mark renaud

I am hoping to relocate to the Cambridge area this year or next and wondered if anyone could list a few well known property agents or portals that I can look at.
In the UK I know 4 or 5 long established agents (many decades) who have excellent reputations and are the 'go to' firms when looking for a house. There are some pretty useless ones in every city that most people know to avoid.

I expect N.Z. has a similar network and would appreciate hearing if people know which agents are the 'go to' guys in Cambridge.

Thanks

Bo-Jangles

Just look at Trademe you'll find all the local suspects ; agents here are all rockstars that essentially work for themselves albeit through a franchise such as Barfoot & Thompson - there are good and bad within those organisation and you usually just rock up to the open home and deal with the person that's selling the particular house that you are interested in.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/property

mark renaud

Thanks for the link.
I understand that Cambridge is in the Waipa District of the Waikato Region but I havn't yet found a property agent in Cambridge itself that has local property advertized.
Hopefully a bit of digging around will unearth some - I am hoping for personal recommendations from people who can say "I used xyz agent who have been in business for a hundred years and they were brilliant" :-)

BEVS

Nah! You're on your own with this.
Do not be taken for a kipper.

Bo-Jangles

It's not like the UK though where you deal with one entity and they show you everything they have on their books; here you deal with an individual agent and they are usually reluctant to show the properties of competing agents withing the same office as they have to share the commission. Your best off doing the legwork yourself, just look at lots of houses and see what takes your fancy. You won't garner much info from the agent as most houses are sold at auction.

Agents here only work primarily for themselves and the seller and do not have your interest at heart in any way shape or form. Not to be trusted.

mark renaud

Thanks for that advice :-) sounds like a pond full of sharky fish

Next question then..... here we have "Home finders" who for (an extortionate fee) take your list of want, don't want and maybe I would compromise on .. and they research everything on the market that matches (mostly) your criteria. They work across every agent and every property portal / web site and come back to you with brochures and when you purchase you pay them a percentage or the property price.

They are then working solely for you and get paid a little for doing the legwork and a lot if they find your 'dream home' Does anything like that exist in NZ?

Bo-Jangles

There probably is but as a stranger in a strange land, you can't be too careful.

Those types and many others here will be wetting their pants to take you in hand and show you around: they'll simply seeing you as a walking ATM with $$ signs in their dreams. The champagne corks will be popping when they see recently arrived 'cashed up' Pom in the vicinity and you will be like a little lamb to the slaughter. Just find somewhere to rent and get to know the place before you put yourself at their mercy.

Stuck in Auckland

Mark

Use google maps to drill down on potential streets
www.trademe.co.nz
www.realestate.co.nz

Use www.homes.co.nz to evaluate local prices - I take the land and buildings and evaluate by rate (value/sqm)

Hope that helps as agents are not well regarded here. They assume professionalism is getting best price for vendor which is partly true. But professionalism goes a lot more than that in terms of public responsibility.

mark renaud

Thanks again to those who have offered advice - I would never have thought of my self as a lamb to the slaughter.... in the UK I am pretty savvy and can spot b*ll**it a mile off - but you are right - over there reading folks would be a whole different ballgame.
Initial rental and street level research seems to be the way to go :-)

Justcol

I have used Cambridge Real Estate to buy and sell 2 homes in Cambridge
NZ is not like the uk, you dont have to use the "Go To" people. many owners will do private sales
dont be put off by them, it is not an indication of anything dodgy. My friend has just sold up in
Cambridge for $1.3 million and did it himself to save $40+ thousand in fees

just open an ad on trademe for a house in cambridge and look who the agents are then google their website
Do this for a few Cambridge properties and you'll probably find a few different agencies

from personal experience, not all agents have the money grabbing Auckland attitude

Clappy

New Zealand is a young country and at a different stage of development than European countries are.

In the more highly populated areas here - nothing stays the same for very long. People try their luck and many move on in the blink of an eye, so that makes recommendations difficult.