Brooke Gibson got off to a flying start after becoming a real estate salesperson in January last year. She reached premier status in just 12 months with Ray White; now based with EVES in Whangarei, she was recently the only female finalist in the REINZ Rising Star award. And she manages to juggle a busy workload with raising four children.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I made babies! I’ve got four children, aged 13, nine, five and three. When I first left school I went into the insurance industry, then I had children and didn’t really work, apart from being a personal stylist in between having kids. I did some personal styling papers online and just kind of ran with it. I was self-employed and had a variety of clients, including commercial clients. It was a bit of fun more than anything.
Q: How did you end up selling real estate?
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My partner Richard Lyon has been in real estate for more than 15 years, and I would hear him having conversations and be really interested. I was his wing-woman and helping out with things like marketing, and I thought, ‘I really want to do this. I think I could do a good job’.
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I’ve bought and sold quite a lot of property myself so I’ve dealt with a lot of real estate agents. I bought my first house when I was 19, with my then fiance. We were very young but we were lucky, we had good incomes and could live with our parents to save the majority of our wages. Since then I’ve bought and sold a house around every four to five years as my needs have changed. I know what frustrates me when it comes to real estate agents, and I know what’s good. I wanted to be able to give people the best service possible.
Q: Was it hard getting started, particularly in a tough market?
It wasn’t the best of times but people always have to buy and sell. I decided I wanted to be the go-to person for whatever reason they were selling.
I was lucky because Richard was already in the industry and I wasn’t working beforehand so it wasn’t as if I was giving up a salary to go into a commission-based job. I wouldn’t recommend it though if you’re a family of four and you’re the main breadwinner with your partner at home. That would be challenging.
Gibson: "I know what frustrates me when it comes to real estate agents, and I know what’s good. I wanted to be able to give people the best service possible." Photo / Supplied
But I had support and I backed myself and I put everything into it. I worked hard from the start.
Q: How did you get your first listing?
I ran a competition. I put out an ad saying if you got me to do an appraisal of your home you would go in the draw to win $5000. Through that someone listed with me three weeks after I got my licence, and I sold that place. I put $5000 of my own money up for the prize but I wrote it off as advertising. I knew that if I got just one listing from that promotion, it would be worth it, and I ended up getting quite a few. Listings lead to other listings and in my first nine months I sold 19 properties. I was with Ray White then and in my first 12 months I reached premier status with them.
Q: Why do you think you’ve been so successful?
I’m very determined. I believe in “go big or go home”. I’m really good at what I do, and I give people what they need.
Plus I am a realist. I never sugar-coat anything; I will always be honest. If a vendor says, “I want …” and I know it’s unrealistic, I’ll say, “Well, I want to be a size six but that isn’t going to happen.” I have very frank conversations with my vendors.
Gibson was commended at Ray White New Zealand’s 2024 awards. She has since changed agencies to work more closely with her partner. Photo / Supplied
I’m a really big personality and some people might not like that, and that’s fine. But if they trust me to sell their property for them, I will get them the most money I can in today’s market.
One thing that really helps is that I have a fantastic PA, Donna, who is fully licensed and keeps everything ticking over. I’m very lucky to have her.
Q: Have you had any particularly memorable sales?
One was selling a property for a woman and then selling her in-laws’ house. We’ve ended up becoming good friends and I feel incredibly connected to them. That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to in real estate, building lifelong relationships.
Gibson with her partner Richard Lyon. Photo / Supplied
I also sold a house for a friend whose husband had passed away and the property was too much for her on own. Selling it was very emotional and I think I cried more than she did when it sold.
Q: What do you love about the job?
The people. I’m an extrovert so I love meeting people, and it’s a real privilege to be able to help them.
I’m grateful that the job is helping me to create financial freedom for myself and my family, for my children’s future. I’m not big on flashy things – I live in a 1980s house and I drive a Mitsubishi Outlander – but I am big on being able to support my children financially and give them opportunities that maybe they wouldn’t have if we were chasing the dollar all the time.
I also love the flexibility of being a real estate agent, which is one of the main reasons I got into it. I can arrange things so that I can be there for my children. It is a juggling act, having four kids and a busy job, but my parents and in-laws are really hands-on and if I need to I can arrange to work in the evenings when Richard gets home.
Sometimes I do have to work late nights but I have a rule that I don’t work on Saturdays. That’s family time. I’ll answer phone calls and texts but I don’t do viewings. I’m quite firm about sticking to that.
Q: Are you a very organised person?
I am to a certain extent at work, with help from my PA. We have systems in place that work really well. At home ... you’d probably say it was organised chaos. That’s life with four kids.
Q: What do you do when you’re not selling real estate?
If I’m not working, I’m doing family stuff. There’s no time for anything else!
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