This year is Wendy Sadd’s 20th anniversary with Barfoot & Thompson and there’s certainly plenty to celebrate. In her two decades with the company she has consistently been one of their top sales people, including regularly being Barfoot’s number one salesperson in the central Auckland region. But starting out was tricky for a young mum in her twenties.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I used to work as a tele salesperson for Suzanne Paul at Prestige Marketing, and I did some travelling. I had my first child at 22, and at that time I was working for [star real estate agent] Michael Boulgaris as his PA.
I grew up with Michael, he’s like a brother to me. Back when I was working for him, you didn’t have to be regulated to take buyers out, so if he was stuck, I would take buyers to see houses. But I didn’t really think of it as a career option for myself until Michael decided to move to Queenstown, and I thought, ‘Now what am I going to do?’ I decided to give real estate a shot. I felt like I knew enough, I enjoyed the industry and I’d loved the people I got to work with. I thought, Why not try it? What have I got to lose?
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Q: Did having worked with Michael help when it came to your career?
It definitely gave me some good insights. I hadn’t realised how much of the basics of real estate I had learned in the two years I worked for him. The standout thing I learned was the importance of constant communication with the vendors. Some agents list the property and then the vendors hardly ever hear from them, which leaves them pretty disgruntled. Always reporting back to the vendors was something Michael did really well and I do that too.
Q: Did you get off to a good start in real estate?
I did, although it wasn’t easy. On my first day I went into the office and my boss at the time said, “I’ll give you a desk but it is only from 9am until 12pm – after that someone else gets it. You’ve got three months to prove yourself – go for it!” I was like, “Oh my gosh, what do I do?”
But I did manage to get my first sale after about a month. I took an Irish couple to see a house in Mt Eden that was one of my colleague’s listings and ended up negotiating with the vendors until one o’clock in the morning. I just really wanted to get it over the line. I remember driving home at 1.30am so excited that I had my first sale. My manager was pretty impressed.
Q: Was it difficult being relatively young in an industry where people are usually older?
Back then it was hard to be taken seriously. I was in my mid-twenties when I started, and even when I had been doing it for a few years I would be going out with colleagues who were older but new to the job, and people would think I was the PA. When I said, “No, I’m the one with the experience, I’m showing them the ropes,” the reaction I would get would quite often be, “Really?”
That’s why now I like to help out people who are starting out. I am working with one young, upcoming agent called Mike Lee who is new to the industry and needs some guidance so I have joined with him on some listings. I’m really happy to help. I believe you must take any opportunity you get to give back.
Q: What advice would you give to anyone just starting out in real estate?
It’s easy to say, “Be hungry”, but there’s so much more to it than that. I tell new agents to get involved in their local community so you can get to know people, and they get to know who you are. I built up relationships by getting involved in the Ellerslie township community and also through my children’s schools. Once people know you’re an agent, they talk to you about real estate. You can’t go anywhere without people talking to you about real estate these days. I think building relationships like that is better than door-knocking and hoping for the best.
Q: Did you do any door-knocking when you were starting out?
Gosh no. I would have needed a gin to go out and do that; I’d have been petrified. I’d have walked up to the door thinking, “Please don’t answer.” It’s different if you have listed a property in the area and you’re door-knocking to say, “Hi guys, I’m just letting you know the house down the street is coming on the market.” But I wouldn’t be comfortable with knocking on someone’s door and saying, “Hi, I’m Wendy, I’m a real estate agent in your area, would you like an appraisal?” I am in awe of people who can do that.
Sadd says she was given three months to prove herself as an agent. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Q: Why do you think you have been so successful?
I think it is realising that everyone is important. Whether it is a vendor selling their family home or a buyer trying to get on the property ladder, I treat everyone – and their needs – as important. I have been to a number of appraisals lately where I’ve won the listing and asked, “Why did you choose me?” Vendors have said: “Because you made us feel important.”
People also say that I’ve got good energy, and I think that is also critical. There’s a bit of doom and gloom with the market being down at the moment but I try to stay positive. At least we’re not in Ukraine being bombed, and we’ve got food on the table. Nobody wants to be around a gloomy person and I want people to walk away from spending time with me feeling happy. I recently had an experience with an agent from our St Heliers office, Kelly Midwood, who bounced out of the car with a big smile and just radiated energy. To me, the more interactions you have with people like that, the better life is.
Q: What do you love about the job?
The people. I’ve met some amazing people. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people to buy and sell their homes and move on with their lives. We get to come and go in people’s lives and make a big difference, and it’s a huge responsibility selling their biggest asset. There’s often a lot of emotion tied up in it and you have to be sensitive and understanding. We get to sit down and hear people’s life stories and that side of it is really special.
Q: Do you get much spare time?
A couple of years ago my manager pulled me aside and said could I talk to the team about getting balance in the job. I said no, because there is no such thing! You’re either fully into real estate or you’re not, and it is really hard to find a balance. Whatever spare time I get, I spend with my kids, who are 23, 17 and nine. We like doing things together – we bought a place on Waiheke to get away to but unfortunately we don’t get there as often as we’d like. When we do, it’s really special.
