When COVID-19 arrived in New Zealand in early 2020, job security vanished at the same time. Lockdown forced the closure of myriad businesses and thousands of people lost their jobs as the nation was asked to stay at home for the sake of each other’s health.
Some might say that taking over a business in the middle of lockdown was crazy. But for Abbey Davis and Richard Humphreys who opened Harcourts Epsom on 1st April 2020, what the rest of us might label a bad April Fool’s joke has paid off in dividends.
READ MORE: The OneRoof Interview with Abbey Davis and Richard Humphreys
“It was terrifying!” says Abbey. “We were at home with our laptops thinking, ‘How are we going to do this?’ In fact, lockdown freed up a lot of time to set the business up, do some future planning, and work with our team. I think if we can open a business in the middle of a pandemic, we can do anything.”
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Harcourts Northern Region General Manager Tim Glatt says real estate ownership, particularly during COVID, requires a certain amount of courage.
“When you’ve planned your business for so long then you can’t open your doors, it’s a stressful time,” he says. “But Abbey and Richard have had an amazing year. They’ve gone from wondering if the industry is going to exist in a month, to coming out the other end in a real estate boom. They’re recruiting new talent, growing their business, and going from strength to strength.”
Tim joined the Harcourts team in January 2020, six weeks before COVID shut the country and the industry down, so he understands how uncertain the following few months were.
“It was daunting,” he says. “But lockdown turned out to be an incredible opportunity for owners to sit back, re-evaluate, and work on their businesses instead of in them. I was so impressed with the sheer amount of learning opportunities that Harcourts presented on a platter throughout that period. Many owners struggle to make time for learning and upskilling because they’re too busy selling, but lockdown forced them to stop and shift focus.”
Despite fears of a crash, the exact opposite has occurred. As a result, there’s been a boom in real estate recruitment too.
Davis and Humphreys say there has been a boom in real estate recruitment. Photo / Fiona Goodall
“The last 18 months has seen a rush of new sales consultants joining the industry,” Tim says. “Sure, some people want to get a share of the boom, but for those who were negatively impacted by COVID in other careers real estate has given them a lifeline. The barrier to enter the industry at an agent level is relatively low which has given owners plenty of talent to choose from as they expand their businesses.”
For Abbey and Richard, belonging to the Harcourts family during such a volatile time was empowering. The support systems that come with such a well-established brand meant that a framework for success put them on the right track from day one.
But for the dynamic husband-and-wife duo, the greatest strength of Harcourts is the people.
“One of the Harcourts values is ‘people first’, and for us that was really important,” says Abbey. “I truly believe it’s the people who help you succeed within the brand.”
New Harcourts franchise opportunities are now available right across Auckland. To find out more about becoming a Harcourts franchise owner, visit harcourts.co.nz/joinus or contact Tim Glatt on [email protected] or 021 777 269.
- This article was created in partnership with Harcourts.
