People told Kiwi Natalie Williams she was crazy when she revealed her plans to open an agency in Dubai selling residential developments to investors. But she ignored the naysayers and recently set up a business called Wealth Creators, which she hopes will give investors from New Zealand – and all over the world – the chance to make money on property in the booming emirate.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I’d done a degree in communications, majoring in public relations, and I worked in PR, eventually setting up my own marketing, PR and event planning agency. I was also a youth pastor and I did a lot of work in the community helping at-risk youth. I founded a suicide prevention programme called I’m Unbreakable that went into schools and used hip hop – at the time I managed a champion dance crew called Identity – to reach young people, encouraging them to ask for help if they were going through tough times.
I knew what it was like to struggle. I had been the main caregiver for my dad when he was dying of cancer, and the grief led to depression. I had therapy, and I came out of that thinking, “wow, life is such a gift”. I wanted to help other people find hope and purpose.
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I absolutely loved that season of my life, and I loved running my agency and working with amazing clients. Everything was going great, I’d built my business from the ground up to bringing in over seven figures, and then Covid hit.
Q: How did the pandemic affect you?
My main clients were all impacted by the lockdown; in fact none of them came back from it, and within 24 hours, my business had gone. I had to pivot, so I decided to go into business coaching, to help people come back from Covid. I’m a trained Tony Robbins coach, and I felt I could really help.
Williams says she knows what it’s like to struggle and is a Tony Robbins-trained life coach. Photo / Supplied
At the same time, I had family members who were in property and sales who said to me, “Nat, with your skillset, you should be selling real estate”. I’d never really considered it, but thought I could try that too. I got my licence, signed up with Harcourts Cooper & Co and was very lucky to have Kristina Marmont as my very encouraging mentor.
I was teamed up with ex-All Black Troy Flavell and we got the listing for the Amaia development on the North Shore, a $350 million listing. It was a lightbulb moment for me – I realised I loved selling off-the-plan properties, a lot of which were being bought by investors. It was going well and then we went into another lockdown.
Q: So Covid threw a spanner in the works yet again?
It was really difficult to sell real estate during the lockdown in Auckland because there were so many restrictions, but now I can see that there was a silver lining because it led me to where I am today. I was approached by the Government, based on my PR and marketing skills, to contract to them to help businesses rebuild through marketing strategies. I did that for a while then I worked for an Australasian company that specialises in educating people about property investment, and selling premium developments off the plan. They’d transacted $6.4 billion worth of property and I was responsible for selling off-the plan properties for 14 developers in New Zealand.
I loved dealing with developers and investors, and it made me want to have my own property investment agency. But I wanted to be bigger than just New Zealand, I wanted to do it on a global level. I started looking into where the best place in the world to invest was, and where the best developers were.
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I went to the US to set up meetings with top developers in New York and Los Angeles and had some amazing networking experiences – I met some rappers and found myself at a house sitting next to Chris Brown. I realised there were a lot of opportunities there, but the more I looked into Dubai, the more it stood out as the place to set up an agency.
Q: What was so special about Dubai?
In New Zealand, it takes around 15 years to double your money in property. In Dubai, people are doing it in three years. It’s one of the highest return on investment markets for real estate. They have really great payment plans, which mean you can pay places off quickly without having to pay years of interest, they have top quality developments, they have great infrastructure and the population is growing fast. The Government is a standout for me, the way it encourages investment and makes it accessible for foreigners to own property. They want Dubai to be the most livable city in the world and it’s an amazing place to be. It feels very safe, and very luxurious. You don’t understand wealth until you go to Dubai.
Williams says her passion for off-the-plan sales started in Auckland’s North Shore. Photo / Supplied
I’ve been sourcing developers who have properties ranging from $1m to $50m and are the best in terms of quality – one of them built the Burj Khalifa. They have great track records so you know the development will be built. Buying off-the-plan is a totally different beast to buying an existing property and I know some people are scared to buy something that hasn’t been built yet. But I’m a real fan because I love brand new properties and everything that comes with them – a 10-year structural warranty, higher rents and higher prices when you sell.
Q: What sort of people are investing in property in Dubai?
I’m working with investors from all over the world as well as New Zealanders. Some are savvy investors who want to diversify their property portfolio and understand the opportunities there are in Dubai. I’ve also been meeting with mum and dad investors who’ve worked really hard and built up equity in their home for the last 30 years and are looking at the best way of investing so they will have money for their retirement. They can’t wait 15 years for their investment property to double in value – they want faster returns.
Williams, second left, at hip hop championships in Auckland in 2017. She is a keen dancer. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Williams’ work has taken her to Dubai, where property development has exploded over the last 20 years. Photo / Supplied
My agency is called Wealth Creators because my passion is helping people make money through property. Creating wealth is not about greed, it’s about freedom. It’s being free to help your family when they’re sick, being able to spend quality time with your loved ones, not having to work so hard anymore. Having money lets you be the architect of your own life.
Q: How hard has it been to set up a business in Dubai?
This is the most challenging thing I have done in my life. I’ve had to jump through a lot of hoops to get things going and break quite a few barriers, being the first New Zealander to do this. Being foreign and a woman can be an interesting experience here, sometimes I do wonder if people think I’ve come from a sheep farm.
It’s a huge amount of work but I love it, and I feel like everything I’ve done in my life up to now has prepared me for this. I’ve had people tell me I’m crazy and I know I am dreaming big, but I am a big believer in going after your dreams. Life’s short.
Q: What do you do when you’re not working?
I’m obsessed with work, but I do think it is important to stop and fill your cup. I love exercise, travelling, fashion, cooking and a good girls’ night out. I listen to a lot of podcasts and I also have one of my own, called The Hustle. I talk to business people, entrepreneurs ... a whole range of people. It’s great fun.
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