Record-breaking agent: ‘I don’t need to prove anything - been there, done that’

Harcourts Grenadier agent Alison Aitken has just celebrated 35 years in real estate. During that time, she has won numerous awards, been Harcourts’ number one Christchurch agent for 13 years in a row and been named the company’s top international agent twice. Yet selling houses was something she ended up doing by chance.

Q: What did you do before real estate?

When I left school, I worked on a dairy farm, then at a bank. Then, when I was 19, my older sister won half a million dollars on the Golden Kiwi. Everyone in the family got a colour TV, and I went off to Europe with my family in a campervan for three months. Then I stayed in Europe working as a nanny and at a language school in Austria. I had the best time.

I don’t think I would have done any of that if it hadn’t been for my sister winning the money. I would have probably got married young and not known there was a big, wide world outside of New Zealand. It was a great experience; it changed me as a person. When I came back to New Zealand, I went into hospitality, then I started an antique shop, which I had for five years. I think that’s where I learned a lot of selling and buying skills.

I had children, and when my husband at the time, Shane, decided to go into real estate – he had a plumbing business – I became his PA. When we separated, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I thought, ‘Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’, and I started selling real estate. It seemed like a good career to have with young children because you could juggle things. I sort of got thrown into it, but I’ve never looked back.

Q: Can you remember your very first sale?

It was in Ilam – my ex-husband’s listing – and I was doing the open home because he was away. These beautiful people, the Trumans, came in, and they rang me a couple of hours later as I was getting ready to go for a run. They wanted to make an offer, so they came to the office. I’d never written an offer before, so it was all new. They said they only wanted to make it subject to the LIM and title, and they would offer full price. I thought, ‘Wow, this job is easy’. I did many more transactions with them, and I sold that same house again about three years ago. But obviously, not every sale is that easy!

Aitken is still enthusiastic about real estate. “Some people, if they are in an industry for too long, can be quite negative. But I’m still passionate about real estate, and I still have a lot of energy.” Photo / Joe Allison

Q: Why do you think you’ve done so well?

I guess it’s hard work. I used to hang around with really successful agents, and if they wanted anything done, like open homes, I would put my hand up. I learned a lot, and I worked hard.

It helps that I have been able to make connections with a lot of different people, and I think they see that I am a genuine person. I’ve been involved in running clubs, Coast-to-Coast, and I’ve done triathlons, so I have met a lot of people that way. I get a lot of my business from repeats and referrals.

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I also think you have to have a passion for the job. Some people, if they are in an industry for too long, can be quite negative. But I’m still passionate about real estate, and I still have a lot of energy.

Q: What gives you the energy to be able to do what you do?

I used to run, but now I do Pilates and hot yoga. I run around after my grandchildren, so I still keep fit. I always have young members in my team, and I like the energy they bring. And I love what I do.

Q: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in your 35 years in the industry?

The technology is the big thing - that has changed a lot. When I started, we had RTs in the cars; now everything is done on your mobile. With all the different online platforms and so much information on hand, buyers know so much before they even see the property and think they know what it’s worth.

But you need more than technology; this business needs human beings. The other day, one of the young agents was saying an offer wasn’t happening because the buyer couldn’t do DocuSign. I said, “Get in the car, drive down to Ashburton and get it signed. In the time you’ve been talking about it, you could have gone down there, and you’d be back by now.” I don’t care if that’s the old-fashioned way of doing things. Same with picking up the phone and calling people, sometimes you just need to talk to them.

Q: What are some of your most memorable sales?

I sold Britten Stables [the former home of motorbike designer John Britten, which featured on Grand Designs NZ], and that was very special. I absolutely loved that property. I also did a house known as The Rocks in Scarborough – that was amazing. And I sold a house in St Barnabas Lane last year that got the highest price in Christchurch [$9.55m]. Those three stand out, but I have sold many, many beautiful homes in all different price ranges over the years.

Britten Stables, in Fendalton, Christchurch, appeared on Grand Designs NZ and was one of Aitken’s standout sales. She got $7.85m for it. Photo / Supplied

Another memorable Aitken sale is The Rocks, an architectural masterpiece on Whitewash Head Road, in Scarborough, which fetched $8.1m. Photo / Supplied

Aitken set the sale price record for a Christchurch home, selling “Brenchley”, on Saint Barnabas Lane, in Fendalton, for $9.55m late last year. Photo / Supplied

Q: What impact did the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 have on the industry?

When it first happened, we thought we’d never sell another house in Christchurch. But of course we did. People had to find houses to replace the homes they had lost. It was a crazy time; there was hardship for a lot of people, but also opportunities for people who were well insured. It got quite complicated with things like getting insurance, but we learned a lot. The year of the earthquake, I got number one internationally for Harcourts.

Q: What do you love about the job?

There’s never a dull moment. You never know what is going to happen, who is going to call you. There are times when you get frustrated, but we deal with that. Also, I’ve got to meet some wonderful people over the years, and I love the energy in the office. I’ve only ever worked for Harcourts; it’s given me a lot.

Q: What do you do when you’re not selling real estate?

I spend a lot of time with my grandkids. I am lucky to have them living nearby. I’m close to my family – I have three sisters and a brother – and to my husband [auctioneer] Phil McGoldrick’s family, so we love to have a lot of social time together.

I also like getting away. We’ve got holiday homes we can escape to, and I’ve booked a yoga retreat with a girlfriend to the Gold Coast in July, and also a trip to Europe, so I am looking forward to those. With this job, you can get carried away and not take time off, but I am getting better at that.

Q: Any plans to retire?

Not yet. But I won’t go on forever. There will come a time when I am ready to retire. I’ve already taken myself out of the figures [having her sales counted to win awards]. I’d rather see the younger ones doing well and getting the accolades. I don’t need to prove anything to anybody. I’ve been there, done that.

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