THREE LAMPS: PONSONBY’S HIGH STREET HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TEACHER BECAME HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL REALTOR AS A YOUNG SCHOOLTEACHER SIMON DAMERELL WAS EARMARKED FOR rapid promotion. He was a Principal in his fourth year of teaching, going first as the relieving Principal at Ngaiotonga on the Northland Coast, and finishing his short teaching career as Principal of Remuera Primary School. Before he left teaching he helped save the failing Ponsonby Intermediate, which the Ministry of Education was about to close - its roll had fallen to 70 odd. As administrator Damerell was instrumental in hiring Iain Taylor as Principal, a bold choice, given he was in his mid-twenties and there were 70 or more highly experienced teachers seeking the position. Taylor was a ‘game changer’ for Ponsonby, and he pulled it back from the brink. Despite his success and obvious talent as a teacher, the young Damerell never wanted to remain a government servant. He yearned for his niche in private enterprise, and it was at least partly for this reason that he sought the Remuera job. This would give him the opportunity to mix with successful business people - both parents and Board of Trustees members. He was not disappointed, and loved his time at Remuera, more convinced than ever, that his future lay in business. Back in the sixties and seventies Simon Damerell had made a good living from leather work - remember the hippy sandals and belts? He did his O.E. and worked in London at this craft. So when commercial real estate was suggested to him as a career option, he thought “Real Estate - yes, but commercial no”, remembering his first job with the valuation department, where he worked for a time on Ponsonby house revaluations, and knowing his personality wasn’t suited to number crunching. Now, some years later Simon Damerell is arguably the most successful real estate leader in Ponsonby.
I told Simon Damerell the story of Canadian environmentalist Professor David Suzuki, who received a flyer urging him to upgrade - prices were high in his area. So he walked around his property adding up its value to him and his family. The little pet cemetery under a large oak tree, a lovely carved knob on the back gate carved by his closest friend many years ago. “These things and many others mean more to me than money,” Suzuki concluded, “this is not just a property to cash up…it’s our home.” Simon Damerell took the point, and wrote home/house on the whiteboard. “That’s for our next sales meeting to discuss.” I tackled him on another modern Real Estate innovation - home staging. He defended the policy, saying particularly for vacant houses, staging gives potential purchasers an idea of what the house could look like with nice furniture. He agreed a tidy home showing off some family treasures, like children’s art, could also add value to a sale, by showing a house off as a well-loved family home. Ray White agents are well schooled in their art. They know selling a family’s most valuable asset is very stressful, and their job is to manage those stresses as well as possible. Damerell insists home owners should never be pressured into selling if they change their mind for any reason during the sale process. “Take it off the market,” is always his advice if vendors have doubts. “If you’re bored, take a holiday.” He may say that the same philosophy and principles apply that saw him so successful as a teacher, but he is first and foremost a private enterprise entrepreneur, and while he says it’s not about the money, it is about success, and he’s not shy to drive around Ponsonby in his Mercedes. After all Ray White Ponsonby is number one in New Zealand (of 140 or so offices), and Simon Damerell is rightly proud of that. He’s come a long way since those sandal-making days, but nevertheless, he retains vestiges of those old 1960s hippy characteristics - sense of humour, making time to linger, and not taking himself too seriously. Of course these days he can afford to. I could still imagine him down at Cook Street Market flogging his hand-made leather roman sandals. (JOHN ELLIOTT) PN
photography: Jo Barrett
I asked him if the principles and ethical questions that surround teaching are different from those pertaining in Real Estate. He said they are not. “The philosophy and practical systems needed to get the best results, are the same,” he told us. “Everyone wants to be the very best they can be.” It is clear that at Ray White Ponsonby, Simon Damerell places high priority on training and professionalism. He credits his business partner, Bryce Earwaker, with being a far more adept business person than he will ever be. They share the same values of commitment to excellence.
Those of us who live in the greater Ponsonby area are used to marketing flyers arriving in our letter boxes. “Now is the time to trade up…We have cash buyers waiting for properties in this area…”
58 PONSONBY NEWS+ October 2011
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)