Eco’ specialist estate agent takes up management

Media Release
Date 24.11.2009

Eco’ specialist real estate agent takes up management role in Titirangi

The first person in New Zealand to join the international trend of merging the marketing and sales of residential property with environmental sustainability has been appointed to run the Titirangi branch of leading property real estate agency Bayleys.

Lynn Lacy-Hauck became New Zealand’s first certified EcoBroker – a real estate agent who assesses the saleability of homes based on their eco-efficiency – last year. She has just taken up the Titirangi office manager’s position with Bayleys. Lynn was previously manager at the branch before spending time at the company’s central city head office.

Studying for the internationally-recognised EcoBroker certification involved understanding the costs and savings associated with such issues as home insulation, various types of windows and ventilation systems, design features, and heating/cooling systems.

There are only two official EcoBrokers operating in New Zealand’s real estate sector. Overseas data has shown that homes with better energy performance have a distinct market advantage on ordinary homes, frequently achieving higher prices than conventional homes

“An energy-efficient home can be significantly less expensive to operate month-by-month, and this is becoming quite important to home buyers as the cost of energy rises,” said Ms Lacy-Hauck, who has lived in Titirangi for the past 16 years.

Lynn Lacy-Hauck joins the Bayleys Titirangi office at a time when Auckland’s residential property market is going through a quiet phase in the buying and selling cycle.
“Cautious optimism is still the prevailing mood in the property market at the moment. This hesitancy is causing some potential real estate buyers and investors to take a ‘wait and see’ attitude. That is unless they are tempted to buy the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ – of which there have been a good number come to the market over the past year,” she said.
“Some people are unsure about their personal circumstances – such as employment. Some people are nervous about ongoing economic conditions. Whatever the reason, personal cash reserves continue to build – with a steady trickle of those reserves flowing into the good old reliable investment institution of property.
“Part of that nervousness revolves around lifting the Official Cash Rate some time in 2010. For those who bought into the residential property market this year, they have enjoyed a comparatively low floating mortgage rate - which should roll over into the first quarter of next year.
“Short term at least, buying a home is still attractive and affordable, although this luxury may not last for much longer – suggesting now is the time to buy.”

Lynn now hopes to impart much of her environmental and energy-saving knowledge among the well-networked team at Bayleys’ Titirangi office, along with expanding the number of buyer leads which can be matched up with listed properties. She said research revealed that a large percentage of people who bought homes in the Titirangi area, actually came from outside of the district.

“I’m very much about creating a ‘team culture’ within the office – so that every listing is promoted to the widest buyer database possible. It’s known that in some agencies, sales people ‘ring-fence’ their listings because they don’t want to share their commission with colleagues. That’s simply not in the vendor’s best interest,” she said.

“Selling property is all about who you know. The more people you know as prospective home buyers, the more chance there is of selling a home for the best possible price.

“At Bayleys Titirangi, we know a lot of people through our expansive databases. We know a lot of people in the Titirangi neighbourhood, we know a lot of people in the Waitakere region, we know a lot of people throughout Auckland, we know a lot of people across New Zealand, and we know a lot of people around the world.

”We reach those people through personal contact on a day-to-day basis, through Bayleys portfolio of magazines, through the Bayleys website, and through the Bayleys network of offices.”

Bayleys managing director Mike Bayley warmly welcomed Lynn Lacy-Hauck’s return to the company’s Titirangi office - at a time when stability was returning to the residential property market.

“With a committed affinity to the Titirangi area, and a dedication to real estates sales, Lynn’s role at Bayleys Titirangi reflects two of her passions in life. That’s important for vendors to know,” Mike Bayley said.

“The stability and knowledge Lynn imparts, is a cornerstone on which Bayleys can deliver outstanding marketing initiatives for its Titirangi clients,” he added.

ends

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