New Zealand Business Awards 2018

6 APAC / 2018 NewZealand Business Awards , Agent Finder NZ Oct18256 Best Estate Agent Vetting Service 2018 Drawing on the extensive industry experience of Founder and Director Trish Willis, Agent Finder NZ has pioneered quite a change for the $5Billion dollar real estate industry in New Zealand over the past nine years. Having recognised the firm in our prestigious New Zealand Business Awardswe provide a history of it tofind out how it has achieved the incredible success it enjoys currently. Since its inception in 2009, Agent Finder NZ has firmly established itself within the real estate landscape in New Zealand as a business that empowers property investors and home sellers embarking on a property sale to objectively choose real estate agents and undertake proper due diligence. The concept of real estate agent vetting was initially developed back in 2009 because sellers were seeking out independent information and advice about the real estate process, commission and fees and how to choose an agent, prior to contacting any real estate agencies. However, at that time there were no impartial bodies that provided this type of information. The fate of a property sale can be life changing and is primarily dependent on an agent’s conduct and real estate competence when facilitating this legal process between buyers and sellers. However, real estate, a constantly changing, highly competitive often mistrusted industry, is reportedly over populated with more than 15,000 licensed real estate agents. This makes the task of finding the most suitable agent in any location time consuming and laborious. It is why property sellers often make impulsive decisions which at the time seem more convenient. Research showed there were no similar business models world-wide seen at the time, so Agent Finder NZ was literally created from a blank sheet of paper. Luckily business modelling is a strength and always a fluid process for this entrepreneur. In 2015, being a strategic problem solver with six years of insights and a believer in the value of collaboration for the greater good, the Agent Finder NZ business model was expanded to address the fragmented, hard to find but valuable resources and information hosted on many New Zealand organisations’ websites. This fragmentation made it almost impossible, even for the most astute home sellers, to do proper due diligence. In a time-poor society, consumers need access to reputable information that responds to their search quickly and all from one place. As such, to complement Agent Finder NZ, Wise Up ® NZ, was born and launched 2016. Today, the team operates through two entwined brands, via two websites, Agent Finder NZ which verifies agents and Wise Up ® NZ, which has centralised many organisations’ resources into articles relevant to a google search. Collectively the firms’ mission is to provide New Zealand vendors with a free real estate agent vetting service and resources that empower, inform and achieve excellence in their real estate experiences. From the beginning, Agent Finder NZ’s business model of vetting and shortlisting real estate agents was designed to empower and practically enable NZ vendors of any property type. Clients are also offered a tailored ‘menu’ of due diligence resources and it is all completely free to use. The ultimate outcome is what their clients achieve: a satisfying experience, speed of sale, higher levels of buyer interest and the sale prices achieved. Many ex-pats and investors who use Agent Finder NZ live abroad or have several properties across New Zealand and require help finding competent real estate agents in a variety of locations so whether people are near or far, this service can benefit users from any location. Over the years, Wise Up ® NZ has grown into a comprehensive independent advice hub for buyers, sellers, investors and home owners. It is designed to look and feel like a real estate community or forum for consumers to access property insights for free, without any pressure, at any time. Agent Finder NZ combined with Wise Up ® NZ provides a depth of service and knowledge unparalleled, but it never rests on its laurels however. There have been some tough challenges that the company has risen above. During nearly a decade in this business, New Zealand’s real estate industry process has been in a period of rapid growth and change, particularly digital, however this dynamic business remains committed to driving innovation and offering clients a truly unique service which cannot be found elsewhere. Contact Details: Company: Agent Finder NZ Contact: Trish Willis, Director and Founder Contact Email: [email protected] Phone: 0274441955 Websites: www.agentfinder.co.nz & www.wiseup.nz