| 53 T T Karen Phelps Recognition for customer focus The property management team, which boasts over 30 years of combined experience, has distinguished itself through being responsive, and with its innovative approaches to rental property viewing. Northland Business Excellence Awards: Barfoot & Thompson Whangarei “We really focus on the people aspect of our business and customer service so it’s a huge achievement.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Barfoot & Thompson’s Whangarei property management division clinched the More FM Customer Choice Award at the 2024 Northland Business Excellence Awards, highlighting its commitment to exceptional service and community focus. The accolade comes as recognition of the company’s dedication to both tenants and landlords, with customer feedback and the award citation emphasising its outstanding communication and swift response times, along with the branch’s ‘professional, friendly, and community-oriented approach’ noting that it consistently goes ‘the extra mile for tenants and landlords’. “We really focus on the people aspect of our business and customer service so it’s a huge achievement,” says branch manager Steve Sharp, who oversees both the property management and real estate sales divisions of the Whangarei branch. The property management team, which boasts over 30 years of combined experience, has distinguished itself through being responsive, and with its innovative approaches to rental property viewing. “We’re proactive in helping people find a great place to live and renting out properties for our landlords,” explains Barfoot & Thompson property manager Jeanine Walters, highlighting a recent case where the team swiftly re-housed a tenant whose rental property was being sold. “We offer free 360 tours for all rental properties. That gives the tenants the opportunity to look through a rental property fully from their computer at home. “We are the only ones in Northland doing that. It’s particularly useful for out-of-town people looking for rentals, and has resulted in us sometimes renting properties without people feeling the need to physically view it.” The branch also offers a state-of-the-art, cloud-based platform, allowing both landlords and tenants real-time access to property status updates, maintenance requests and inspection reports, among other things. Steve and Jeanine say the branch maintains one of the largest rental portfolios in Whangarei, with plans for further expansion. Its comprehensive approach includes having an in-house lawyer to ensure compliance with new legislation, alongside a reliable network of contractors for property maintenance. Its commitment to excellence has resulted in high net promoter scores via client surveys, further cementing its reputation in the region. The company’s success in property management complements its robust real estate sales operation in Whangarei, which serves a population of approximately 86,000 residents across urban, coastal and rural communities. As part of the wider Barfoot & Thompson network, the Whangarei branch, which operates from a central CBD location, benefits from connections to 80 branches across Northland, Auckland, and the Bay of Plenty. Steve says this extensive network provides significant advantages for both its real estate sales operations, with access to over 1800 salespeople who can share property listings and introduce potential buyers. Steve, who has called Whangarei home all his life, brings 10 years of experience as a top-performing salesperson to his role as branch manager. Jeanine brings 20 years as a property manager. Their customer-focused approach has helped shape the team’s service ethic. They say the goal is for the branch to become Whangarei’s largest property management operation, along with maintaining its reputation. “Our focus is on putting good tenants into good properties for good landlords,” says Steve. “For us it’s the whole package.” www.lawnrite.co.nz Neil Malcolm Lawn Rite Franchisee M 022 468 0379 P 0800 101 216 E lawnritekauri@outlook.com Ali Nejad Director Efficient Painters 021 2424 100 Ali@efficientpainters.co.nz GET IN TOUCH Interior & Exterior Painting Residential | Commercial Painting & Plastering Proudly Supporting Barfoot & Thompson For all your Solid Fuel Woodburner Sweeps, Safety Inspections & Installations, we are NZHHA Certified. 022 065 5004 abettercleanchimneys@gmail.com www.abettercleanchimneys.co.nz
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