Welcome to Apartment Specialists
SUMMARY:
I believe that the apartment market can be done a lot better and at Apartment Specialists we are going to change things up a bit in this industry.
Coming from an apartment selling background and the going out on my own I now have the autonomy to be creative with this industry so that it works better for all involved – you and the agents whether you are buying or selling.
I am lucky enough to have found my passion and have the energy and drive to start this up.
I believe a key factor to effective apartment real estate is ensuring there is sound communication all the way along the buying and selling process.
A way of communicating to the public is through the information provided on my website and by watching the many blogs I am going to create.
If you would like any further information, please feel free to contact the Apartment Specialists Team!
TRANSCRIPTION:
Good day, my name’s Andrew Murray from the Apartment Specialists and welcome. Today I’m going to be talking to you about what the Apartment Specialists is all about; why I created the company; and why you should be listening.
The whole reason for Apartment Specialists coming about is things can be done a lot better in this market in regards to the service to the owner. And I don’t mean when you’re just selling the apartment because that’s what I do, I mean it’s looking at every single owner in the CDB as already a client and educating them, so they know what to do that’s best for them.
So I’ll give you an example. Now, as an owner, to be able to make the best decision regarding your investment, whether it’s a house, whether it’s an apartment, whatever you wanted to do, you’ve got to have the right information. And if you don’t have the right information, it’s very hard to make the best decision.
Now, in the Auckland apartment market there’s over 20,000 apartments, yet most of the owners don’t live in these apartments; they’re either in different city, different part of Auckland, different island, different country. So how are they supposed to know:
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What the apartment’s worth?
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What they can actually get for their apartment?
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Are the steps they’re looking at actually relevant to the market now?
Okay, what’s the best strategy to sell your apartment, i.e. should it be auction, should it be listing with a price, should it be tender? What are the previous record prices? What kind of method of sale were they achieved?
So, there’s so much an owner needs to know and how are they supposed to know this? They have to rely on one person. And I’ve seen it time and time again, and I’ve got a very strong belief that the owners aren’t receiving the information that they need to make the best decision for them. I’ve seen owners sell when they shouldn’t be selling. I’ve seen owners sell for far less than they should be selling.
There’s a huge trading business going on, this is where people buy apartments off owners and then sell them at a profit. Now, in some cases this is needed, when there’s emergencies, when they need a quick offer and things like that, but in a lot of cases my feeling is that the owner’s losing out here. They haven’t been made aware of or they aren’t aware of what their actual apartment is worth. Because some prices I just see them being sold at I’m just like, “What’s happening here?”
And so that’s just not part of it, it’s also about the realisation that a top agent, it doesn’t mean they’re getting the highest prices; it just means they’re doing a lot of sales. I love this industry, I’ve got a huge passion as you can probably tell and I’ll give you a brief background. Basically I left the company I was working for in the middle of last year, 2012, where I was the top apartment agent for the whole of New Zealand. To my knowledge I was achieving on average higher prices than any other agent, and that’s because I was doing it differently.
Then a lot of this stuff was getting restricted on how I could do business due to the nature of the real estate industry and the CBD market, and I butted heads. So I wanted to start my own thing and I wanted to do it better. I know I can do it better, I’m doing it better. And it sounds very arrogant, but when you’re really passionate about something and you really enjoy something, it’s not work. And it may be a little bit unhealthy at times and I think about apartments and working in industry, but hey, I’m that age when got the energy. I’m 33 and it’s my passion and I know I’m very lucky to have found it.
So anyway, back to why you should be listening. It’s about communicating to you an owner or a prospective buyer or somebody who wants to get into industry or a developer or whoever, just to educate yourself and get the knowledge so you know what the best decision for you is. And so this podcast is about giving you that information. So twice a week I’m going to be talking about a particular topic and going into some depth. And so this podcast is about giving you that information, so twice a week I’m going to be talking about a particular topic and going into some depth and opening your eyes in a market that it’s very hard to see what’s actually going on.
So the next one I’ll be doing will be on leaky buildings, and there’s a huge grey area around that. What is a leaky building? If a building does get labelled as “leaky” what should an owner do? Should they hold, should they sell, should they wait it out? Is it leaky? What actually means leaky? What’s the difference between maintenance and leaky? And everybody has maintenance. Every house has maintenance. How should it be sold if you do need to sell? If you do need to buy more? There’s a huge facet there, and this thing called a pre-contract disclosure which is supposed to disclose all the issues occurring in a building so a prospective owner can confidently purchase. Now, they’re supposed to be helping industry. Does it actually declare what needs to be declared?
So those are some of the topics I’m going to be going over which I think is key to every single owner because it’s a risk of every single owner in regards to the building and every building needs maintenance from time-to-time. So I’ll be talking to you about that in a couple of days. And in the meantime what I’ve done is, I’ve put together a report of 10 brief points that every owner needs to be aware of.
And this will really open your eyes, I mean, I’ll probably get a bit of flak from the industry for sharing some of this information, but it goes along the lines of why agents pay more to auction a property than they are to list with a price in regards to percentage received by the listing agent; how are you supposed to know what rent you should be receiving and what difference does this rent make in regards to what your apartment’s worth? There’s 10 things that have really made a huge difference. And how do you know if a trade is buying your property, things like that.
So just go to www.ApartmentSpecialists.co.nz and put your email in and download the report, and I hope it helps. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you next time. Talk soon.
Shaun
Good business model,proven track record transparency is a rare thing in this industry.
Worked seven times more me so far.The right apartments the right advise more than 30% capital gain
unbelievable !
Andrew
It’s been a pleasure working with you Shaun. Good luck on the Hunting trip. Talk soon.
Chris
When you say you have no exclusivity period when an owner sells their apartment what do you mean by that…so no contract?
Andrew
Hi Chris, yeah it does sound a bit confusing. Unfortunately it’s become quite standard in New Zealand when selling your apartment that upon signing a sole agency you are locked into that agency for 90 days. Now ask yourself what happens if your not happy with that agent or agency. Or the promises the agent/salesperson made were false…..you’re stuck with them.
No other industry would allow this. Would you sign that kind of agreement with a cleaner or a mechanic….once you deal with me you can’t deal with anyone else….even if I do a bad job? So we make it real simple. The business is ours to loose. If an apartment owner isn’t happy with our service or feels we have over promised and underdelivered they can end the agreement. That’s how it should be. Giving the control back to the owner.
So yes there is a contract when you sell through us but you are simple not locked in if your not happy. Win/Win
Chris
Your right…never thought of it like that. That completely takes out the risk for the owner. Why would you go with anyone else.
Steven
I was told you were the top apartment agent last year for the whole of New Zealand.You say being the top agent doesnt mean you get the highest prices….so did you get the highest prices or were you one of the typical apartment agents who just promise the world and then take advantage of people!!!!
Andrew
Good point and yes I was the top apartment agent in New Zealand at the time I left my agency to start Apartment Specialists and yes being a top apartment agent doesn’t mean you get the highest prices as it is judged by number of sales and commission brought into the company.
Yet I worked differently as getting higher prices for Apartment owners is what they want and it was this strategy that brought me more clients and why so much of my business comes through recommendation.
So over my career on average I achieved prices around 8% higher than any other agent and since I have started Apartment Specialists the stats are even higher.
I can explain this to you further and send you all the stats if needed just give me a call on 021 424 892 or email me on [email protected] and I will send it to you.
Good question by the way. Being able to hold someone accountable for what they say is crucial in this industry.
Andrew
Suzanne
My parents own apartments and I know they get called all the time. They are getting mixed messages on what their apartments are worth. They are wanting to find out the true value of their apartments, can they give you a call? I can’t find your phone number on this site?
Andrew
Hi Suzanne, unfortunately owners in this industry get cold called frequently on behalf of agents just wanting to know if you want to sell. Here are my contact details and tell them to give me a call and anytime.
Andrew Murray (not the tennis player haha) 021 424 892
Mat
Hey mate. Nice site!
I’ve been told this is the best apartment agency to use. I googled apartment specialists and this came up. Just checking, this is Andrew Murray right? Where are your offices?
Thanks, Mat
Andrew
Sorry for the late reply. Right in the City at 30 Beach Road. Just give me a call on 021 424 892 if you want to have a chat (or at any cafe in the Auckland CBD) about the market of anything apartment related. Hear from you soon.
bob
Hi Andrew
I am interest about your advertising DKU 577 at trademe,
85 beach road. Apartment .
Can u give me value of CV and rate
Thanks. Regard
Andrew
Sorry Bob, That Auckland Apartment building being so close to the waterfront is in high demand and was sold within a day. I tried to contact you earlier to let you know but it was sold about a week before you email.
I have others coming up in the building if you are interested. It’s a great building with large apartment layouts.
Talk soon