CHANNEL FEATURE INTERVIEW: ANDREW DORREEN
When it comes to selling high end homes on the Shore, Precision Real Estate’s Andrew Dorreen is one of the best. Much of what he does is below the radar, with multi-million dollar homes changing hands without a sign going up, or advert placed. Despite the fact that he still looks like he’s just out of school, Andrew has now built up 14 years of real estate experience on the Shore. Aidan Bennett caught up with him for this interview in Takapuna.
Andrew Dorreen
– Loving life on the Golden Mile Andrew Dorreen first got into real estate against the advice of the people around him. He did 'his papers' as a 21 year old and was taken on by Bayleys Residential on the Shore. "There was no one close to that age in the business at the time,” explained Andrew over a coffee at No.6 Cafe in Takapuna. “I am still hugely grateful to Bayleys for giving me the opportunity." Andrew is a typical sporty Shore lad. He grew up playing rugby, cricket and tennis but his main sport was swimming. He swam competitively at a high level, branched out into triathlons as a 14 year old, representing New Zealand at age group level locally and in international events. His initial career path involved studying sports science part time at AUT while competing in triathlon. When he stopped competing he had a stint coaching the youth junior swimming squad at North Shore swimming under Jan Cameron. He coached the 11-13 years division one squad, taking them all around the country. It was something Andrew loved and he did it for two years full time before the pull of the business world called. “That was when I did my real estate papers keen to prove all wrong and have not looked back ever since,” says Andrew. "My father Graham ran a very successful clothing manufacturing firm for 30 years and he started off selling womenswear at Farmers. I always had a desire to build something up as he had done, but it had to be something that I was interested in. I adopted Dad’s business ethos around doing business in a way that ensures you are in it for a long time. It is something he instilled in us and is a very good basis for ensuring decisions are made for long-haul reasons, not just for shortterm gain. To this day I still call Dad and discuss every sale I make.” Andrew Dorreen specialises in selling homes in quite a small geographical area. He very seldom takes listings outside of that area. He will only do it if he genuinely believes he's the best person for the job. He firmly believes unless you can honestly say you’re the best person for the job, you should not take it on. He calls his territory the 'Golden Mile’ – the area between Milford and Takapuna and the streets that front Lake Pupuke. He has also sold waterfront properties on the coast up as far as Campbells Bay Beach. "I live in Audrey Road, my office is in Kitchener Road, so I am immersed in the area I sell in. Where this becomes valuable for the owners is that a large proportion of the homes I appraise and sell, I have either been inside, sold, or have significant knowledge on. This adds value and expertise to the process.” "I’m passionate about the area where I live and work,” answers Andrew when quizzed why he loves what he does. "I’m very fortunate to sell at the highest end of the market, and as a result I conduct my real estate differently to almost all major agencies. I seldom sell real estate by auction, preferring to negotiate every single one of my transactions face to face. To sell property successfully you need to be good at it, and like to interact with people and all types of personality types. You have to love what you sell. "Every day I get to see the most architecturally beautiful homes in the area, or the best potential redevelopment sites, or homes in exquisite locations held in the family for years. Every day is different but I can quite honestly say the people I deal with make my job satisfying."
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Issue 75 - April 2017 www.channelmag.co.nz
By Aidan Bennett
Andrew Dorreen outside his Milford office.
The question had to be asked. Is Andrew Dorreen a natural? Born to sell expensive homes? "To me the job I do feels natural, so to some extent I guess I am. I read a book last month that says to be an expert in your chosen field you have to do it for 10,000 hours. To be the best at what you do you need to work the hardest. A combination of these three points makes someone brilliant at their role whatever it is. I deal with people every day, and each person is different. I think understanding your client, or your customer, and the ability to relate to them in a way they feel comfortable is the key in my business. I guess this is something that I have learnt to do well.” Andrew points out that trust, knowledge, and doing exactly what you say you will do when you say you will do it, are key ingredients. "Trust comes largely from word of mouth from past clients. A home is often the biggest asset I think, on both the vendors side and the purchasers side , so trust is the most important component. If the buyer knows you have sold a significant portion of the homes in the surrounding area, and you can explain how those properties compare to what they are buying, it gives them absolute comfort to move forward. We have a unique policy at Precision to work in with every single agent at any time. This means that any agent has the ability to introduce customers to our listings, provided those buyers are qualified. This widens the market significantly for our vendors exposing them to every possible purchaser at any one time. I find it incredibly important to be able to work in such a professional small team environment. I have my own office where it is only myself and