Archive for the ‘Carey Smith’ Category

The Ray White Group is pleased to welcome back Christine Fowler, who has today joined Mountfort Estate Agents in the Eastern Beaches area of Auckland.

Christine is well known through the Ray White Group after many years as one of the top international sales members. Together with her many sales awards, Christine was acknowledged in 2002 by receiving the pinnacle award of the company in New Zealand, being the Chief Executive’s Cup.

Christine in re-joining Mountfort Estate Agents takes up a role as the Business Development and Growth Manager of the company.  Bob Mountfort said he was thrilled to have Christine back. “It is like a homecoming and she will add to our growth plans throughout the region. Our group services the Eastern Beaches through our offices at Howick, Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay, Botany Town Centre, Dannemora and Pakuranga.  Christine will enable our growth to continue through her extensive contacts.”

In accepting the position, Christine said that it is a great honour to return to the Ray White Group and in particular, the Eastern Beaches network with Neil Baker and Bob Mountfort.  “I have watched the Group continue to grow, exploring new marketplaces and the relocation to new premises in Howick. My role to assist in growth through recruitment and development is what I really enjoy doing and this is a win for all of us involved.”

Carey Smith, New Zealand Chief Executive for Ray White, made comment that Christine’s return was of particular interest to our group. “Christine received my award in 2002 for her outstanding contribution to our group. It is great to have her back as her passion for the industry, for learning and development still remains at the highest level.”

The Mountfort Group have over 100 salespeople, with a large property management business and they also fully integrate with the Eastern Beaches Loan Market team.  If you are seeking a career in real estate or any advice on your property needs, please contact Christine Fowler on 0274 930 529 or christine.fowler@raywhite.com.

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The Ray White Group, in partnership with Allens, is proud to announce the opening of  Ray White Allens Bream Bay.  The office is located directly across the road from the waterfront on One Tree Point Road.

The coastal strip of One Tree Point, Marsden Point and Bream Bay have seen continued development over the past years that has provided growth for housing construction in the owner/occupier and holiday home sectors. The area has a mixture of pricing for established property, with an average sale price of $355,000.

The Ray White Bream Bay office has several exclusive listings currently available and these can be seen on the website rwbreambay.co.nz.

Co-director of Ray White Allens Bream Bay, Allan Sykes, said that the Bream Bay office will benefit from its rebrand to Ray White Allens, giving vendors a broader reach into the marketplace through wider exposure within the Ray White Group. “It is a wonderful area to live and we have Allan O’Shannessey and Tina Subritzky, who are both highly committed salespeople, in the local marketplace.”

To contact the new Ray White Allens Bream Bay Office please phone  09 433 0334.

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Ray White is pleased to welcome one of the highest performing licensee salespeople in Hamilton – Sue Hall – to the Group.  Sue and her business partner, Richard Jacobsen, have joined the group as franchise owners for their business known as Hamilton City and which is located on Willoughby Street in Hamilton.

Sue has an extensive background in real estate, with 14 years of experience in dealing with properties in and around the Hamilton area. Sue was not only the No1 sales consultant for the Harcourts Hamilton group but was also consistently ranked as one of the top 20 sales agents for Harcourts in New Zealand.

In joining the Ray White Group with her own office, Sue said this was a natural career step that she has been considering for some time. “Being able to own our own business is something that we have been working towards and with the assistance of Ray White, we have been able to achieve. I have been fortunate to have a high performing real estate career and this has given me the step up into office ownership.”

Richard Jacobsen, who is co-owner with Sue Hall, said “Opening a new office with Ray White will enable Sue to share her skills in leadership and sales amongst a high performing team. We are thrilled to be part of the Ray White Group and with their systems, technology and back up, we are sure to be able to make a success of this business.”

Carey Smith, NZ Chief Executive for Ray White said that “Sue Hall in her time in real estate has achieved numerous accolades and is recognised as one of the top performers of the industry. Her level of skill, knowledge and dedication to the industry has seen her achieve the highest levels.  Sue and Richard join us as co-owners and they are an exciting addition to our growth in the Hamilton region.”

Sue has a team of three who continue to support her ongoing listings and sales. The new office is currently being fitted out and is expected to be open for trading from 1 October 2011.  In the meantime Sue Hall is now listing and selling property and can be contacted on 0800 783 425 or sue.hall@raywhite.com.

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The Ray White Group this week held their annual business owners symposium in Queenstown, which was attended by over 110 of the company’s franchise owners.

The symposium focused on the development of the Ray White New Zealand strategy for the group. In more recent times the Group has gone through a considerable growth phase, with a new office joining the network every month over the past two years and this has accelerated in more recent times.  The symposium also covered the area of opportunity for the business owners, with presentations from John Wall of Talent 2 and Steve D’Souza, the owner of the Kalamazoo Group.

Another topical presentation included a debate between Greg Hornblow, General Manager of APN, and Brendon Skipper, head of Trade Me Property.  The use of marketing platforms remains the main driver of lead generation for property sales and the value of both online and offline marketing is seen to be important in the total marketing mix.

During the Symposium, New Zealand Chief Executive Carey Smith detailed the growth plans for the Ray White Group, which is aligned with the current activity the Group is undertaking. He announced the company had more members join and commit to the Ray White Group than ever before; with seven offices opening in the next four weeks, including Sunnynook, Mt Albert, Hamilton City, Matamata, Whangarei, Bream Bay and Tutakaka. He also said that there was considerable interest from five other markets in which the Group is looking to have presence.

The overall commitment of the Ray White Group to growing market share was expressed as the real estate industry continues to polarise. Ray White see that providing the very best technology and business services to its franchise owners as the cornerstone of its continued success.

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Ian and Rachel Grindle have announced Rodney Fong as their new partner in the Ray White Tauranga office. The office has recently relocated to new premises on The Strand in Tauranga and this was in part due to the growth that the business has experienced and also in line with the new partnership.

Rodney Fong joins Ray White Tauranga from a high sales performing career with LJ Hooker Tauranga.  Rodney joins the Grindles’ on the basis of seeing the growth and the opportunity within the real estate industry for ownership. Rodney made comment that it has always been part of his desire to be in ownership and it comes as a great opportunity to be able to join Ian and Rachel in the Tauranga office.

Ian Grindle said that having the youth and enthusiasm of Rodney on their team was great. “He also brings with him additional skills in auctioneering and high profile marketing.”

Carey Smith, Chief Executive Ray White New Zealand, said “The combination of Ian and Rodney together would be a significant boost for the Ray White Group profile in Tauranga.  Rodney’s skills in the auction arena are first class and Ian has always been recognised as a high performing marketer. Their administration is being handled by Rachel Grindle and that provides good integration for the team.”

To see the Ray White Tauranga website please click here.

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The Ray White Group is proud to announce the appointment of Graeme Fraser to the position of Auckland Business Performance Manager.

Graeme joins the corporate team at Ray White with over 30 years of senior management experience in the financial services and real estate industries. He has particular strengths in general management, sales, planning and business growth and performance.

Graeme Fraser

Graeme is currently the CEO of Premium Real Estate in Auckland.  Previous to that Graeme has spent time with Harveys as Regional Manager and also Harcourts.

Carey Smith, Chief Executive of Ray White New Zealand, said “Graeme’s appointment was a direct reflection of the growth of our Auckland business. The central Auckland area for the Ray White Group continues to gain market share and with Graeme’s background working in the high end of the property market with Premium, his skills and knowledge will assist Ray White to continue to grow market share.”

The role that Graeme will undertake includes the direct business relationship with franchise owners of Ray White in the central, northern and eastern zones of Auckland.

For further information on the Ray White leadership team, please click here.

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The Ray White Group has seen a substantive lift in auction listings during the past quarter of 26%.  In total the Group’s listings for auction increased from 460 to 607, on a back drop of overall decrease in listings coming to the market.  The three major centres to show substantive increases include Auckland, Central North Island and the Lower South Island.  During the past month Christchurch has also seen a substantive lift in auctions

Carey Smith, Chief Executive of Ray White New Zealand, said “Auctions are providing vendors with the ability to polarise the buyer pool into a set time frame. With the reduced amount of stock on the market, auctions are also showing an increased response rate from buyers attending open homes and also registering to bid for properties.  The under hammer success rate has gone from being 58% 12 months ago to 71%.  This also is an indicator of the reduced stock on the market and the confidence buyers have in purchasing by auction.  There have been specific examples of peeped up buyer demand where at a recent auction held by Ray White Ponsonby price expectations were exceeded by almost 20%. This was directly attributed to the auction form of marketing.”

The total number of listings currently are at their lowest level for the past decade but the continued relevance of auction marketing now shows that one in five properties are submitted to this form of process. The Ray White Group is appointed to over 20,000 controlled listings per annum and during 2011 14% of those have been by auction and during the last quarter, this has lifted to 21%.

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The Ray White Group is pleased to announce the pending opening of our new Sunnynook branch on the North Shore of Auckland.  Business owner Tony Scheirlinck will be opening the office in early October in Sunnynook Road as part of a new development currently being completed.  The office is located at the front of the development and will be a state of the art fit-out that houses the latest displays for viewing property and the integration of the Ray White technology platform for salespeople.

Tony Scheirlinck, who is currently the co-business owner of Ray White Northcote, said the office in Sunnynook is a natural expansion. “The area is a diversified in property, with Sunnynook being one of the growth areas on the North Shore with the establishment of the transit bus link.”

Carey Smith, NZ Chief Executive of Ray White, said that the opening of a new office at Sunnynook was exciting. “Tony is one of our key leaders in the group who has demonstrated ongoing enthusiasm to grow his business and the new office fits in perfectly. We have a well established business on the North Shore and the addition of Sunnynook will continue to grow our market share and provide the only real estate office in the Sunnynook area.”

For further information regarding the opening of Ray White Sunnynook please contact Tony Scheirlinck.

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Hewson Real Estate began trading in the Kerikeri area in the early 1950s. Originally established by Mr G B (Don) Hewson, the office won international recognition for specialising in coastal and island property.  Ian Knox, the current owner of Hewson Real Estate Limited, became a partner in the business in the late 1970s and took full ownership of the business after that time. Ian conducted the first million dollar sale in the Kerikeri region and has always had a significant proportion of those property sales ever since.

In re-committing to the Ray White Group, Ian Knox said the high profile, coverage and exposure of the Ray White network with over 1,000 offices operating throughout the world was unmatched by any other group.  “It allows our properties to be professionally marketed to a broad database and that has helped us maintain a long established successful business in our region.”

Carey Smith, Chief Executive of Ray White New Zealand, said that Ian Knox has developed a first class reputation with his offices in Kerikeri and Paihia. “The businesses have always had a leadership position in the coastal, lifestyle and rural markets and having the offices as part of our strong Northland region has helped us maintain a high market share throughout the area.”

Along with the main office at Kerikeri, Hewson Real Estate Limited has a branch office at Paihia. Sales Manager Ross Roberston has been with the office since its inception in 1996 and has consistently achieved Premier status during that time. Ross said one of the benefits Ray White offers his branch is the recognition from buyers who come into Paihia.  “Our office is high profile and well positioned and having Ray White as our agency name assists in the profile of our business. Ray White has also been at the forefront with their online marketing and in an area such as the Bay of Islands, this is becoming increasingly important for our vendors.”

Hewson Real Estate Limited has re-committed to Ray White for an extended term.  This will take the office beyond 20 years with the Ray White Group.  The business is one of the offices to first join the company under the ownership of Ray White.

For information regarding Ray White Kerikeri and Ray White Paihia please see their websites Kerikeri and Paihia.

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Ray White New Zealand is pleased to announce their Franchise Owners Symposium this year will be held in Queenstown on 7^th and 8^th September 2011. The Ray White Group has continued to see extraordinary growth during the past 12 months, with 18 new offices joining and this has set another new record for growth in office numbers.

Carey Smith, Chief Executive of Ray White NZ said said “the objective of the Franchise Owners Symposium is to look at the Group’s strategy as if we were in 2016.  Our strategy is centred on a series of questions that will invite in-depth discussion on the core values of the Group which in turn will allow the strategy to be formalised and give guiding principles for the Group over the next five years.”

Please Click the Image for Further Details

The Symposium will also provide a message of opportunity, with business leaders John Wall from Talent 2 together with Steven D’Souza from Kalamazoo providing keynote addresses on their personal businesses and how they have moved to market leadership in their respective fields.

The Ray White Group has 133 franchise offices and is seen to be one of the market leaders in New Zealand. The Group facilitates 21,000 property appointments per annum and is the leader in the field of property management; looking after 14,600 properties for landlords.  The Group also has a highly successful commercial and rural operation, while offering financial solutions through leading facilitator The Loan Market..

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