Adam Grierson started selling real estate for Tauranga agency EVES Realty in January last year, and in 22 months he’s sold 55 homes. His success led to him winning the REINZ Rising Star Salesperson of the Year award for 2024. He reveals the key thing he did that helped his career to skyrocket.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I had sales jobs in the building industry. I ended up becoming a new home consultant for Signature Homes, which I enjoyed, but I’d always been interested in real estate. I thought about being a real estate agent when I came back to New Zealand after a year in Australia but I got offered a job in the building industry selling new houses so I went that way. It was an incredible background to have when it comes to real estate. The knowledge about things like construction and new homes and quality chattels has been really useful.
Q: What prompted the move to selling real estate?
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One of my close friends is a manager at EVES and when we caught up we’d talk about the industry. I’d always had a fascination with it – I enjoyed listening to podcasts and watching reality TV shows about real estate agents. Although the actual reality of being a real estate agent couldn’t be further from the truth when you watch those shows!
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I kept thinking about selling real estate and then I came to a crossroads in my life. My wife Lana and I have two young daughters, Madeline and Stella, and Stella had just turned one. We’d got through that first year, and the building industry was getting a bit quiet and I thought, ‘OK, I’m 33, if I’m going to try real estate, I should jump into it now and give it a good go’.
Q: Was it daunting going into a commission-based industry when you have a young family to support?
It was a bit. I’d been in a commissioned-based job previously but that was in an industry where I was getting known. Going into an industry where nobody knew me was a bit scary but I was lucky to have an incredibly supportive wife who backed me 100 percent. I always had the confidence that if I put in the hard work, I could do it.
Q: How did you get your first listing?
I was lucky, it was a property we had built for a developer when I was at Signature Homes and by the time he was ready to sell, I’d just transitioned to real estate. He asked if I’d be interested in selling it, so I got my first listing in my first week, which was a bit of a fluke. I was grateful that he gave me a shot. I sold it relatively quickly, so that was a good start.
Q: Was it tough starting out when there’d been a downturn in the market?
It was the only market I knew, so I had nothing to compare it with. It turned out to be a really good market to learn in and I had to put my head down and really work hard to get sales, which I think was good for me.
Q: Did you hit the ground running after that first sale?
It took a while after that to get some momentum. I think it took about six months for me to find my groove. I was lucky that EVES was incredibly supportive, and has fantastic training systems. What really made a difference for me was when I hired an assistant six months into the job. Once I could offload the admin stuff, which I’m not the biggest fan of, I could concentrate on listing and selling. That’s when I really started to get some traction.
Grierson: "I work really hard to try to get the best results. I’m not flamboyant at all." Photo / Brydie Thompson
Hiring someone was a scary thing to do when I hadn’t been in the industry very long but I decided to bite the bullet and I’m glad I did. My assistant Vicki is fantastic and having her working for me means I can get away from the computer and go and talk to as many people as I can.
Q: Why do you think you’ve done so well in such a short time?
I think work ethic probably has a lot to do with it. I work really hard to try to get the best results. Plus I’m an honest person, and not flamboyant at all – I’m just being authentically myself.
I couldn’t have achieved what I have without my wife Lana. She holds down everything at home with our girls. She’s a nurse and she just works a couple of days a week now, basically putting her career on hold for our family so I can chase my dream. I am very lucky to have her in my corner.
I’m also lucky to have great support from EVES and from Vicki.
Q: What do you enjoy about being a real estate agent?
Connecting with people is the best thing. I am really passionate about property but really, it’s the people you get to meet from all walks of life. I enjoy getting to know them, and to help them sell their houses.
One thing I find quite satisfying is breaking the stereotype of what people think real estate agents are. They think we all drive fancy cars and wear suits and don’t tell the truth. I actually enjoy going into meetings and connecting with people and it’s cool when you’re talking to them and they realise that you’re just a normal person doing your best for them.
Q: Was it a surprise to win the REINZ Rising Star award?
I had no idea! I’d won the EVES Rookie of the Year award for having a record-breaking year for them and I thought that was very cool. They nominated me for the REINZ award and I didn’t think I would even be shortlisted because there are so many good agents in New Zealand. I just thought it was an honour to be nominated. I went to the dinner and when my name got read out as a finalist I thought, ‘Oh, that’s cool’. It was awesome when my name was read out as the winner. It’s an amazing way to start your career.
Q: What do you do when you are not selling real estate?
It’s a six-day-a-week job so at the moment I only have Saturdays off and I spend that time with my family. My girls are four and two now so we go to the park or the beach or a local café. Lana and I are so blessed, they are gorgeous girls.
I used to play a lot of golf but I haven’t had time recently. I’m slowly starting to get back into it, but that’s hard with a busy job and small children. I also like to go to the gym – I do that first thing in the morning.
It is a real balancing act, trying to get everything done, but I’m lucky that I love what I do and have such a supportive wife.
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