Harcourts Inside

14 INSIDE Harcourts All over NewZealand, our Harcourts offices are embracing the online auction culture. A return to Level 4 lockdown in August wasn’t a deterrent as buyer interest remained strong and properties were snapped up at virtual auctions. The success rate in the first twoweeks of Level 4 lockdown restrictions was between 88-92%under the hammer and true real estate professionals were listing during Level 4 as well. Harcourts NewZealand National AuctionManager Aaron Davis said buyers now viewonline auctions as normal, but reminds us that there are a few key success factors when running an online auction. “Greeting people as they enter the online auction room, ensuring there is good lighting, acknowledging buyers by name so everyone Spring is traditionally the start of our busy season, however this winter has been anything but slow as our teams around the country continued to deliver exceptional results, which have remained strong despite the Covid lockdown in August. Online auction success and the massive effort being put into connecting with clients and colleagues digitally during the restrictions will create hugemomentumas we exit lockdown. Roll on Spring 2021! Earlier in the year, more than 1000members of our Harcourts New Zealand family came together for the first time in two years at HX 2021 inWellington. It was an outstanding event and a celebration of success, but evenmore importantly, it was amuch-anticipated opportunity to understands who holds the bid and effective use of hand gestures are vital in the online environment". Aaron recommends having rolling images of the property in the background to keep everyone focused on the prize and of course, don’t forget to hit record on Zoomand share your success on social media afterwards. NEWZEALAND UPDATE Auctions NewZealand Leadership Conference One of the things we all missedmost due to the Covid restrictions of 2020 were the face-to-face events that allowus to connect with our colleagues and peers. So it was with great anticipation that around 160 Business Owners andManagers came together for two days in Auckland for the 2021 NewZealand Leadership Conference (NZLC) to share their experiences and lessons of the past 12months, while also enjoying each other’s company and an outstanding line-up of professional speakers. reconnect with the values, culture and the camaraderie that makes Harcourts so unique. The opening of the trans-Tasman bubble even made it possible for some of the Harcourts International executive team to join us at HX 2021. Bryan Thomson Managing Director, Harcourts NewZealand bryan.thomson@harcourts.net INPLACENEWZEALAND