Top 10 ranking for Country Specialist

Country Specialist John Barnett of Bayleys North of Auckland features in eighth place in Bayleys Real Estate’s nationwide Top 10 list of rural/lifestyle salespeople for the 2009/2010 financial year announced recently. 

Bayleys Real Estate has 180 salespeople and managers specialising solely in the rural and lifestyle sector throughout New Zealand. Barnett - who focuses on the rural market from the Harbour Bridge to Whangarei -successfully transacted in excess of $13 million worth of farms and lifestyle blocks in the last financial year.  

“The market has changed and still remains a moving target. However, whilst some in the market have said there are no buyers out there, I recently had six offers on a 318 hectare dairy farm that ultimately sold for over $5 million. So, there are people still prepared to invest in rural property – they are just being more prudent about their investment decisions and are looking for property which they believe stacks up in the new economic climate,” says Barnett who is in just his second year with Bayleys.  

Barnett says there is no magic bullet to being successful in the rural real estate sector but he credits his recent Top 10 success to an honest pragmatic approach to sales and his belief in targeted marketing campaigns. 

“Most of the sales I made last year were for properties that were in auction or tender campaigns. Every property had a personalised marketing strategy designed to elevate its profile above other properties on the market, and deadline sales dates to encourage buyers to be in an unconditional position on the day.  

“In order to maximise the results for my vendors, I have to ensure that I am reaching not just the buyers that I already know about and communicate with through my database, but also those who may be fence-sitting or who have been passively observing the market from afar.” 

Barnett markets the properties nationwide and says the $5 million dairy farm was sold to a buyer from the Bay of Plenty who had been looking all over New Zealand for the right property. 

“In this market, people are looking widely and not necessarily focusing on just one region. The properties I am selling in my patch are competing with rural offerings in the Waikato, Canterbury, Southland and Kerikeri. It is no longer enough to place an advertisement only in the local paper and expect to find a buyer.”  

Barnett says regular and frank communication with his clients ensures that they are well aware of market trends and kept up-to-date with feedback from prospective purchasers. 

“In order to make an informed decision, you need sound information to work from. I like my clients to have foresight - not hindsight.” 

Community-spirited Barnett also finds time to help out Bayleys nominated corporate charity, the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s Guide Dog Services. For the past two years he has organised a charity auction as part of the Warkworth A&P Show for funds to raise and train guide dog puppies. He also sponsors junior soccer and rugby teams in his area.