Ray White Opens New Office in Golden Bay

One of New Zealand’s leading real estate agencies, the Ray White Group, is opening a new office in Golden Bay, to be headed by a 20-year resident of the area.

Billy Kerrisk says it’s the right time for a new real estate office, particularly given the introduction last November of new regulation governing the sector. Ms Kerrisk says New Zealand has been slow to reinvent the wheel to protect buyers and sellers, and she welcomes the change in law.

“The purpose of the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 is to promote and protect the interests of consumers, so it’s a great move to shift power from the REINZ to the Crown by creating an authority with real power to police the sector and ensure all parties operate and are treated fairly. It underlines our fiduciary requirements and will really up the level of service provided to customers – buyers and vendors alike deserve a great service from agents.”

The advanced systems afforded by membership of the Ray White Group means a new office gives an advantage to all involved in the Golden Bay property market, Ms Kerrisk says. “Certainly it could be daunting to start my own business, but the feedback I have been getting from locals is that competition is fantastic, and they welcome it.

“I won’t just be offering my type of personal service, but also access to the systems and intellectual property Ray White has. The use of technology is much more advanced than what currently exists here, which gives me more to offer the vendor.

“We can provide comprehensive market analysis – by being given more information, vendors can better make their own decisions and market their property more effectively. When you know what most people sell for compared with their asking price, and how long it takes them to sell, that helps you pitch your property at the right level and can save a lot of time and money.”

Ray White New Zealand General Manager Kyle Pitman says a Golden Bay office brings the number of Ray White offices in the upper South Island to seven, giving the company full coverage of the region and greater range than any of its competitors. Ray White now has 40 South Island offices, and 132 nationwide.

 “Golden Bay is another step to our increased market share through the region, which is very strong in a resurging market,” Mr Pitman says. “Golden Bay is the first new South Island office for 2010, and there are other opportunities throughout the South Island, which reflects the market’s confidence in the systems and technology support that Ray White is able to provide as the largest Australasian franchise.”

He says Ms Kerrisk’s heading-up of the new office is a coup for the company: “Billy’s enthusiasm and her desire to implement change in the Golden Bay market is really attractive to us – she brings a huge amount of energy and a forward-thinking attitude that will be of great value to buyers and sellers.”

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Ray White Undertakes Merger in Whitianga to Form Super-Sized Office

In a move that creates the biggest real estate team in Whitianga, Ray White has announced that its company Whitianga Realty is merging with AJ Innes Real Estate to form Ray White Whitianga from 1 April.

Andy Innes is principal of the new franchise, and says he chose to join the Ray White Group because of the agency’s strong local market share, and more simply, “because they gave us the most confidence and we felt they had the most potential of all agencies. And speaking to other people in the real estate arena, they had nothing but praise for the Ray White CEO.”

A 16-year veteran of real estate, Mr Innes knows both the industry and the company well, having worked for Ray White in Australia before founding his own agency in Whitianga six years ago.

He says the time is right to form a large agency – Ray White Whitianga will open with around 11 salespeople – with a strong national reputation and high-level support.

“Having run a stand-alone company, it became clear to me when the industry rules and regulations changed last November that affiliation with a strong, respected national agency was the way to go, and it was a matter of choosing the right one.

“I’ve always been a stickler for service, and what we achieve in amalgamating the two companies is establishing a large market share from the get-go. This means more listings, leading to more enquiries and thus more sales – getting better results and opportunities for buyers and sellers.

“Another big advantage of being part of the Ray White Group is having access to the best technology available in the industry, and an extremely high level of support in training and all areas of the business. After doing it all myself for six years, having these established systems to draw on will mean a step up in the level of service we can provide.”

Asked what Ray White Whitianga will bring to the local real estate market, Mr Innes says the company’s record speaks for itself. “When you see how the Ray White Group operates, it’s the story that if a company is being led well from the top, that sets the standard for all others.

“Presentation is a big part of that, and we have fully renovated the shop with separate offices for the rental division and a boardroom. We want to lift the bar for real estate service in Whitianga.”

Mr Innes says it remains a buyer’s market in the town, with potential purchasers dizzied by the choice available from variety of projects and developments.

The opportunities are the best he’s seen in his time in the area: “For people looking to invest in a beach town, there is no better time than now.”

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About Ray White Group

The Ray White Group is a family-owned business which, since its formation in Australia in 1902, has been well regarded for its impeccable level of service, experienced and dedicated staff and commitment to training and support.

The Ray White Group provides a broad range of real estate and related property services. Ray White New Zealand has 132 offices trading approximately $4.6 billion annualised property sales.