Deal not over until money’s in hand

Jon Chomley says his secret has been building relationships close to those who matter. Picture / Richard Robinson

But will they ever sell? asks Jon Chomley quietly as he stares at the dozens of tiny apartments being put up outside his office window.

The real estate expert, who has spearheaded many of New Zealand's largest property deals in the past 19 years, remains somewhat of a sceptic at heart, particularly about inner-city shoebox units.

As a real estate rainmaker, he has learned to suspend belief until faced with irrefutable evidence.

For two decades, a central tenet of his career has been never wholly to believe a deal is closed until the money is in his hands.

Real estate people are more known for their unhesitating optimism but he has a wry pessimism beneath his shiny real estate agent exterior.

That extends to settling a few scores before he responds to the pull of family ties and leaves the country.

He tells how one developer lied to him. While working at a consultancy, he was doing his own deals on the side but denied this when confronted.

One story is about the surprising behaviour of one Wellington property stalwart, another is about the near collapse of one large agency.

But on the eve of returning to Australia, Chomley is not about to imitate John Tamihere and talk openly about the rogues and scoundrels who populate the real estate industry, known for its cut-throat deals. He does, however, joke that he has been forced to leave because he has worked for so many large real estate businesses in Auckland that there are simply none left for him to join - except Colliers, who he is about to work for in Sydney.

His deal to sell Auckland's Meadowlands shopping centre to Australia's $6 billion Centro Properties Group in late January was in the news this week because the Melbourne landlord is looking for more malls.

Centro has DTZ scouting for more shops to add to their four centres - Meadowlands and Kelston shopping centre in Auckland, Porirua Mega Centre in Wellington and Barrington mall in Christchurch.

But Chomley will not be the one to sell Centro more malls. He and his family are leaving to be closer to Jon's parents, who live near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.

"My dad had an operation on his knee and has not quite bounced back as well as we'd hoped, plus we've often looked at going back at different times," he said.

"But Pam said just as we made the decision to shift that Auckland would probably have its best summer in about 20 years and that's certainly turned out to be the case."

Returning to Australia became even more of an option after his departure as head of the highly-rated consultancy and agency CB Richard Ellis. Australian executives decided to appoint their own man to head CBRE, hence Scott Gray-Spencer took over and Chomley left to join rival DTZ.

The most challenging part of Chomley's career has been managing people.

"When things become difficult, people often become emotional. I'd just say you have to treat people fairly and make it clear if there are changes to be made. People respect you for that, even if they don't like it." As for the art of the deal, Chomley is not renowned for being the most aggressive agent but says his secret has been building relationships close to those who matter.

On Thursday, he was working on a deal close to his heart.

He kept his cellphone on during meetings, waiting on the agent selling the family home at Orakei.

But like all his deals, Chomley will not consider the house sold until the money lies firmly in his hands.

ON THE WEB

www.dtz.co.nz, www.colliers.com

JON RUTHERFORD CHOMLEY

* Age: 44

* Position: Chief operating officer, national real estate consultancy DTZ, jointly responsible with chief executive Ross Pickett for 170 staff in eight offices.

* Born: Brisbane, from a family living in Australia for five generations.

* Education: Australian private schools - Scots at Albury then at Camberwell Grammar in Melbourne.

* Family: Married to Pam, a New Zealander. Their children are William, 16, Alexandra, 14 and Harriet, 11.

* Lives: Orakei, about to shift to Mosman on Sydney's North Shore.

* Next week: Leaves DTZ for Colliers International in Sydney

* Career: Registered valuer, after attending night school in Brisbane for four years.

* Registered as a real estate agent, manager and property consultant.

* 1979: Joined property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle in Brisbane.

* 1986: Helped set up JLL's first office here in Auckland.

* Shifted to Mainzeal Developments. Appointed agency general manager for Bayleys.

* Co-founded McConnell International Property.

* Managing director of CB Richard Ellis, one of largest agencies and consultancies.

* Moved to UK -headquartered DTZ a year ago.

* New career: Colliers International's director of commercial and retail sales in NSW, based in Sydney.

* Biggest deals: $55.6 million sale of Wellington hotel, formerly called the Parkroyal and $35 million sale of Whitcoulls portfolio.