Jen Baird was delighted to land the job as the new CEO of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) in July, as it’s given her the chance to return to an industry she previously spent a decade working in, and is passionate about.
Q: Was working in the real estate industry a career option you considered growing up?
No, although my brother became a real estate agent. At one stage I wanted to be a truck driver but my parents thought I would be a teacher. I was always interested in learning new things, and in teaching others. Then in high school business became a focus and I decided to do management studies and marketing at Waikato University, which was just down the road. I also liked languages and ended up doing Chinese.
I got the first scholarship Waikato University ever gave to study in China, and in 1996 I went to the Shanghai International Studies University for six months. I was 19 and had never been overseas before.
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Q: Was that an eye-opener?
It was a complete culture shock. It was so foreign and wild back then, so different to Hamilton. There was no email so it was hard to keep in touch with my family – I had to send those blue aerograms. After that first six months I ended up going back a little while later to do a research project as part of my degree, and by then they had internet cafes so I could send emails via Hotmail. Both experiences were absolutely amazing, very character building for me.
Q: Have you been back to China?
Yes, but it was 20 years between visits. It was like landing in a science fiction film. It looked so different, with all the developments and architecture, the sophistication of the people and the technology. The scale and volume of everything was amazing.
Q: Where was your first job?
It was as a sales rep for Unilever, for Streets Ice Cream. I had a big territory, covering the central upper North Island. It was a neat product to be selling, although I ate a lot of it and ended up very sick of ice cream. After 18 months I decided it was time for 23-year-old me to move to the big city, so I became a recruitment consultant in Auckland. I gave it my best, but I wasn’t very good at it. Recruitment is a hard-nosed sales job and it just wasn’t my thing. One day my boss was having a conversation with me about how I hadn’t met my revenue targets that month and I said, “Actually, do you know what? I think I might move to the UK.”
She said, “That’s a very good idea.”
Q: Did it turn out to be a good move?
It did. I was overseas for five years. My first job was in London for a couple of guys who set up a private equity firm, doing their marketing and running their office. Then one of them was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so they shut the fund down. They sublet the office to a PR firm and they said to the people there, “You can sublet the building if you take Jen as well”. That’s how I ended up in PR – I came with the building.
The company basically did institutional financial services and I had a role in marketing and communications. It was interesting being the conduit between really smart people. One of my clients had a PhD in particle physics and when it came to getting him to explain the research he was doing to journalists, I had to act as a translator. Some of the stuff they were doing was pretty out there.
Baird: “There’s a much greater level of complexity and sophistication in the industry now.” Photo / Fiona Goodall
When I came back to New Zealand I did a couple of marketing jobs then went to work for Barfoot & Thompson as their chief marketing officer. That was in 2007, which was a really interesting time for the real estate industry.
Q: Because of the global financial crisis?
Partly. There were a lot of changes happening in those days, like everyone starting to have websites. Marketing started to become a key part of selling real estate, especially when things like Facebook came along. I worked closely with Simon Casey, the chief information officer, to bring marketing and technology together, and that was exciting.
Also, the Real Estate Agents Act came in in 2008, which meant some big changes to the way some things had been done in the past.
But yes, when I started, we were coming off a really buoyant market and things were slowing down, leading into the GFC. It was challenging for a lot of agents, there was a lot of pain. Real estate can be a really tough gig, especially when you are starting out.
One thing I’m really proud of in the almost 10 years I was at Barfoot & Thompson was the support and tools we were able to provide to salespeople so that they didn’t have to worry about marketing and creating stuff themselves. They could focus on building relationships and providing really excellent service.
Q: You then had four years working for Hamilton City Council, firstly in marketing and communications and then as their City Growth general manager. Have you noticed many changes now you’re back in real estate?
There’s a much greater level of complexity and sophistication in the industry now. Not just in the use of technology, but in the expectations of agents and the different roles they have to play. They’re not just salespeople, they have to be personal brand builders and expert negotiators. They have to be able to navigate legislation and comply with all these different requirements that are in place in the industry now. It’s a lot.
REINZ is there to support them to deliver great service. We’re building a strong platform underneath them so they can do their business knowing we have got their back.
The other thing I think has changed a lot is property management and the way it works. There is a greater number of landlords using professional property managers but it is an area that is not regulated and REINZ is keen for the government to consider regulating some aspects, to make sure landlords, as well as tenants, are looked after. It’s an area of real growth and we have the opportunity to raise the level of delivery.
Q: What makes a good real estate agent?
Persistence, tenacity, relationships skills. And being really organised. Those agents who do really well have got something special about them but it is not always the same thing. Sometimes it is the ability to find the point of difference in a property, or it might be being an expert networker. The key thing is recognising that you are in a position of trust and being able to be alongside someone offering them good advice every step of the way as they go through a very complex process.
Q: What do you do when you’re not working?
I split my time between Auckland and the Waikato. I have an apartment in Auckland city for during the week. I am really into the arts and I love being able to see shows and comedy and exhibitions and that sort of thing, when they are open. I also love all the great eateries.
My Waikato house is in the countryside, with 400 acres of native bush in a DOC reserve over the back fence. I love being in my gumboots – and other safety equipment – and getting out with the hedge trimmer to get stuck into the hedge along the very long driveway. It is great for de-stressing. It’s a complete contrast to Auckland, and I feel very lucky that I get the best of both worlds.
