- A Remuera home is going to auction with a reserve nearly $1 million below its valuation.
- Agents Jayne Kiely and Amy Robertson aim to attract buyers with the $3.75 million reserve.
- Kiely highlights their unique, intuitive approach, emphasising long-term client relationships and personalised service.
A large family home in Auckland's Remuera is heading to auction with a declared reserve that's almost $1 million below its council valuation.
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The smartly renovated property at 780 Remuera Road has four bedrooms, an outdoor swimming pool, and an RV of $4.675m.
The vendors have been trying to offload it since 2018, but without success. That's when their listing agents, Ray White Remuera's Jayne Kiely and Amy Robertson, decided to shake things up and take it to auction with a declared reserve of $3.75m.
Kiely, who took on the listing at the end of last month, told OneRoof: “We had to think outside the square. We asked ourselves, 'How are we going to get this place sold? How are we going to get the attention of the buyers?' $925,000 under RV is going to get noticed."
The Remuera Road home has been recently refreshed. Photo / Supplied
The property has a pool and large gardens and sits on a 1700sqm site. Photo / Supplied
She added: “It’s not uncommon now to see a declared reserve, especially if the house has gone through several campaigns.”
Kiely, who has just finished filming the second season of AA Insurance Location, Location, Location NZ with fellow Ray White agent Paul Glover, has been in the real estate game for over a decade, having made the switch from a career in sport and TV presenting.
She works with an all-female team, which isn't as common as you'd expect in real estate. On Kiely & Co is Kiely herself, Robertson, and business manager Dinusha Sujani.
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Kiely told OneRoof that the difference between the genders and how they approach selling was “chalk and cheese".
“We have got new listings from people who have been through our open homes and loved what they saw. We do not care if you are going to sell your house in six months, one year, or three years. You still get the same treatment," she said.
"Women are more intuitive as to what stage people are at when they’re going to the market. If someone says I am not ready straight away, you do not give up on them. They become your long-term clients, and you nurture them, even if they do not come on the market for a year."
From left, Kiely & Co's Dinusha Sujani, Jayne Kiely, and Amy Robertson. Photo / Supplied
“I do not want to be male-bashing, but Amy and I do approach things a lot differently than other teams. We have come across sexism, but we get the opposite. Some people are more comfortable with us. They might not have sold a house for 25 years, so we completely take over.”
Robertson, who had started as Kiely’s operations manager before getting her real estate license last year, joked that the pair often finish each other's sentences.
They like to set up chat groups with their vendors; they pull cushions and accessories from their own homes to stage their listings; and they sort out repairs or cleaning (Kiely’s most recent birthday gift was a drill set for last-minute repairs). At the end of the sales process, they deliver casseroles as settlement gifts.
“You can see them breathe a massive sigh of relief after they hire us. We completely take over,” said Robertson.
Kiely with AA Insurance Location, Location, Location NZ co-host Paul Glover. Photo / Supplied
Sujani, who joined Keily's team last year after Robertson moved into sales, also has a branch manager's licence.
"That's a bonus as she keeps us on our toes - she's all across our compliance," Kiely said.
Kiely started her real estate career at the age of 50, which, she said, was tough. "I had to really earn my stripes. New rookie women coming in today have the right personality, a thick skin."
She added: "You do get knocked back [by customers] – 'No, you did not get the job; no, we have gone with someone else; no, we did not want you.' It’s pretty confronting.
"When we lose a listing, we will work out where we could have done better. We’re really tough on holding our fees, because we’re worth it, like the L’Oreal ads. That is our mantra."
Both women point out that the top three Ray White agents in the country are women and that their Remuera office, the top franchise in Australasia, is also run and owned by a woman, Megan Jaffe.
"Megan put the welcome mat out for me initially. She was the most amazing mentor. The door was always open,” Kiely said.
She also praised the men who had helped her over the years. “The guys I teamed up with had a helluva lot more experience than me. I teamed up with them because I wanted to learn as fast as I could."
- 708 Remuera Road, in Remuera, Auckland, goes to auction on September 17
