16 | Whanganui Business Awards - Property Brokers Whanganui T T Sue Russell Talented agent leads team forward Ritesh Verma was Property Brokers’ top salesperson for five years. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Since joining real estate company Property Brokers in 2009, Ritesh Verma has done extremely well, working his way up from entry level, to where he is today – the Whanganui/Taranaki area manager. Ritesh says the reason he first joined Property Brokers was that the company’s family history and culture simply resonated with him. “It’s still family-owned to this very day, and those founding values permeate all elements of the business and are a big reason why it’s created such a fine reputation nationwide,” Ritesh says. “It’s not a franchise and has very good people in it. I have no doubt all these elements contribute to what the company has achieved over the years.” Ritesh was Property Brokers’ top salesperson for five years, a track-record he’s very proud of. Now, as manager of Property Brokers Whanganui, as well as being the area manager, Ritesh has a team of 16 residential salespeople, two sales professionals that concentrate on the rural sector, two commercial real estate experts, seven property managers and three working in administration. “The fact that we have such a big team here speaks for itself. When we first came to Whanganui we bought out a Ray White franchise and we only had 14% of the market share; however, for the last 10 years we’ve had over 50% of the market share, which is incredible for a town of 50,000 people.” Giving back to the community it serves is seen as a reason Property Brokers Whanganui has the visibility and loyal support it does these days. Ritesh also understands the real estate sector, generally, isn’t one that garners the best reputation. However, he knows that his team are very well respected in the region, for their professionalism, attention to detail and engagement in the community they live and work in. “It’s unfortunate that the bar for customer service in real estate is set very low. We operate at a level well above how many other entities do. It’s something we are all very proud of and work hard to maintain in every element of engagement with our clients.” That attention to detail and professionalism has been recognised again at the Whanganui Business Awards. In 2022, the business was named the region’s Supreme Winner, and this year, taking out the Customer Service category title, was extremely gratifying, Ritesh says. “It acknowledges that what we do, we do to a very high level of customer satisfaction. It’s a massive category to win and says so much.” And at the REINZ Awards, Property Brokers Whanganui was named one of three finalists in the Office of the Year category. Another aspiration Property Brokers has for its people, is to have New Zealand’s besttrained real estate salespeople, and they are investing in new IT capability to help achieve this. “We’ve just recently implemented an app called PB Connect. It makes our life very, very simple, and has just won an award from the REINZ for innovation. It’s by far the best app out in the industry and has just been released.” The focus on training is fundamental to maintaining and growing Property Brokers reputation, Ritesh says. His own team members in Whanganui come from a diverse array of backgrounds, each one bringing great life and people skills into the mix. Certain fundamental traits are needed to become a great real estate operator, he says, and top of this list are integrity and self-motivation. “You also have to have the ability to roll with the punches when circumstances change. The ability to handle rejection and getting out of your comfort zone is also very important.” Ritesh says the market is definitely becoming more active with buyer interest increasing. Striving to be a great trainer of new people entering the real estate industry is a top priority for Ritesh. He says most of his top 10 sales professionals have only been in the industry three years or less. “We have a very tailored training pathway for those coming in. It teaches them very well right from the start and leads them on to achieving great things. I find huge satisfaction these days in seeing others reach very high levels and enjoy their work so much as a result.” Jack 021 243 8947 (06) 349 0059 1 Liffiton St, Gonville, Wanganui 4500 info@eltech.co.nz www.eltech.co.nz Industrial | Commercial | Domestic | Rural Proudly supporting Property BrokersWanganui Proudly supporting Property Brokers Whanganui Whanganui 021 635 517 Plumbing, Gas tting, Drainlaying & Building Call o ce@plumberdan.co.nz Email www.plumberdan.co.nz Website
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=