Big advantage to new office

At a time when the property market is at an all-time low, a Tauranga real estate company is branching out.
Harcourts Advantage Realty has opened a new office in central Mount Maunganui.
"We're really positive about Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty, which is why we are investing money in new offices," says business development manager Max Martin.
The swanky new office, right in the heart of downtown Mount Maunganui, replaces the franchise's 331 Maunganui Rd office and is one of eight offices it has in the Western Bay.
"It's a fantastic location. From the clients' point of view it has got terrific exposure. Inquiries are already picking up," says Max.
Advantage Realty is the name of the family-owned company that has the Harcourts franchise for the wider Tauranga area, with sales offices at Te Puke, Papamoa, Mount Maunganui (two), Tauranga, Cherrywood and Bethlehem; and an administration/marketing office in Tauranga.
A total of 80 sales people and 20 support staff are employed across the eight offices.
That includes two of Max's three sons - Simon, who runs the Tauranga side of things, and Nigel, who is responsible for Mount Maunganui and Papamoa.
Max's other son, David, who lives in Auckland, is an international marketing manager for Harcourts.
"It works out very well - and we all get on extremely well outside work. I guess we've got different areas we work in," says Max.
"But we're not allowed to talk about it outside work. We have a quick catch up on the business but not too much, as imposed by Mrs Martin," he chuckles.
Max started the Harcourts Advantage Realty empire 12 years ago.
Originally a sheep and cattle farmer at Ngongataha, where he still has 40ha of land in addition to his Mount Maunganui home, Max spent 23 years running Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park in Rotorua, before dabbling in property development.
"It was a fantastic opportunity, a business with so much go in it. You never know what's going to happen when the phone rings," he says.
Two years later he was joined by Simon, a new car salesman at the time. Simon showed a natural aptitude for the industry and in his second year was one of the top real estate earners.
"That's when it started to take off from a small office to the group it is now," said Max.
Nigel then joined his father and brother three and a half years ago, having worked in commercial banking in New Zealand and abroad.
"It works fantastically when it's going well. I've got terrific faith in the business. That's why we relocated in the centre of town," he says of the Martin dynasty.
These days Max, 68, takes more of a back seat, leaving the day-to-day running of business in the capable hands of his sons.
"I'm more of a shareholder and I give the boys a bit of advice when they need it."
And, having worked in the industry during its rise and fall, he has a wealth of experience to draw on.
Max was in the thick of it during the 2001 to 2005 property boom, at the height of which the company employed 100 agents.
"We were selling more than they are selling across the whole of Tauranga at the moment."
And he has witnessed advances in technology that have only added to the thrill of the chase.
"The internet changes things dramatically. Things are so instant. If you are looking at buying a house, as soon as the house is listed you can be notified straight away," he says.
"When I came into real estate no one was advertising in colour. We were the first in town to use colour and we have kept pushing the boundaries."
A recent trend, he says, is houses being sold through the auction process but not necessarily at auction - that is buyers are putting in realistic offers before auctions are held and pushing them forward, or waiting until after the auctions have closed.
Harcourts auctioned 60 properties last month, of which more than half sold, says Max.
The reason being that auctions are an attractive option for people wanting to sell their property quickly.
"It shortens the period of time and gives people a plan."
But, while it is the toughest market he has experienced in the 12 years he has been in the industry, Max says things are looking up.
"We're getting record prices for dairy, timber and meat. Sooner or later it will pick up. We're really confident because we have such a strong bond and a strong team."