On The Up: Bay of Plenty real estate veteran Julene Foster renews licence at 81

Julene Foster has been selling houses in the Mount Maunganui-Pāpāmoa area for an impressive 46 years and isn’t keen on retiring just yet. Photo / Brydie Thompson

• Julene Foster, 81, renewed her real estate licence and has no plans to retire.
• Foster began her career in 1979, navigating a male-dominated industry without modern technology.
• She has sold some properties multiple times and worked with generations of families in her career.

When Julene Foster first set foot in Mount Maunganui’s real estate sector, there were no cellphones, internet – or even open homes.

“I began selling homes with Eves Coxhead & Associates – that was EVES’ brand name at the time – in their Maunganui Rd office in 1979. I started with just a radio-telephone and a very large listing book.”

The 81-year-old EVES Mount Maunganui agent renewed her real estate licence last month, and has no plans to retire.

“I can’t find the retirement date on the calendar.”

When Foster entered the workforce 46 years ago, it was dominated by men.

“Well, you sort of had to make it clear that you weren’t there to mother them or clean up the dishes or anything”.

She did have an agreement with one male colleague. She’d tidy up his listing book every Friday and he’d shout her oysters and chips for lunch.

“I’m a great fan of oysters and chips.”

The EVES team celebrating a decade in business in Tauranga in 1973, with Julene Foster the fourth female from the left in the second row.

When she began her real estate career, Foster was aged 36, married to Bill [Foster] and had “three beautiful girls” in their teens.

“I’d always had an interest in real estate because my father was a bricklayer and Bill was a qualified builder.”

Foster lived at the Mount from 1959 until 1973, when she and Bill moved into the house they had built in Pāpāmoa.

“The landscape has changed dramatically.”

“When we moved to Pāpāmoa, I was the 600th resident – now there’s about 29,000 residents.”

Her passion for real estate kept her going in the career.

“I enjoy meeting people and helping them to achieve their goals.

“I’ve formed great friendships and relationships along the way.”

This had also enabled her success.

Ginny Grass and Paul Coltart with Julene Foster at the First National Real Estate Conference in Wel-lington in early-1980s. Photo / Supplied

She has sold some properties “four or five times over” and worked with generations within the same families – parents, children, grandchildren.

Turning 82 in August – The Sun reminded Foster that many people her age start to put their feet up.

“A lot of people I’ve worked with have retired. But I love it.

“I’ve been a widow for 24 years, so real estate’s my life. I go to work every day to do what I love.”

One of the longest-serving real estate agents in Tauranga, Foster continues to meet new people and cherishes her old connections.

Are some houses harder to sell than others?

“Yes, definitely, and a lot of it is to do with the location … you know years ago we used to write the deal up on the bonnet of the car and shake hands.

“Things are very different now.”

Rex Hadley, president of the REINZ Waikato/Bay of Plenty district, hands Julene Foster her Associate Real Estate Licence in 1986. Photo / Supplied

Foster said she’d been through five real estate cycles, including one during New Zealand’s carless days in 1979-1980.

“We had to nominate our carless day and of course it was always your carless day when you needed to write up your deals, so I’d have to bike down to the office, get out the old trusty typewriter with the blue carbon copy paper and type up an agreement then pedal back to meet the buyer to sign up.”

Moreover, no internet, no cellphones and no open homes meant no marketing and no advertising beyond ‘For Sale’ signs.

“We knocked on people’s doors; that’s how we did it.”

The only other way was constant in-person networking.

She held roles with schools and clubs, and ran school holiday programmes and Saturday night fundraising discos.

“I’d hire a disc jockey and the kids would pay $2 to get in, and we would twist the night away.”

She said people would ask her to list their house, or what she had on her books.

Julene Foster has been selling houses since 1979. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Open homes didn’t begin until the 1980s.

Her first one ran for three house - now they’re a brisk 30 minutes.

She was one of roughly 23 real estate agents in the Mount-Pāpāmoa in the 1980s. Today, the number is much larger.

“In early days you had a very good comradeship with all the agents in town because there are so few of us.

“On a Friday night we’d go to the EVES office on Cameron Rd, have drinks and nibbles with the solicitors, then head to Harrington’s nightclub and twist the night away to Chubby Checker. These days, everyone does their own thing.”

Julene studied for an associate licence and opened her own real estate agency in the early-1990s.

“I had Mount Realty First National for about 12 years then sold it on the passing of my husband. Prior to that, I’d managed offices for Max Eves, and Richard Cashmore for First National, and also Professionals.”

Julene Foster, third from left in front row, surrounded by her EVES Mount office colleagues today. Photo / Supplied

Heath Young, chief executive of Realty Services - Bayleys & EVES, said Foster was highly valued at EVES for her extensive knowledge of property in the Bay of Plenty, and her warm personality.

“I think she is one of those good souls, with good energy who’s sharp as a tack.

“She’s great company and loves talking about the good old days, and she’s a very active and well-regarded team member in our EVES Mount office.”