Meet
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How did you end up working with houses?
Well, I had no idea really as to what I wanted to do other than having aspirations of getting into banking whilst I was completing my Bachelor of Business studies. However, 15 years back my perception was that it would take too long to climb the corporate ladder. I got into selling real estate after seeing a small run on add in the paper advertising for real estate sales people in a boutique real estate office in Parnell, Auckland. That was in 2004. Were you selling houses for long? I am still selling houses through my business The Property Agency Limited. Look it up it’s a great business I co-own with close friends of mine. I have sold 100’s and 100’s of properties over the last 15 years and still get a kick out of it! What is your focus now? Although I have a lot on my plate, I do take every Friday and weekends off to spend with family. At work, my focus really is the development, management and the sales of investment properties. On the development front, we have just completed a two-lot subdivision and have a project for four new houses about to kick off with plans for a further four on another site we have in the very near future. Along with the building of new homes, we also do the underlying subdivision work. In addition to our new build program we are also involved with the rejuvenation of older homes with good bones in the lower price bracket in Auckland. I actually love doing the renovations. Standing back after a $100,000+ improvement to a tired property and seeing the change in the finish product is very rewarding. My management business which I am so proud of, specially the 25+ people that work with me, remains a key focus for me. In addition to that lot, The Property Agency is also an important part of my mix. Whilst my work has a diversified mix of roles, it is mostly all property investment related. |
Do you like what you do?
Having a passion for what you do really helps I think. If this was just a job I would get another one as its pretty stressful at times… Its stressful and rewarding at the same time and my passion and interest for the industry gets me through the difficult moments. If I didn’t have the passion for it I would do something else. I would do well on a vineyard... My family would tell you I would last a week as I would drink all the wine stock! They're probably right! What’s your outlook for the property investment market? If only I had a crystal ball! My investing philosophy is to think long term. So-with that in mind I am optimistic about the rewards that can be derived from investment property in NZ. Whilst markets move around both upward and downward, economic fundamentals are hard to ignore and they all point to Auckland property becoming harder and harder to own due to economic factors. Those factors are not going to just go away. Just out of curiosity, do you own all the properties you renovate? Can I ask how many you have sold? No problem. We own all the properties that we advertise for sale. We don’t contract to other property owners and we don’t do joint ventures. This ensures control over the process from beginning to the end and get it completed the way we want it too. We have sold well in in excess of $65 million over the years with a strong pipeline of upcoming work. |