daisycutter

Hi,looking for a good realtor to help source property,mainly from Devonport up to Torbay along the east coast .... anybody got any good recommendations... many thanks.

Lee Lee

Good question daisycutter we're heading to north shore too so I hope you get some good feedback

forshy

Hi we have just bought a house in browns bay, been here 4 months in NZ and currently rent in Torbay
Feel free to PM me and i can give you the details of a really good guy who helped us

simonsi

Harcourts get my vote (for rentals so far), very professional. Not so good with Barfoot & Thompson.

No experience with purchasing yet.

forshy

we purchased off Harcourts - and despite my institutional sceptacism of all estate agents they were actually really helpful in negotiating a new purchasing process which is very different from the UK.

Bo-Jangles

I think first off you need to get away from the mindset of they as representatives of one big happy family working for the same company. It doesn't work like that here, they are all individuals working for themselves.

I can thoroughly recommend this chap:

http://barfoot.co.nz/s.hinton

I will clearly state that I have no personal interest in the fella, other than him being the realtor for the vendor that we bought from. However, we do stop to say 'How's it going?' if ever we bump into him doing his shopping.

Expat Kiwi

Very much so.

When looking for a good salesperson ask him or her to give you a list of the properties they've sold in the last 18 months, did they achieve/exceed the asking price and how that relates to your house, or the type of property you're interested in.

If you're selling don't be afraid of asking the agent for references from their previous clients and how they plan to market your property in the current market. There's no harm in asking for some free advertising either and remember if they're prepared to haggle on their fee they may also be prepared to haggle on the price of your house.

If buying don't accept their recommendation for third party services - conveyancing, building inspection etc.

forshy

I agree

Jan n Neil

I think they should all be shot, probably not very helpfull info for you but i detest estate agents they have done more to make houses unaffordable by charging stupid fees for not a lot of work, I hope they all die in poverty

Neil

forshy

I may agree when i come to sell

smudge1

When we first came over six years ago we met Martin Earnshaw (ex Brit) who at that time worked for Barfoots. He and his wife Sueanne worked their socks off finding us a suitable property (no easy task at that time...)...even to the point of leafleting streets and knocking on doors.

At that time we were surrounded by many unscrupulous estate agent sharks who smelt the fresh blood of UK Pounds and we were very nearly stripped of our life savings on one leaky building by one vulturous (is that a word?)agent.

Martin was the only agent who was honest and up front about everything we saw...pointing out disadvantages to some properties that we had not seen or thought of and might otherwise have bought.

He has recently started up his own agency charging only 1% commission and we have gone back to him as we are thinking of selling our current house. I have no hesitation in recommending Martin and believe you would be hard pushed to find a more honest and hard working estate agent.

http://www.realestate.co.nz/offices/26143/agents