A born salesman, Bruce has spent over 20 years successfully bringing buyers and sellers together by any means necessary, including making yearly pilgrimages to the UK to promote local properties on the global stage.

What does that mean for his clients you ask? Bottom line is that he is in a unique position to obtain premium prices for his vendors – which he believes is the core principle of being a Real Estate agent. To help facilitate sales to overseas buyers, he created Migrate2Nelson Ltd – a full service immigration advisory hub that made it easy for intending migrants and expatriate Kiwis alike to choose Nelson as their destination. Now that Government law changes require residential buyers to have a Resident Visa or be citizens of NZ or Australia, the value of Migrate2Nelson has lessened and we have since ceased that service.  The search to uncover motivated and cashed-up buyers continues unrelentingly.

“The traditional model in business is to think of the buyer right in front of you, but technology has given us a global backyard, and those who don’t realise that are going to miss a wealth of opportunities.”

He points out that simply having a property for sale on the internet is not global thinking – that is simply an electronic version of a signboard or newspaper advertisement.

“Technology is great for sure, but if that was sufficient on its own, I would be out of a job! The best agents in this business realise that technology is simply a time-saving tool, a part of that job. A successful agent still has to be able to talk to people – face to face or on the phone - to uncover objections, answer questions, and ultimately to put a deal in place.”

If there’s one thing that symbolises Bruce’s work ethos, and helps fuel his passion for the job, it is setting records. Since the early 2000’s, he has time and again set new sale price records in Richmond, Stoke and Nelson, and since 2007 has consistently sat in the company’s New Zealand top 40.

Early on, Bruce realised he was better placed out in the field, doing what he is good at, rather than stuck behind his desk. To this end he was one of the first agents to put together an Effective Business Unit (EBU) - a team around him with a buyer’s agent, an executive PA, a professional photographer, and a copywriter for the comprehensive information booklets given out to prospective buyers. With this full support from his team – even someone who puts his signs up -  he can focus on the four key roles he is so good at – property appraisal, marketing/open homes, vendor communication, and most important of all – negotiation.

Negotiation often requires innovation – seeing the barriers that are being put in place and finding new and diverse solutions for them so that both buyer and seller are the winners on the day. He recalls an example – “I managed to complete a sale between a British buyer and a local seller, where the entire transaction was completed in UK Pounds Sterling. It was an unconventional arrangement that suited both parties and increased the buyer’s comfort in paying a little more”

His buyer database of over 2000 families spans the globe and he is in contact with them regularly, making sure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of the perfect buyer for a property.

As a seller, Bruce and his team are committed to making your journey through this process not only professional and timely, but hopefully enjoyable – many great relationships have been born out of deals Bruce has put together. Why not make your deal next…?