circling you, the
person who saves you needs to tell you that he's
saving you, because otherwise you end up back on the
boat and you won't appreciate the effort they had to
go to. So I think having the client involved to
understand what's going on is really important.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
How would you choose an agent for you? I mean,
because you know more fact that'll be a but that'd
be slightly shark infested. What is this like brand's selling
us house because you wouldn't sell your You wouldn't sell
your own house, would you.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Well, no, No, it's like a lawyer.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
A lawyer who has himself for a client is a
fool for a lawyer or something.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
It is a challenge, but it's not. We sold a
property for a member of my family outside of outside
of Auckland recently and we selected the agent from one
of our officers because he knocked on the door of
that person's house four years ago. Oh okay, so and
a good guy and I know who's doing the business,
(13:01):
and I know I can match personality types. So so yes,
it's hard, but no it's not.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Hey, we'd love your cause on this. How did you
select your agent? And does marketing make a difference. Is
it for the fact you've seen them on social media
and they seem to be busy all the time? Is
it advertising or is it simply you talk to your friends,
you ask around the neighborhood. Who did you use?
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Her?
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Did you use? Who did you use? Is word of mouth?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Brian?
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I mean instinctively word of mouth has to be the
most effective form of marketing. Is it for you an agent?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Yes, it certainly is, because if you've got one hundred
and two hundred, five hundred one thousand people on your
client base who know you and know how well you've done,
they are all out there looking for business for you
because they want to see you succeed. But equally, there
are some parts of the community who look at the
awards list and see who's number one and give them
a call directly as well. So there are a lot
(13:52):
of different ways of selecting an agent, But the very
very best and the most satisfying one is when someone
you've done business for in the past rings up and says, Brian,
can you give Bill a call? He wants to sell us?
How us? Then I've told him he needs to use you,
And that's the most satisfying thing because it's a compliment
from your client saying you did a great job for me.
I want to help you.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Okay, Well, we'd love your calls on this eight hundred
eighty ten eighty. How did you choose your agent and
what quality are you looking for? Because also sometimes in
a market where you're maybe not getting the price you want,
we do and tend to want to blame the agent
as well, who might just be giving you the bad
news that was coming your way anyway. So how do
you choose your agent? How did you find your real
estate agent? Give us a call eight hundred eighty ten
(14:33):
eighty in text on nineteen nine two. But we'd love
your calls and you can jump on the blower right now.
It's coming up to twenty one past four news talks.
It'd be my guest as Brian Thompson's managing director of
Hardwartz back in a moment coming please yes, welcome back
(14:58):
to the one roof fadiy a show. We'd love your calls.
Eight hundred eighty ten eighty. We're talking about finding an
agent and how did you find your and what are
the qualities you're looking for? And actually it's interesting that
Brian Thompson, he's the managing director of Park what's he's
with us now, was taught that you sort of do
have to like your agent. But I'm still curious about
did you like your agent or did you just think
(15:19):
he or she's not my cup of tea? But I
reckon they're going to do a great job selling the
house and that's enough. What did you what do you reckon?
Do you have to like the person who's selling your house?
Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty, let's kick it off
with Ross good, Ross.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Shid. How did you find your agent?
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (15:38):
I went to one in Southland and moved who never
charged percentage commission. They charged a flat rate of thirteen
grand plus tax up to half a million. And house
was in that recon Yeah, and I can't remember what
(16:01):
it was if you were over half a million? Let's
sound so that was good?
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Was that cheap?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Was that was that cheap? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:10):
I reckon it was looking around the commission agent, you know,
or the percentage. Your guests will be able to tell
you more. But that's what she charged. And she was
bloody Britain?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh were happy? Were you happy with the price you got?
How did it all go? Tell us about that?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:25):
No, that was good? We we I think we went
down something about grand and asking price. That was eighteen
months ago, okay, and I don't ask the company's up
in the north is not, but by god they could
down here?
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Is that a cheap? What gives us some context to
take you? Really? Did you like her?
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Yes? Very much?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
So great, So there's there's a raft of different charging
options across the real estate industry, just like there isn't
in every business in New Zealand. And the key thing
I say to everyone is never pick your agent based
on how much they're going to charge or how much
they tell you your property is worth, because you can
make some really really bad mistakes if you go down
(17:11):
that track. So the question has to be is this
a person that you respect, Is it a person that
you believe you can trust. Do you like the person
and have they answered the questions around how they're going
to achieve the best result possible for you with the sale,
and pick that person irrespective of what they're charging. Because
they always say that sometimes the only free cheese is
(17:33):
in the trap, So you've got to be really careful
that you don't go grabbing someone just because of what
they charge or just because of what they tell your
probably is worth. But it sounds you've got a really
good one, so well done.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Yeah, But the second mouse says the cheese having said
she said that we're rich on what we wanted. Yep, good,
and she was most surprised when we got what we got.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Hey, just remind me, did you say it was her
price that attracted you to her as the agent.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Oh no, no, no, it was effect she well the facts.
She didn't charge a percentage on the on the sale.
She charged a fat rate. Yeah, it's what the whole
country does. I don't have to up the north five.
But they called tall poppy.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Hang on a second, So how on she charged thirteen
and a half thousand I think you said on the.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
First half grand cittying grand plus plus U see.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And then so that was a million up to half
a million, and then there was a fee beyond that
if it was more than half a million? Was that right?
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah? Leave it all agents do that too, the different commissions. Actually,
but having said that, we knew it wasn't worth over
half a million anyway, So okay, yeah, so we didn't
bother worrying about too much. What the next it was?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Yeah? Actually, in a way, what she did was she
just quantified the fee. This is this is what my
fee is up to half a million, And she just
quantified what was in an effect a percentage of like
two point seven percent. I guess I have I got that right.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Yeah, hard to work out on the flow. We're not mathematicians,
but I just repeat what I said, You've picked a
really good agent. He's done a great job. Respect to
her for saying right up front that perhaps you were
a little bit optimistic with what you might have got,
but she's delivered for you and that It just goes
back to what I said before. The key thing is
to pick the person that you believe is going to
do a great job for you, that's answered the right questions,
(19:19):
and then when they achieve that, you pat them on
the back and recommend them to your friends.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
How do people navigate there? I mean there are we know,
there are agents with a range of different sort of
fees around the country. I don't I think Hardcourt's one.
Know you're somewhere in the middle there. I've seen some
I'm not sure where the percentages sit with you guys,
but I mean there are people who would be put
off agents based on some fairly hefty up upfront costs.
And how would I mean, how would you advise someone?
(19:44):
I mean, you're you know, this is your business, but
how would you advise a novice, say if they were
in a market that you don't know, Say they're in
a country, you know, whatever it is, timbuctoo or something,
and I mean, where do you go with the range
of how do you advise people on that stuff? Because
there are some companies who say, look, we do charge
a lot, but we'll get.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
You a lot.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I mean, who knows.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
See, this is where the real trick is tim because
with the sale of a piece of real estate for
a huge percentage of the population, it's the biggest asset
you will ever have. And if you've got a property,
and let's use half a million as an example. If
you've got a half a million dollar property you're selling,
if the agent gets at five percent wrong, that's twenty
five thousand dollars, and that's way more of a loss
(20:28):
that you'll never see than what any fee could be.
So I just keep going back. It is absolutely critical
that you trust the person that you select, that you
believe they'll get you the best result, because five percent
wrong on a million dollar properties, fifty ten percent wrong
is one hundred thousand. So you have to be in
the headspace that this person has answered my questions, they've
(20:50):
got a track record, they've got support in their office
from their management, they've put forward a great marketing plan.
They've told me us as the owners, how they will
attract the total buyer pool to my property, and not
just the active buy a pool, the inactive buyers who
are not even sure that they're going to buy or
sell at the moment. How are they going to make
sure that everybody in the buyer pool, whether they are active, inactive,
(21:13):
whether the conditional or cash, you're going to come through
and compete for my property. Because if you miss one
person in the buyer pool because the agent hasn't done
their job, that person could have been that miracle buyer
that could have made magic happen in the auction room.
So that's where the trick is. Selecting your agent's not
about what they charge, It's about your belief that they're
going to get you a great result.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
See I'm going to throw that out for talkback. Is
it about what they charge? I mean, is that how
you decide on the agent. Would there be a level
of expense where you're like, well, I don't really know
enough about them and they are the most expensive, Which
leads to the question for you, Brian, would be how
does an agent stablish at an agent at a firm
where the percentages are on the higher side than you know?
(21:54):
To be honest, I'd always be deeply suspicious of someone
who is charging very little. I don't know why, because
I'd be thinking you're just trying to get me on price.
But how does an agent go around establishing their credibility
to someone who's a novice and selling their property when
they are maybe at the higher end of the spectrum.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
See, it's actually a really great question, tim because when
you come into the real estate industry, you're brand new,
you've got no track record, you've done your study, you're
up and running, and that individual can sometimes be the
most enthusiastic, committed person in the marketplace for you to
select if someone you connect with and you think could fit,
(22:36):
because they will be focused on your property and they'll
be determined to get established. And the great thing is,
in the real estate industry, we've got a really strong
piece of legislation, independent body that provides licensing and keeps
the real estate industry in line. And the level of
supervision which is demanded of a new sales consultant means
(22:56):
that the person managing that office will be right alongside
them day and night making sure they do everything they
can to be successful. Because when you're a leader of
a real state business one of the most exciting things
you ever see is a new person who comes in
with sparkly eyes and full of enthusiasm and start kicking
some goals. And that's what our the leaders of our businesses,
really really love doing because you get a real buzz,
(23:18):
you know, seeing someone else succeed because they've put the
effort and you've helped them. So you wouldn't want to
ignore someone just because you.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Quit a unique industry. From that point of view, because
and there'll be a lot of other industries, it's quite cynical.
You see someone coming bright heart and bushy tail, and
the old troopers are going, oh wait. They won't take
long for that smile to disappear, because we can be
quite cynical and New Zealand, can't we.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Well, I think we. There was a message came through
before and said that I might be a bit positive
and wake up every morning smiling. None of us wake
up every day and have the day of our lives.
It's never like that. But it comes down to the
people that are around you. And I'm sure you're on
the radio. Sometimes you get out of bed and think
I've got to go to work again, and you'll have
someone who says, look, get your chin off the floor.
(23:58):
There's plenty of things you can be doing. It's worth
It's worse than that. Your listeners are waiting for you.
So you're just gonna have the right pace around.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
So, Okay, the market right now is you know, I
think it's not too not too as much of a
stretch to say that it's a good market for buyers
right now. We seeing a lot of first home buyers
in the market. For sellers, it might be a bit
frustrating because it's maybe taking a bit longer to sell
the house. What are the signs in a market where
you know, we can all look back years ago when
(24:27):
you stick your house on the market and boom, it's
sold for a premium and there are a whole the
headlines are full of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
What are this?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
How does a seller know now if if the news
that they were hoping for and not getting is the
market or their agent.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
That's a really, really good question. So if you look
at the market at the moment, the market's getting better.
We've had a couple of years where it's been very
very difficult for both for both our profession but also
by the for people who are selling and buying. I
mean the increase in interest rates post the COVID sugar rush,
the reduction in the house prices. But the markets it's
getting better, and we've had the last two or three
(25:07):
months have been way better. The key thing that you
look at nowadays, though, that all of the statistical information
is totally open to everyone to find, not like the
old days we had to go and see the real
estate agent find out what's being sold, what's on the market.
So if you've selected the right sales consult and the
right real estate agency, when they sit down and say
to you, hey, Tim, you are hoping for eight hundred
(25:28):
the feedbacks in the early sevens, we need to adjust
our thinking the amount of information that you will be
provided with that leads that gives that statement credibility. It's
not an opinion, it's marketplace feedback based on fact, and
the anecdotal evidence is being brought back from the buyers
are looking through your property. So the only way you'll
(25:49):
know it's the agent that's probably at faults. Perhaps if
that level of communication hasn't been as good as it
could be, so that would be quite unusual in my experience.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Is it easier in a way, because we've got so
much data. I mean, in the old days, my god,
I hate saying the old days, you know, newspaper advertising
and whatever the real estate press of the day is
in your region. But these days, you know, you know
how many you probably know how many people have clicked
on a house essue listing, you know how many people
have siphoned through the photos, you know how long they've
(26:19):
spent on it. The data must be an amazing tool
for you guys in many respects, even if it's delivering
not such great news.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Yeah, the data is great. It's absolutely critical, and you
have to be able to analyze it. But you also
have to have the human factor inside it as well,
because when you look at putting a property on the
market for sale, there are a number of things that
impact how well it selves. Is it presented correctly, Has
it been brought to the market so that when people
walk into that property to think I can see myself
(26:50):
living here. Has it been marketed properly as a level
of communication been right? So all of that has to
be together, and then you wrap the data over the
top of it. Because I think data and technology and
we're hearing about AI all the time, at at the
moment amazing tools that are being built. Technology is an
amplifier of human performances, not a replacement. So you have
to have the person in the market who can actually
(27:13):
analyze that data and say, Tim, we've had forty seven
people contact us about your property. You've been through the
open homes. Here is what they've said. Here's the baseline
data of all the properties you're competing with at the moment.
Here's the ones that have sold while yours have been
on the market, the ore the ones people have rejected
yours and gone and bought those ones, And here is why.
And that comes down to a human being who's got
(27:35):
experience and knowledge and the ability to communicate it in
a manner that you can understand and trust.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Okay, So if I'm sitting down and I think I've
found someone shortlisted I want to summer property, what are
the questions I should be asking them that when you
first sit down, because you know, for their real estate agent,
they know exactly what they're about, but most people are
not experienced sellers.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
The most important question for me, and I'm not saying
it's the most important question for everyone, The most important
question for me is I would be asking, how are
you going to make sure that every potential buyer in
the marketplace is made a whare that my property is
for sale? How are you going to get them to
come and visit? What's the marketing plan you're going to
put alongside that, what's the strength you're going to bring
(28:17):
going to bring from yourself and your team? And what
sales strategy do you recommend we use to maximize the
price of my property and minimize any complication on the
way through. You tell me how you're going to do this,
and then I'll judge whether you're the agent for.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Me, because sometimes it's there's marketing budgets as well. These
are the questions. You know, you could spend this and
we can give you this, how would you work out
whether you're you know, just throwing a lot of money
it's something for a bigger listing in this position and
a particular publication on the website. How do you make
those decisions? Yeah, Because I mean it's a bit like
(28:53):
I would imagine this is a layperson talking. It's a
bit like you're going to McDonald's. You want to know,
sorry to mention a particular brand, do you want fries
with that do you always have to take them? When
do you know whether to take the fries added value?
You marketing opportunities.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
So when you and giving advice, I don't like to
give people advice about things I haven't done myself. So whenever,
whenever my wife and I, whenever we sell a property,
whenever we recommend to a friend or family members to
sell a property, we on the high side of how
much we spend on marketing. And we've done that every
(29:27):
every time that we've sold property. We we've invested more
money in the marketing of the property than people's other
people probably would suggest they would and it's worked every time.
And that's difficult because it does take money. It's actually
a lot more affordable now than it used to be
when everything was print. Digital media is more affordable, but
you have to make sure that you look at it
(29:48):
and say, is the campaign we're investing in going to
cover the total market? Mister sales consultant, you're promoting this?
Is there anything else we should do? And there are
some amazing tools out and that's all.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I'd be suspicious. I don't mean suspicious, don't want to
but let's just use that. If the agent's first thing
was just spending more money with the agency. You know
what I mean, I'd be looking, I'd be wanting to
hear some inventiveness, like you might want to try X.
This is quite a cost effective thing. In fact, would
an agent try and present that side of things to people.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
So here's the thing. There's no money in the marketing
for the agency. What the client pays is what the
supplier of the marketing, the portal or the print or
the signment, whatever they charge, that's what the client pays.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
The even hardcourts and barfoots, everyone's got their own they've
got their own websites of course, but you use other yes,
it's you know, you have to go through the other
and that's where they're investing the money. And that's just
a factory.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
And then there's there's digital tools to promote through social
media platforms and the use of AI. So the agents
don't make money out of the marketing. Let's be really clear.
The agencies and the agent themselves gets paid when the
property sells. So it is in their interest to do
everything they can to achieve a great result for the
client because otherwise they don't get paid. So a great
agent will sit down and we'll say to you, here
(31:09):
is the marketing plan, and here are the examples of
all the times we've used this plan. Here's the traffic
it generated, and here's where the buyers came from.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Right, we're going to take We're going to take a
moment right now. Lots of stuff to explore with Brian Thompson.
He's the he's the boss of Hardwarts. Is it fair
enough to say boss a hard Courts? I think summer
managing director. Let's be accurate. Just Brian's good, Brian, okay?
And actually, how do you choose your agent? But also
what questions did you ask when you met your agent
who sold your house? And I mean, was there an
(31:37):
answer that they gave that made you think this is
not the person for us? If it's called like one
hundred and eighty ten. And you've got a few texts
to get through it too. And we'll have a bit
of a chat hopefully before we finish the hour about
seasons to sell, whether there is such a thing as
a spring season where you've got to get in there.
It is nineteen minutes to five news talks, he'd be
(32:10):
that's welcome back to the Weekend Collective. This is one
refrared ash the thing I did say, we're going to
talk about with Brian Thompson, Managing director of Hardcourts buyers Agents.
How what's the story with buyers agents? Is is that
a thing really or is it just an anomaly?
Speaker 5 (32:24):
No, I wouldn't call it an anomaly. I haven't even
had a drink yet. So what happens in the real
estate industry When you list a property for a client,
the client pays the commission and the agents have a
fiduciary duty to do the very best for that client.
(32:45):
And when they introduce a buyer, either as a listing
agent or another agent bringing a buyer to that listing,
the person with the buyer has a fiduciary duty to
the client as well because they are paying the fee.
But they have a duty of care to the buyer,
do everything fair, give them all the information they need,
and that's governed under the Fair Trading Act. So not
buyers agents, even though they're looking after the buyer. What
(33:08):
a buyers agent is an individual or a team who
focus on looking after buyers and they charge the buyer
a fee. So the buyer contracts the buyers agent and
the people do that at times because we're in a
time poor environment. We're running around everywhere and you need
to do all the due diligence on the properties with
insurance and what's going on behind the scenes. So some
(33:28):
people choose to to secure a buyers agent. It's a
very specialized job that requires a lot of detail and
they will go and they'll go to an auction for instance,
and help your burden, make sure you get a great property.
And there's a lot of them in Australia. There are
some in New Zealand there's that are getting established and
the real estate agents love it when a buyer's agent
(33:49):
comes along with the client wants to buy a property.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Well, they're serious about buying obviously, very much.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
So, and you know that the homework's been done because
when you're purchasing a property, you know some people buy
them all the time, they're investors and property traders. But
for the bulk of the population, you don't buy a
property very often. So to have someone along who can
make sure you don't get in your own road and
you secure the property that's best for you and best
meets your criteria is great because a big major transaction
(34:16):
like that, you need some help.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Yeah, how common would it be to have a buyers agent?
Do you think so? It sounds like a bit of
a luxury.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
Well.
Speaker 5 (34:28):
Eluxury, I'm not sure. For the people that actually secure
the professional buyers agents and pay them a fee, and
it is a it will be a decent fee. They
do it because they see value they don't see.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
I've got a text here, So we used a buyers
agent to buy a house I'd never buy with that one.
We would never have seen half the houses we viewed
without them. You can be as clear as possible about
what you want out of a house. And it says
you having to scroll through hundreds of properties. You'll hate
a scrolling it's so tiring.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
So the best way I can put it in perspective
is you think about when you're recruiting for staff. You
can put an ad online yourself through seek and wander
through all of the hundreds of applications, or you conduct
down to a professional recruitment company and they will go
they will drive the marketing, they will secure all the applications,
they will weed them out and give you a short
(35:18):
list to interview. It's exactly the same.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Where are people at with valuations they've got to text
you about valuations. You suggest sellers should get a registered
valuation for independent advice, But where are people at with
valuations and buyers? I mean that when the market's for anetic,
it's just like you know, you haven't got time to
get a valuation. You need to just get in there
and get your bidden. But where are we at now
with people?
Speaker 5 (35:38):
I think you sometimes see people need evaluation because of
the way they're securing their mortgage finance, if they know
right on the on the edge or on the limit.
But it's it's not unusual, but it's not common. It's
it's not a really common investment that people make. But
certainly in some parts of the market, some of unique
property and some mortgage arrangements, they would be required.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I did say we're going to talk about seasons. We've
got so little time about it. But is there is
there a season for selling that? I mean there'll be
people now who might have been on the market for
quite some time. I mean, is there still a spring bump?
Because I seen to remember having host this hour for
a few years now that there was one. There's been
a few headlines where spring has been a bit of a.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
So I know, we haven't got a lot of time,
so I'll tell you what I think.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Yeah, that's why you're here.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
Yeah, right, So people buy and sell houses when they
need to. Someone's had a baby, need a bigger house.
Someone's died, you've got a job transfer for you've won lotto,
You're going to buy a flash house that we're going
to talk about shortly. Is all of those sort of things.
So you buy and sell when you need to. What's
happened over the last couple of years people have put
off buying and selling because the market's been less than
average and interest rates have been high, so there's a
(36:46):
whole lot of pent up buying and selling. So we've
just come out at the back end of July one
of the most active months we've had for a long time,
the really really active month of buyers and not an
active month of new listings coming forward. So the listing
stock has shrink, so there's less property for the buyers
to compete for. And in the spring there will be
a flush of of properties come forward, because there always is,
(37:07):
because people think, let's wait till the weather's a bit
sunnier in the house will look good, and then you've
got a whole lot more houses competing for your buyer.
So the best advice I can give anyone is if
you're thinking you're listing your property and putting it on
the market in the spring, or you're thinking of rekindling
a marketing pragging because you haven't sold, I'd be getting
on to you a great real estate agent right now
and saying I want my property on the market right now,
(37:27):
before all of those other people come on to try
and steal my buyers away from me. Because spring to the.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Bars or the sellers, what's the cliche.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Well, you get more activity. You can get more activity
in the spring in the summer because more people put
their houses on the market. But the success of selling
in the winter is well proven. And if you warm
your house up and people come inside it on a
dingy day, although you look at what we like in
Auckland today, it's beautiful. So I'd be saying to you
there's always a flush of listings in the spring, which
(37:55):
doesn't generate more activity. But if you want a great
opportunity now the buyers are active, I'd be starting now.
I wouldn't be waiting.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
Right We're going to be back in a moment Worth
property of the week, which is of quite an interesting one,
and I'll get Brian's take on that, because I haven't
worked out whether I love it or whether I loathe it.
I think my producer, Tyre's a little bit like that too,
and she chooses generally the ones she loves, but she
might be beginning to hate it anyway. Hopefully it's not
(38:22):
a courts one because it might have just slagged it off.
It is eight nine and a half minutes to five
News TALKSZB.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
The one roof property of the week on the Weekend collective.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yes, now the one roof proper of the week. It
as a doozy and it is of course one of
Tyra's favorites, although she lifted me the thumbs up or
thumbs down as to where she really likes it and
now she's turned off it now. She was attracted to
it initially, but it is it's an interesting property and
I'll get Brian's take on it. You can go and
check it out on the one roof dot code at
n Z website. It's in Mirrorway Beach, so you know,
great location two three to two Constable Road. It's four bedrooms,
(38:59):
six bathrooms, which always feels a little bit excess. Four
car garage, the house of six hundred square meters. It's
sort of it's perched on some farmland and it looks
very sort of retreaty, and I'm not sure if it
looks like a place where you'd have it as a home,
but it's gorgeous and the scenery in this is outstanding.
(39:21):
It looks looks like it's probably been used for commercial
purposes because it's got it looks like a butler's pantry
where there's gotten an oven and everything. And I'm just
gonna ask Brian to give me a take on this.
It's RV. This is interesting. RV six point five million,
and the estimate is almost a million cheap of five
point seven to seven price by negotiation. Brian, what's your
(39:43):
take on this property at Merouai?
Speaker 5 (39:44):
Oh? I think it's magnificent if you look at just
the setting looking at over the wild West coast. It's
it's secluded, it's private. It's obviously been really well put
together with a lot of thought. I think I might
be wrong, but I think I'm right in saying it
was originally built as a wellness retreat. It's got a
(40:04):
little bit that vibe, doesn't I think so. But the
great thing with property is is that there's something for everyone.
The beauty is in the eye the beholder, and I
think if you can imagine being out there on a
windswept evening with a nice glass or what your favorite
tipple is with maybe with the fire going and some
friends around, for the right people, it's just magnificent.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
And aren't you being lovely? Because it's not even a
hardcourt's listing.
Speaker 5 (40:25):
Not yet. There was a joke, don't get upset, everyone,
don't get upset, but it is. It's a beautiful look
looking at us now inside it would would my family
and I buy it? Maybe not. We haven't been insight
and we're definitely not moving out to Miurau Way. But
there is a property for everyone, and at that end
of the market, people are really discerning, and when the
(40:47):
right person identifies that property, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
I think the thing about it that's really spectacular is
because it looks it almost looks like you can't see
any signs of how it was even constructed. Because it's
completely surrounded by farmland and green grass. It doesn't have
a sense of any sort of you know, awkward land disturbances.
It's looked like someone's picked up a Kitset property and
just popped it down.
Speaker 5 (41:10):
So you just imagine sitting there tomorrow morning at ten
past nine watching the mighty all Blacks beat Argentina again.
It would just be great.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Wow, all the Wallabyes beat in the Springboks will be
looking for that one.
Speaker 5 (41:19):
That would be good too, wouldn't it.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Brian, great to have you on the show, Maxtip, and
of course he's at Hardcott seeing our check out the
good work those guys do there as well. We'll be
back shortly with the parents squad. It is three minutes
to five News Talks EDB.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News
Talks EDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Where see im mes facing you now, whereas.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Had a very good afternoon. If you've just joined us,
welcome back if you if you have been sticking around
for the first hour, this is the Weekend Collective. Actually,
I think this is the first time we played a
bit of Dave Dobbins as a bit of theme music
to get us underway for any of our shows. So
here we go welcome home with a bit of Dave
Dobbin there to get us going. And that is actually
selection from our next guest who's new to our show's
(00:57):
obviously not new to the business of real estate, because
you don't get to be the managing director of Harcourts
if you're a newbie. And his name is Brian to
and he's with us. Now, okay, Brian, how are you going?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Good?
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Tim's great to be here.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Look, by the way, before we carry on my little
intro and chat with Brian, we are gonna have a
chat about choosing an agent and also the prospect of
whether people are using by buyers agents more and more
and would would you ever use one? But also if
you are someone who's involved in the real estate market
(01:29):
and buying and selling. I mean, let's face it, most
of us in our lifetime, lifetimes have something to do
with it. How do you go around choosing your agent?
Do you just rely on the advice of your friends?
Do you look at the ads and is this some
particular ad campaign that's impressed you? Is someone's face on
a bus stop? What gets you? Is it the brand?
You start there and then see what happened? See here
you bumping into when you walk in? Actually, Brian, I
(01:50):
reckon that would be. Is that quite common where people
go for a walk in the local shops. So let's
say you're you're looking in Milford and you wander down
the Milford shops and you see your real estate agents
and you pop in and somebody comes out and smiles
at you. Is that the job done?
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Well? It's really interesting when you a real estate agent, Tim,
because everyone's got an opinion of real estate agents, and
most people know one or two. But it's probably the
most important thing you'll do when you're looking to buy
sell a piece of real estate, and it's pick the
person you're going to work with. And there's a lot
of things you can do nowadays online and you can
look at reviews through Google and through the different review sites.
(02:24):
You can look on the portals and look to see
who's got the most business going on in the particular
area of the type of property you like. You can
go to open homes and you can look at sales records,
and you can ask friends and family for advice and
you'll get a whole lot of information. But the key
thing you've got to do is you've actually got to
meet a real estate agent and you've got to talk
(02:45):
to them and ask them how they're going to help
you and how if you're a potential seller, ask the
right questions. How are they going to maximize the sale
of your property, How are they going to make sure
it's as uncomplicated and stress free as possible. And during
all that process, you've got to decide if you actually
like them.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
That was my next question because so literally is writing
this down. Is there a difference between trusting your agent
to do a good job and liking them? Do you
actually have to like them? Because I mean, I've heard
people talk about different personalitiesn't going in To be honest,
he's a pretty difficult customer, but Jeezy did a great
job jobs for selling my home.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
I mean like trust what they go together. People like
to do business with people they like and trust. So
if you don't want to spend time with a person
going through what can be one of the most emotionally
challenging transactions of your life, because selling, particularly residential property,
is an emotional transaction and it doesn't always go one
hundred percent to plan. So if you're dealing with a
(03:44):
real estate agent who's working really, really hard and they
come around to meet you on a Thursday night after
a couple of weeks of marketing, they say, Tim, we've
had twenty seven people through. We've had all of these
people look at the property online, and unfortunately the feedback
is not quite at the level you were hoping it
would be in regard to price. Now, that's a difficult
message to give, but it's factual. It's information from the market,
(04:06):
and if you don't like or trust the person, that
conversation is not going to go well for you, and
that will affect your your transaction. So I think it's
actually critical that you trust the person that you select
and that you actually like them. Now you don't have
to fall in love with them. But well, if we
won't start, we won't get out of that track. But
(04:27):
I think if you if you don't like the person,
you're not going to enjoy the marketing of your property
and the result, no matter how good they are. So
I think like and trust goes together.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And let's just before we get into this, and we
love your calls on this. By the way, how did
you choose your agent? And I mean the simple question.
Was it about liking them or was it just I
mean again, liking is a strange thing, isn't it. It's
a you know, as Brah is saying, you don't want
to fall in love with them either. But tell us
about you, about bron because you know, you don't get
to be managing director of hard courts if you've just
(04:56):
been in the game five minutes. So what's your what's
your background? And what's what's managing director of hard courts
actually do well?
Speaker 5 (05:02):
If you ask a lot of my friends, they wonder
how I ended up with role as well. But I've
been really, really fortunate. I was born in a little
town at the top of the South Island called Murchison.
Oh yeah, perhaps three underdd people on a dairy farm
with my parents and went away to boarding school and
ended up working in the stock and station industry and
auctioneering and fell into doing real estate but on the side,
(05:23):
and I found out I really enjoyed it. And I
think my view has always been, if you do your
best to do a really good job every day, you
tend to get opportunities thrown at you. And I've been
very fortunate that I've bumped in some great people during
my career who've done everything they can to help me,
and the opportunities have just kept flowing. And a lot
(05:44):
of that is because of the people that I've had
around me helping me.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
So obviously, I mean, you'd be recommending a hard courts
agent every time, but when it comes to I mean,
from what are the qualities and how does it work
with you in a real estate company? With getting agents,
do they sort of self select because people want to
be a real estate agent and then new to the game,
I mean, how does it work for them and becoming
(06:08):
part of your organization or any organization.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
Yeah, So when people have an interest of moving into
the field of real estate sales, they sign up and
do their papers and get qualified, and they often do
that with a real estate company helping them and coach
them through the exams, and then they select the brand
they want to want to work with. They are interviewed
and they'll need to be offered a position, or they
might interview with several and they come in and they
go through the training and they start doing all of
(06:32):
the work that you need to do to get established
in the market, letting everyone you know know you're in
the business, making sure that the area that you want
to work or the type of property or the community
you want a service that you promote yourself into that community.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Is it difficult? Obviously people are new to the real
estate industry. I mean often business comes through friends. That's
a difficult sort of thing. It must be a difficult
thing to negotiat as new agents that you don't want
to become. Sorry, the expression of pain in the butt
to all your friends is like in the business like, yes,
we know you're realistate agent. You know, But I mean,
(07:08):
is that a difficult one or do you actually have
to really make the most of all those contacts?
Speaker 5 (07:12):
I think I think it's a There is a managing
of relationships, isn't there Because you're a friend or a
family member and all of a sudden you're in business
as well. But I tell you, I actually believe the
people who know you want you to be successful. So
whether your family or your friends are looking to sell
or not, if they are real, if they're part of
(07:33):
your circle, if they are your friends and your family
actually like you, they will do everything they can to
help you to make sure you succeed, because there's nothing
better than seeing your mates doing well. So, yes, there
is a balance between your friend and now can I
sell your house please?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
But it could be a test of a friendship, of course,
if the market's not giving the message that the seller wants, say,
there isn't.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Yeah, and I tea it's probably one of the more
difficult things you do. But at the end of the day,
a friend, a real friend, not someone you've never met
who's clicked on your website, like a proper friend, you'll
have a relationship where you can be be honest with them,
and if you're doing your best, it'll be fine.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
So obviously, real estate agents also like to advertise. And
I was mentioning before we went to air about I mean,
I don't know if i'd hire this person to sell
my house. If I was selling or not. But they
there are some clever advertising campaigns.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
You can get a poster at a bus stop in
the area, or you can hire the back of a
bus if you like. But the one that got me
was she did a handyman's It was a tradesperson's book
if you want to build a plumber, drain layer, anything.
And it was quite a complete directory and I lost it.
I've even got in touch with the real estate company
to say, I can't remember who did this, and I
(08:46):
now I know who it was. And she dropped off
another three directories. But to me, that was a great
bit of advertising. But and maybe it told me that
that's she's inventive. It's thinking outside this, a little bit
outside the square, and that's telling you a little bit
of the story about who you.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
Might be hiring.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
They'll work hard. But again, it still wouldn't tell me
much about what she'd be like at selling houses.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Ultimately, No, but you would work that out quite quickly
because without mentioning the name, I know the INDI video
you're talking about, and I'd love it if she was
part of our company. She's not. She's one of our competitors.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
But Kelly you need to call Brian.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Okay, I said to you before her dad used to
work for us for our company out in west Auckland.
But if you look at that, during your life as
a real estate agent, you constantly have clients who are
looking for things to be done with their property, and
if they don't know a trades person, if you know
people are used over and over and over again, you
(09:41):
refer them to the client to do the job. And
that's exactly what happens with the real estate agents. If
I was your agent did an incredible job and one
of your friends said I'm thinking of selling, who should
I use, you would probably say give Brian a call.
You did a great job. That's how it works.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Start off with a one of the text that's come through,
which seems like a basic question, but I think this
is a mystery to some people. Hi, Tim, would you
please ask your guest Brian to explain what real estate
agents do behind the scenes when they're selling your house.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah, and that's a really, really good question because setting
the property up for sale right at the start is
absolutely critical. So you must make sure the marketing's done
well and the photographs are all worked really well. Then
you've got to work with the team in the office
that you're working at to identify who the correct target marketers,
because there is a target market for every property. Then
(10:30):
you have to make sure that everyone who surrounds you
and through your CRM and your company, that all of
the buyers are already active in the market are being
advised the properties for sale. And then once the marketing starts,
the really hard work comes in when people start inspecting
the property or inquiring of it and the follow up
that needs to go on. So the work behind the
(10:52):
scenes is absolutely critical, and you have to be on
your toes because marketing can be changed so quickly now
to adjust to what's actually working. Not like you know,
way in the past where you sent you poos into
the newspaper and they printed and that was it for
the week. You can adjust. You You're going to adjust
your marketing every day online. So the work behind the
(11:12):
scenes is really critical.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
How much do you expect how much do sellers involve
themselves in the day to day process? I mean, do
you find there are some sellers who are constantly wanting
to adjust the marketing and they're sort of writing the
agent quite hard on this it's like, look, we've only
had so many clicks on the whatever, you can we
change this word here and there. But I mean, how
(11:34):
involved should a celler be in that stuff? Or do
you guys prefer hay back off, let me do my job.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
I think you get the whole range. Like some people
want to dig into the deep, like if they are
an analytical client, they want bulk information right down to
every different, every different criteria, and other people may be
a little bit more hands off. But the more that
a client can be involved and looking at a marketing
script for example, and maybe selecting signing off the photos
(12:02):
that are going to be used, so that they understand
what's going on in the campaign, because if it's a
bit I was told a story once and if you
fall off a boat and a shark circling you, the
person who saves you needs to tell you that he's
saving you, because otherwise you end up back on the
boat and you won't appreciate the effort they had to
go to. So I think having the client involved to
understand what's going on is really important.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
How would you choose an agent for you? I mean,
because you know more fact that'll be a but that'd
be slightly shark infested. What is this like brand's selling
us house because you wouldn't sell your You wouldn't sell
your own house, would you.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Well, no, No, it's like a lawyer.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
A lawyer who has himself for a client is a
fool for a lawyer or something.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
It is a challenge, but it's not. We sold a
property for a member of my family outside of outside
of Auckland recently and we selected the agent from one
of our officers because he knocked on the door of
that person's house four years ago. Oh okay, so and
a good guy and I know who's doing the business,
(13:01):
and I know I can match personality types. So so yes,
it's hard, but no it's not.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Hey, we'd love your cause on this. How did you
select your agent? And does marketing make a difference. Is
it for the fact you've seen them on social media
and they seem to be busy all the time? Is
it advertising or is it simply you talk to your friends,
you ask around the neighborhood. Who did you use?
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Her?
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Did you use? Who did you use? Is word of mouth?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Brian?
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I mean instinctively word of mouth has to be the
most effective form of marketing. Is it for you an agent?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Yes, it certainly is, because if you've got one hundred
and two hundred, five hundred one thousand people on your
client base who know you and know how well you've done,
they are all out there looking for business for you
because they want to see you succeed. But equally, there
are some parts of the community who look at the
awards list and see who's number one and give them
a call directly as well. So there are a lot
(13:52):
of different ways of selecting an agent, But the very
very best and the most satisfying one is when someone
you've done business for in the past rings up and says, Brian,
can you give Bill a call? He wants to sell us?
How us? Then I've told him he needs to use you,
And that's the most satisfying thing because it's a compliment
from your client saying you did a great job for me.
I want to help you.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Okay, Well, we'd love your calls on this eight hundred
eighty ten eighty. How did you choose your agent and
what quality are you looking for? Because also sometimes in
a market where you're maybe not getting the price you want,
we do and tend to want to blame the agent
as well, who might just be giving you the bad
news that was coming your way anyway. So how do
you choose your agent? How did you find your real
estate agent? Give us a call eight hundred eighty ten
(14:33):
eighty in text on nineteen nine two. But we'd love
your calls and you can jump on the blower right now.
It's coming up to twenty one past four news talks.
It'd be my guest as Brian Thompson's managing director of
Hardwartz back in a moment coming please yes, welcome back
(14:58):
to the one roof fadiy a show. We'd love your calls.
Eight hundred eighty ten eighty. We're talking about finding an
agent and how did you find your and what are
the qualities you're looking for? And actually it's interesting that
Brian Thompson, he's the managing director of Park what's he's
with us now, was taught that you sort of do
have to like your agent. But I'm still curious about
did you like your agent or did you just think
(15:19):
he or she's not my cup of tea? But I
reckon they're going to do a great job selling the
house and that's enough. What did you what do you reckon?
Do you have to like the person who's selling your house?
Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty, let's kick it off
with Ross good, Ross.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Shid. How did you find your agent?
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (15:38):
I went to one in Southland and moved who never
charged percentage commission. They charged a flat rate of thirteen
grand plus tax up to half a million. And house
was in that recon Yeah, and I can't remember what
(16:01):
it was if you were over half a million? Let's
sound so that was good?
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Was that cheap?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Was that was that cheap? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:10):
I reckon it was looking around the commission agent, you know,
or the percentage. Your guests will be able to tell
you more. But that's what she charged. And she was
bloody Britain?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Uh were happy? Were you happy with the price you got?
How did it all go? Tell us about that?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:25):
No, that was good? We we I think we went
down something about grand and asking price. That was eighteen
months ago, okay, and I don't ask the company's up
in the north is not, but by god they could
down here?
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Is that a cheap? What gives us some context to
take you? Really? Did you like her?
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Yes? Very much?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
So great, So there's there's a raft of different charging
options across the real estate industry, just like there isn't
in every business in New Zealand. And the key thing
I say to everyone is never pick your agent based
on how much they're going to charge or how much
they tell you your property is worth, because you can
make some really really bad mistakes if you go down
(17:11):
that track. So the question has to be is this
a person that you respect, Is it a person that
you believe you can trust. Do you like the person
and have they answered the questions around how they're going
to achieve the best result possible for you with the sale,
and pick that person irrespective of what they're charging. Because
they always say that sometimes the only free cheese is
(17:33):
in the trap, So you've got to be really careful
that you don't go grabbing someone just because of what
they charge or just because of what they tell your
probably is worth. But it sounds you've got a really
good one, so well done.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Yeah, But the second mouse says the cheese having said
she said that we're rich on what we wanted. Yep, good,
and she was most surprised when we got what we got.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Hey, just remind me, did you say it was her
price that attracted you to her as the agent.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Oh no, no, no, it was effect she well the facts.
She didn't charge a percentage on the on the sale.
She charged a fat rate. Yeah, it's what the whole
country does. I don't have to up the north five.
But they called tall poppy.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Hang on a second, So how on she charged thirteen
and a half thousand I think you said on the.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
First half grand cittying grand plus plus U see.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And then so that was a million up to half
a million, and then there was a fee beyond that
if it was more than half a million? Was that right?
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah? Leave it all agents do that too, the different commissions. Actually,
but having said that, we knew it wasn't worth over
half a million anyway, So okay, yeah, so we didn't
bother worrying about too much. What the next it was?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Yeah? Actually, in a way, what she did was she
just quantified the fee. This is this is what my
fee is up to half a million, And she just
quantified what was in an effect a percentage of like
two point seven percent. I guess I have I got that right.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Yeah, hard to work out on the flow. We're not mathematicians,
but I just repeat what I said, You've picked a
really good agent. He's done a great job. Respect to
her for saying right up front that perhaps you were
a little bit optimistic with what you might have got,
but she's delivered for you and that It just goes
back to what I said before. The key thing is
to pick the person that you believe is going to
do a great job for you, that's answered the right questions,
(19:19):
and then when they achieve that, you pat them on
the back and recommend them to your friends.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
How do people navigate there? I mean there are we know,
there are agents with a range of different sort of
fees around the country. I don't I think Hardcourt's one.
Know you're somewhere in the middle there. I've seen some
I'm not sure where the percentages sit with you guys,
but I mean there are people who would be put
off agents based on some fairly hefty up upfront costs.
And how would I mean, how would you advise someone?
(19:44):
I mean, you're you know, this is your business, but
how would you advise a novice, say if they were
in a market that you don't know, Say they're in
a country, you know, whatever it is, timbuctoo or something,
and I mean, where do you go with the range
of how do you advise people on that stuff? Because
there are some companies who say, look, we do charge
a lot, but we'll get.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
You a lot.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I mean, who knows.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
See, this is where the real trick is tim because
with the sale of a piece of real estate for
a huge percentage of the population, it's the biggest asset
you will ever have. And if you've got a property,
and let's use half a million as an example. If
you've got a half a million dollar property you're selling,
if the agent gets at five percent wrong, that's twenty
five thousand dollars, and that's way more of a loss
(20:28):
that you'll never see than what any fee could be.
So I just keep going back. It is absolutely critical
that you trust the person that you select, that you
believe they'll get you the best result, because five percent
wrong on a million dollar properties, fifty ten percent wrong
is one hundred thousand. So you have to be in
the headspace that this person has answered my questions, they've
(20:50):
got a track record, they've got support in their office
from their management, they've put forward a great marketing plan.
They've told me us as the owners, how they will
attract the total buyer pool to my property, and not
just the active buy a pool, the inactive buyers who
are not even sure that they're going to buy or
sell at the moment. How are they going to make
sure that everybody in the buyer pool, whether they are active, inactive,
(21:13):
whether the conditional or cash, you're going to come through
and compete for my property. Because if you miss one
person in the buyer pool because the agent hasn't done
their job, that person could have been that miracle buyer
that could have made magic happen in the auction room.
So that's where the trick is. Selecting your agent's not
about what they charge, It's about your belief that they're
going to get you a great result.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
See I'm going to throw that out for talkback. Is
it about what they charge? I mean, is that how
you decide on the agent. Would there be a level
of expense where you're like, well, I don't really know
enough about them and they are the most expensive, Which
leads to the question for you, Brian, would be how
does an agent stablish at an agent at a firm
where the percentages are on the higher side than you know?
(21:54):
To be honest, I'd always be deeply suspicious of someone
who is charging very little. I don't know why, because
I'd be thinking you're just trying to get me on price.
But how does an agent go around establishing their credibility
to someone who's a novice and selling their property when
they are maybe at the higher end of the spectrum.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
See, it's actually a really great question, tim because when
you come into the real estate industry, you're brand new,
you've got no track record, you've done your study, you're
up and running, and that individual can sometimes be the
most enthusiastic, committed person in the marketplace for you to
select if someone you connect with and you think could fit,
(22:36):
because they will be focused on your property and they'll
be determined to get established. And the great thing is,
in the real estate industry, we've got a really strong
piece of legislation, independent body that provides licensing and keeps
the real estate industry in line. And the level of
supervision which is demanded of a new sales consultant means
(22:56):
that the person managing that office will be right alongside
them day and night making sure they do everything they
can to be successful. Because when you're a leader of
a real state business one of the most exciting things
you ever see is a new person who comes in
with sparkly eyes and full of enthusiasm and start kicking
some goals. And that's what our the leaders of our businesses,
really really love doing because you get a real buzz,
(23:18):
you know, seeing someone else succeed because they've put the
effort and you've helped them. So you wouldn't want to
ignore someone just because you.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Quit a unique industry. From that point of view, because
and there'll be a lot of other industries, it's quite cynical.
You see someone coming bright heart and bushy tail, and
the old troopers are going, oh wait. They won't take
long for that smile to disappear, because we can be
quite cynical and New Zealand, can't we.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Well, I think we. There was a message came through
before and said that I might be a bit positive
and wake up every morning smiling. None of us wake
up every day and have the day of our lives.
It's never like that. But it comes down to the
people that are around you. And I'm sure you're on
the radio. Sometimes you get out of bed and think
I've got to go to work again, and you'll have
someone who says, look, get your chin off the floor.
(23:58):
There's plenty of things you can be doing. It's worth
It's worse than that. Your listeners are waiting for you.
So you're just gonna have the right pace around.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
So, Okay, the market right now is you know, I
think it's not too not too as much of a
stretch to say that it's a good market for buyers
right now. We seeing a lot of first home buyers
in the market. For sellers, it might be a bit
frustrating because it's maybe taking a bit longer to sell
the house. What are the signs in a market where
you know, we can all look back years ago when
(24:27):
you stick your house on the market and boom, it's
sold for a premium and there are a whole the
headlines are full of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
What are this?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
How does a seller know now if if the news
that they were hoping for and not getting is the
market or their agent.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
That's a really, really good question. So if you look
at the market at the moment, the market's getting better.
We've had a couple of years where it's been very
very difficult for both for both our profession but also
by the for people who are selling and buying. I
mean the increase in interest rates post the COVID sugar rush,
the reduction in the house prices. But the markets it's
getting better, and we've had the last two or three
(25:07):
months have been way better. The key thing that you
look at nowadays, though, that all of the statistical information
is totally open to everyone to find, not like the
old days we had to go and see the real
estate agent find out what's being sold, what's on the market.
So if you've selected the right sales consult and the
right real estate agency, when they sit down and say
to you, hey, Tim, you are hoping for eight hundred
(25:28):
the feedbacks in the early sevens, we need to adjust
our thinking the amount of information that you will be
provided with that leads that gives that statement credibility. It's
not an opinion, it's marketplace feedback based on fact, and
the anecdotal evidence is being brought back from the buyers
are looking through your property. So the only way you'll
(25:49):
know it's the agent that's probably at faults. Perhaps if
that level of communication hasn't been as good as it
could be, so that would be quite unusual in my experience.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Is it easier in a way, because we've got so
much data. I mean, in the old days, my god,
I hate saying the old days, you know, newspaper advertising
and whatever the real estate press of the day is
in your region. But these days, you know, you know
how many you probably know how many people have clicked
on a house essue listing, you know how many people
have siphoned through the photos, you know how long they've
(26:19):
spent on it. The data must be an amazing tool
for you guys in many respects, even if it's delivering
not such great news.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Yeah, the data is great. It's absolutely critical, and you
have to be able to analyze it. But you also
have to have the human factor inside it as well,
because when you look at putting a property on the
market for sale, there are a number of things that
impact how well it selves. Is it presented correctly, Has
it been brought to the market so that when people
walk into that property to think I can see myself
(26:50):
living here. Has it been marketed properly as a level
of communication been right? So all of that has to
be together, and then you wrap the data over the
top of it. Because I think data and technology and
we're hearing about AI all the time, at at the
moment amazing tools that are being built. Technology is an
amplifier of human performances, not a replacement. So you have
to have the person in the market who can actually
(27:13):
analyze that data and say, Tim, we've had forty seven
people contact us about your property. You've been through the
open homes. Here is what they've said. Here's the baseline
data of all the properties you're competing with at the moment.
Here's the ones that have sold while yours have been
on the market, the ore the ones people have rejected
yours and gone and bought those ones, And here is why.
And that comes down to a human being who's got
(27:35):
experience and knowledge and the ability to communicate it in
a manner that you can understand and trust.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Okay, So if I'm sitting down and I think I've
found someone shortlisted I want to summer property, what are
the questions I should be asking them that when you
first sit down, because you know, for their real estate agent,
they know exactly what they're about, but most people are
not experienced sellers.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
The most important question for me, and I'm not saying
it's the most important question for everyone, The most important
question for me is I would be asking, how are
you going to make sure that every potential buyer in
the marketplace is made a whare that my property is
for sale? How are you going to get them to
come and visit? What's the marketing plan you're going to
put alongside that, what's the strength you're going to bring
(28:17):
going to bring from yourself and your team? And what
sales strategy do you recommend we use to maximize the
price of my property and minimize any complication on the
way through. You tell me how you're going to do this,
and then I'll judge whether you're the agent for.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Me, because sometimes it's there's marketing budgets as well. These
are the questions. You know, you could spend this and
we can give you this, how would you work out
whether you're you know, just throwing a lot of money
it's something for a bigger listing in this position and
a particular publication on the website. How do you make
those decisions? Yeah, Because I mean it's a bit like
(28:53):
I would imagine this is a layperson talking. It's a
bit like you're going to McDonald's. You want to know,
sorry to mention a particular brand, do you want fries
with that do you always have to take them? When
do you know whether to take the fries added value?
You marketing opportunities.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
So when you and giving advice, I don't like to
give people advice about things I haven't done myself. So whenever,
whenever my wife and I, whenever we sell a property,
whenever we recommend to a friend or family members to
sell a property, we on the high side of how
much we spend on marketing. And we've done that every
(29:27):
every time that we've sold property. We we've invested more
money in the marketing of the property than people's other
people probably would suggest they would and it's worked every time.
And that's difficult because it does take money. It's actually
a lot more affordable now than it used to be
when everything was print. Digital media is more affordable, but
you have to make sure that you look at it
(29:48):
and say, is the campaign we're investing in going to
cover the total market? Mister sales consultant, you're promoting this?
Is there anything else we should do? And there are
some amazing tools out and that's all.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I'd be suspicious. I don't mean suspicious, don't want to
but let's just use that. If the agent's first thing
was just spending more money with the agency. You know
what I mean, I'd be looking, I'd be wanting to
hear some inventiveness, like you might want to try X.
This is quite a cost effective thing. In fact, would
an agent try and present that side of things to people.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
So here's the thing. There's no money in the marketing
for the agency. What the client pays is what the
supplier of the marketing, the portal or the print or
the signment, whatever they charge, that's what the client pays.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
The even hardcourts and barfoots, everyone's got their own they've
got their own websites of course, but you use other yes,
it's you know, you have to go through the other
and that's where they're investing the money. And that's just
a factory.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
And then there's there's digital tools to promote through social
media platforms and the use of AI. So the agents
don't make money out of the marketing. Let's be really clear.
The agencies and the agent themselves gets paid when the
property sells. So it is in their interest to do
everything they can to achieve a great result for the
client because otherwise they don't get paid. So a great
agent will sit down and we'll say to you, here
(31:09):
is the marketing plan, and here are the examples of
all the times we've used this plan. Here's the traffic
it generated, and here's where the buyers came from.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Right, we're going to take We're going to take a
moment right now. Lots of stuff to explore with Brian Thompson.
He's the he's the boss of Hardwarts. Is it fair
enough to say boss a hard Courts? I think summer
managing director. Let's be accurate. Just Brian's good, Brian, okay?
And actually, how do you choose your agent? But also
what questions did you ask when you met your agent
who sold your house? And I mean, was there an
(31:37):
answer that they gave that made you think this is
not the person for us? If it's called like one
hundred and eighty ten. And you've got a few texts
to get through it too. And we'll have a bit
of a chat hopefully before we finish the hour about
seasons to sell, whether there is such a thing as
a spring season where you've got to get in there.
It is nineteen minutes to five news talks, he'd be
(32:10):
that's welcome back to the Weekend Collective. This is one
refrared ash the thing I did say, we're going to
talk about with Brian Thompson, Managing director of Hardcourts buyers Agents.
How what's the story with buyers agents? Is is that
a thing really or is it just an anomaly?
Speaker 5 (32:24):
No, I wouldn't call it an anomaly. I haven't even
had a drink yet. So what happens in the real
estate industry When you list a property for a client,
the client pays the commission and the agents have a
fiduciary duty to do the very best for that client.
(32:45):
And when they introduce a buyer, either as a listing
agent or another agent bringing a buyer to that listing,
the person with the buyer has a fiduciary duty to
the client as well because they are paying the fee.
But they have a duty of care to the buyer,
do everything fair, give them all the information they need,
and that's governed under the Fair Trading Act. So not
buyers agents, even though they're looking after the buyer. What
(33:08):
a buyers agent is an individual or a team who
focus on looking after buyers and they charge the buyer
a fee. So the buyer contracts the buyers agent and
the people do that at times because we're in a
time poor environment. We're running around everywhere and you need
to do all the due diligence on the properties with
insurance and what's going on behind the scenes. So some
(33:28):
people choose to to secure a buyers agent. It's a
very specialized job that requires a lot of detail and
they will go and they'll go to an auction for instance,
and help your burden, make sure you get a great property.
And there's a lot of them in Australia. There are
some in New Zealand there's that are getting established and
the real estate agents love it when a buyer's agent
(33:49):
comes along with the client wants to buy a property.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Well, they're serious about buying obviously, very much.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
So, and you know that the homework's been done because
when you're purchasing a property, you know some people buy
them all the time, they're investors and property traders. But
for the bulk of the population, you don't buy a
property very often. So to have someone along who can
make sure you don't get in your own road and
you secure the property that's best for you and best
meets your criteria is great because a big major transaction
(34:16):
like that, you need some help.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Yeah, how common would it be to have a buyers agent?
Do you think so? It sounds like a bit of
a luxury.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
Well.
Speaker 5 (34:28):
Eluxury, I'm not sure. For the people that actually secure
the professional buyers agents and pay them a fee, and
it is a it will be a decent fee. They
do it because they see value they don't see.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
I've got a text here, So we used a buyers
agent to buy a house I'd never buy with that one.
We would never have seen half the houses we viewed
without them. You can be as clear as possible about
what you want out of a house. And it says
you having to scroll through hundreds of properties. You'll hate
a scrolling it's so tiring.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
So the best way I can put it in perspective
is you think about when you're recruiting for staff. You
can put an ad online yourself through seek and wander
through all of the hundreds of applications, or you conduct
down to a professional recruitment company and they will go
they will drive the marketing, they will secure all the applications,
they will weed them out and give you a short
(35:18):
list to interview. It's exactly the same.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Where are people at with valuations they've got to text
you about valuations. You suggest sellers should get a registered
valuation for independent advice, But where are people at with
valuations and buyers? I mean that when the market's for anetic,
it's just like you know, you haven't got time to
get a valuation. You need to just get in there
and get your bidden. But where are we at now
with people?
Speaker 5 (35:38):
I think you sometimes see people need evaluation because of
the way they're securing their mortgage finance, if they know
right on the on the edge or on the limit.
But it's it's not unusual, but it's not common. It's
it's not a really common investment that people make. But
certainly in some parts of the market, some of unique
property and some mortgage arrangements, they would be required.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I did say we're going to talk about seasons. We've
got so little time about it. But is there is
there a season for selling that? I mean there'll be
people now who might have been on the market for
quite some time. I mean, is there still a spring bump?
Because I seen to remember having host this hour for
a few years now that there was one. There's been
a few headlines where spring has been a bit of a.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
So I know, we haven't got a lot of time,
so I'll tell you what I think.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Yeah, that's why you're here.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
Yeah, right, So people buy and sell houses when they
need to. Someone's had a baby, need a bigger house.
Someone's died, you've got a job transfer for you've won lotto,
You're going to buy a flash house that we're going
to talk about shortly. Is all of those sort of things.
So you buy and sell when you need to. What's
happened over the last couple of years people have put
off buying and selling because the market's been less than
average and interest rates have been high, so there's a
(36:46):
whole lot of pent up buying and selling. So we've
just come out at the back end of July one
of the most active months we've had for a long time,
the really really active month of buyers and not an
active month of new listings coming forward. So the listing
stock has shrink, so there's less property for the buyers
to compete for. And in the spring there will be
a flush of of properties come forward, because there always is,
(37:07):
because people think, let's wait till the weather's a bit
sunnier in the house will look good, and then you've
got a whole lot more houses competing for your buyer.
So the best advice I can give anyone is if
you're thinking you're listing your property and putting it on
the market in the spring, or you're thinking of rekindling
a marketing pragging because you haven't sold, I'd be getting
on to you a great real estate agent right now
and saying I want my property on the market right now,
(37:27):
before all of those other people come on to try
and steal my buyers away from me. Because spring to the.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Bars or the sellers, what's the cliche.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Well, you get more activity. You can get more activity
in the spring in the summer because more people put
their houses on the market. But the success of selling
in the winter is well proven. And if you warm
your house up and people come inside it on a
dingy day, although you look at what we like in
Auckland today, it's beautiful. So I'd be saying to you
there's always a flush of listings in the spring, which
(37:55):
doesn't generate more activity. But if you want a great
opportunity now the buyers are active, I'd be starting now.
I wouldn't be waiting.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
Right We're going to be back in a moment Worth
property of the week, which is of quite an interesting one,
and I'll get Brian's take on that, because I haven't
worked out whether I love it or whether I loathe it.
I think my producer, Tyre's a little bit like that too,
and she chooses generally the ones she loves, but she
might be beginning to hate it anyway. Hopefully it's not
(38:22):
a courts one because it might have just slagged it off.
It is eight nine and a half minutes to five
News TALKSZB.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
The one roof property of the week on the Weekend collective.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yes, now the one roof proper of the week. It
as a doozy and it is of course one of
Tyra's favorites, although she lifted me the thumbs up or
thumbs down as to where she really likes it and
now she's turned off it now. She was attracted to
it initially, but it is it's an interesting property and
I'll get Brian's take on it. You can go and
check it out on the one roof dot code at
n Z website. It's in Mirrorway Beach, so you know,
great location two three to two Constable Road. It's four bedrooms,
(38:59):
six bathrooms, which always feels a little bit excess. Four
car garage, the house of six hundred square meters. It's
sort of it's perched on some farmland and it looks
very sort of retreaty, and I'm not sure if it
looks like a place where you'd have it as a home,
but it's gorgeous and the scenery in this is outstanding.
(39:21):
It looks looks like it's probably been used for commercial
purposes because it's got it looks like a butler's pantry
where there's gotten an oven and everything. And I'm just
gonna ask Brian to give me a take on this.
It's RV. This is interesting. RV six point five million,
and the estimate is almost a million cheap of five
point seven to seven price by negotiation. Brian, what's your
(39:43):
take on this property at Merouai?
Speaker 5 (39:44):
Oh? I think it's magnificent if you look at just
the setting looking at over the wild West coast. It's
it's secluded, it's private. It's obviously been really well put
together with a lot of thought. I think I might
be wrong, but I think I'm right in saying it
was originally built as a wellness retreat. It's got a
(40:04):
little bit that vibe, doesn't I think so. But the
great thing with property is is that there's something for everyone.
The beauty is in the eye the beholder, and I
think if you can imagine being out there on a
windswept evening with a nice glass or what your favorite
tipple is with maybe with the fire going and some
friends around, for the right people, it's just magnificent.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
And aren't you being lovely? Because it's not even a
hardcourt's listing.
Speaker 5 (40:25):
Not yet. There was a joke, don't get upset, everyone,
don't get upset, but it is. It's a beautiful look
looking at us now inside it would would my family
and I buy it? Maybe not. We haven't been insight
and we're definitely not moving out to Miurau Way. But
there is a property for everyone, and at that end
of the market, people are really discerning, and when the
(40:47):
right person identifies that property, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
I think the thing about it that's really spectacular is
because it looks it almost looks like you can't see
any signs of how it was even constructed. Because it's
completely surrounded by farmland and green grass. It doesn't have
a sense of any sort of you know, awkward land disturbances.
It's looked like someone's picked up a Kitset property and
just popped it down.
Speaker 5 (41:10):
So you just imagine sitting there tomorrow morning at ten
past nine watching the mighty all Blacks beat Argentina again.
It would just be great.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Wow, all the Wallabyes beat in the Springboks will be
looking for that one.
Speaker 5 (41:19):
That would be good too, wouldn't it.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Brian, great to have you on the show, Maxtip, and
of course he's at Hardcott seeing our check out the
good work those guys do there as well. We'll be
back shortly with the parents squad. It is three minutes
to five News Talks EDB.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News
Talks EDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.