Sam Steele followed in the footsteps of his dad Murray to first become a professional cyclist, then a real estate agent. Then when an opportunity to try his hand at auctioneering came along, he leapt at the chance, and discovered a new talent. Sam is now the lead auctioneer for Ray White New Zealand.
Q; When you were growing up, what was your ideal job?
My dad, Murray Steele, was an Olympic cyclist and my uncles also raced, so that was what I always wanted to do from a young age. I did go on to be a full-time road and track cyclist for a number of years and I was on the national team. I also raced on the professional circuit in the United States, which was a very cool experience.
Q: How did you end up in real estate?
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When I left the States and went home to Christchurch around the end of 2010, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I just knew that I didn’t want to work for someone else, and that I wanted to control my own hours and how much I could earn. My dad had gone into real estate after owning home appliance shops for many years. The retail industry had gradually got tougher and tougher until it got to the point where it was too hard to keep the doors open. So he decided to use his selling skills in real estate, and thought it would be something I could be good at. I started when I was 22, just before the earthquake in 2011.
Q: Was that a tough time to start in a new career?
Life after the earthquake was a tough time for everyone. Our family home ended up getting demolished and our businesses were heavily affected. Thankfully we were all fine, but it was a scary experience. But it was also an experience that brought people together; it gave you a reason to go and check on your neighbours and friends to make sure they were okay. You made sure you did that regularly, and that was good for the community. For all the downsides, there were also upsides.
Q: Did your dad help you get started?
We worked for the same company but I didn’t work with him directly. He was keen on me finding my own feet from day one, which was a good idea. It was hard to get started and took six months before I sold anything but I learned a lot, including how important it is to stick with something. I also found that real estate is something you either have a real enjoyment for, or you don’t. I was lucky that I responded well to it pretty quickly.
Q: Did he give you any advice?
He gave me a lot – some of it I listened to, some I didn’t. I also got some really good advice from a couple of other mentors who were very generous with their time. I think the best thing I was told was that this industry revolves around the phone, as in spending lots of time on it contacting people. The more time you spend connecting with people, the more successful you will be. The agents who are good at picking up the phone and talking to people every day are the ones who do well in this business.
Q: How did you get into auctioneering?
I’d been selling houses for a couple of years and I got to know some auctioneers in Christchurch very well. One of them – a guy called Phil McGoldrick, who is very well known – said to me, “This is something I think you could be good at.” There was a competition coming up in a few weeks, and he started coaching me. I used to go to his house and do mock auctions in his kitchen. To this day, I think those are probably the hardest auctions I have ever called.
Some of the other auctioneers were also very supportive and prepared to give their time to train me. I really appreciated that.
For a while I did auctions on the side but in 2017 I was approached to move to Auckland and become a full-time auctioneer, and I jumped on that opportunity.
Q: What appealed to you about calling auctions?
When you’re 22 or 23, you see the auctioneers as the cool guys with the nice suits. Everybody likes them and they’re well respected. I thought, that looks good! When I started auctioneering, what I liked from the outset was that you get to enjoy the very best parts of the industry, without the bad bits. You don’t have to do open homes or work late at night but you get to part of the process of people buying and selling homes and you get to see the emotions. Seeing someone’s joy when they buy the house they really want, or they sell their house and the price exceeds their expectations, is a very cool thing to be involved in.
And one of the best bits of the job is the people you get to meet. I’m very much a people person so getting to interact with lots of different people in different scenarios is something I very much enjoy.
Q: Did being a former professional cyclist help with your real estate career?
It’s a good background to have because it helps you to perform when the pressure is on. It also means you are used to being the centre of attention. When you start out, it can be quite nerve-wracking – everybody looking at you can feel a bit daunting.
Like sports, it’s a team effort and in fact it is the agent who has done all the hard work. Auctioneers get quite a lot of the limelight but I try to turn that on the agent, they deserve the kudos.
Q: Do you still call auctions now in your job as lead auctioneer for Ray White?
I do, but I also do a lot of work assisting the Ray White auction strategy nationwide, which involves supporting auctioneers throughout New Zealand. I get to travel around the country which is great. But I love coming back to Auckland, which is home now. I certainly couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
Q: What have your own experiences with buying and selling property been like?
My wife Dayle and I have bought, renovated and sold a number of properties which we’ve really enjoyed. We are very decisive when it comes to buying; we know what we like straight away. For instance, we saw the house we’re in now once for five minutes and that was enough to know we wanted to buy it.
I’m pretty relaxed when it comes to selling. I always put my full faith in the agent and the auctioneer selling it for us and just let them get on with it.
Q: What do you do out of work?
My wife and I are parents to a two-year-old, Lily, and a six-month-old, Louis, so they keep us busy. At the moment life is all about the kids – I think my parents have a busier social calendar than we do – but I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Being a father is one of the best things to ever happen to me. Both of our children were born during lockdowns so I have been very lucky to spend a lot of time with them and be there for moments like my daughter taking her first steps. I feel very grateful for that.
When we can, we like to travel to see our families, who don’t live in Auckland, and I enjoy running and playing golf.
Q: Do you still cycle?
No! When you have spent as much time as I have on two wheels sometimes the last thing you want to do is get on a bike. For the first time since I was a kid, I don’t own a bike, and that’s not a bad thing.
