Property Brokers

Property Brokers has new high-profile premises custom-fitted to suit the needs of its 18 real estate agents, and growing, providing a welcoming place for clients to visit.

New Plymouth sales manager Beau Burmester says there’s also off-street parking for people beside the blue building with bright red logo at 37 Hobson St in the central city.

“With the name Property Brokers, many people might think we broker property, but we are a classic real estate company,” Beau says.

The real estate office out-grew its last building on Devon St East, so Beau and his team were on the lookout for suitable premises. Their search led Property Brokers to buy the Pack Centre. They then found a new home for the packing and cleaning solutions business on Courtenay St.

Property Brokers has 91 offices around the country but stays out of the main centres. “It’s a very provincial real estate company – and very family orientated. It’s one big family.”

Tim Mordaunt is the founder and principal of Property Brokers, and son Guy is managing director.

The New Plymouth branch opened two years ago and, while it’s fairly new, the staff aren’t.

Beau says a majority of the former TSB Realty team formed the New Plymouth branch of Property Brokers.

The owners of Property Brokers visited New Plymouth to meet with Beau and then he and the ex-TSB team visited the national headquarters in Palmerston North and were blown away.

“Just to see the behind-the-scenes processes and systems – the creative, IT and marketing – they are just so far advanced to what we had before,” he says.

“If someone wants to sell a property and they want to get it one the market in just a few days, we have got the systems to do that.”

Beau, who has spent 23 years working in real estate, says there are some extremely experienced staff on the team.

“We also have a lot of new, very talented ones who have just been in the business for a couple of years – they are people people and switched on to all the modern technology. They are extremely professional.”

Property Brokers in New Plymouth is divided into four divisions – residential and lifestyle, property management, commercial and rural.

Beau says it takes time for a new company to be recognised in New Plymouth. “But every month we are gaining traction. We certainly want to be a main player in town.”

As they go about their work, the team follows the Property Brokers’ principles printed on the back of their business cards: “Our whole team works for you. When we shake your hand, we mean it. We help and value our clients and each other. We do the little things that make a difference. We are passionate about our communities and want to see them thrive.”

Beau says the agents and admin staff are one big team, doing the best for clients. Every week they gather in the meeting room to talk about what’s on the market. “We can discuss things all as one.”

Around the country, the about 900 staff working for Property Brokers, also communicate. Sometimes the New Plymouth real estate agents will get referrals from out of town to look after a client – and vice versa.

The new building, which has a 400 square-metre footprint, was completely gutted and the interior rebuilt to meet real estate needs.

There is a large meeting room, big enough to host auctions, a boardroom, an office for the property managers and a dedicated administration space. There are also three phone booths, so agents can have private conversations with clients.

But the highlight is the large kitchen and social area, which is as flash as a café with comfy tables and chairs. “Having this area gives that separation – you can have a quiet cup of tea or lunch. Or we can celebrate a successful sale with a client at the end of the day,” Beau says.