Locations Realty raising the bar for the future of real estate

South Island real estate firm Locations is nurturing the future talent of real estate this week (w/c Monday 8 April) as 13 trainees embark on the area’s first Real Estate Salesperson Course.

The company has joined forces with Open Polytechnic and enlisted the help of its brand ambassador, former All Black Justin Marshall, to promote and recruit students for the four week-long course.

Locations Managing Partner Stacy Coburn said there had been a recent marked increase in people wanting to embark on a career in real estate, and the company wanted to nurture and drive that ambition.

“There have been a lot of changes in our profession over the years, making it a highly regulated industry,” said Mr Coburn.

“We want to give an easier step into real estate and really promote our industry as a positive career choice, while increasing the numbers of those choosing to enter the profession, which has been sadly lacking in the past.”

The course, which will train the students as licensed real estate professionals under the REAA approved course, will also give them an opportunity to work for the Locations group across all its offices.

This is the first course to be conducted in the Southern Lakes Region in conjunction with a real estate company and has attracted widespread interest from across the lower South Island.

“The calibre of these applicants is of a very high standard and we’re excited to work with and educate them about real estate,” said Mr Coburn.

“We’re looking forward to shaping the future of our industry and having some top-notch, well qualified agents working for us at the end and ultimately for the consumer.”

With offices now in Queenstown, Wanaka, Riverton, Invercargill and Stewart Island, and a total of over 50 staff, Locations is one of real estate’s success stories.

Known as the ‘local real estate experts’, the company formed an association with global real estate powerhouse Savill’s in 2012 and has a strong focus on growth and expansion, including plans to have future offices in other areas.

Each of the course graduates will have an opportunity for a cadetship in one of the Locations’ offices.  It is expected that out of the thirteen, four new cadets will be joining the Locations Wanaka branch and one cadet will join Locations Southland.

During the four week-long course students will learn about the legalities of real estate including land ownership, transfer of ownership and other legal matters that affect real estate licensees.

The course will also cover industry best practice, misconduct, marketing for real estate, conducting an appraisal and the buying and selling process, including agency and sales and purchase agreements.
Locations Ambassador Justin Marshall believes the importance of good training and a thorough understanding of the real estate process was “essential” for anyone working in the industry today.

“The industry is now highly regulated, which is great for the profession as it sets and maintains high standards of operation which serve everyone better, from the buyers and sellers to the real estate agents,” said Mr Marshall.

The former All Blacks captain, who made 81 appearances and became the highest-capped scrum half in AB’s history, has called Queenstown home for the past two years since relocating from Christchurch following the earthquakes.

“I am excited to meet the graduates and assist them where I can in succeeding in real estate at Locations. I know I have a lot to offer them and look forward to imparting some of my knowledge.”

Originally a Southland boy from Mataura, Justin is more than just the face of Locations and has been involved with a number of recent charity events supported by Locations including Challenge Wanaka where he was on hand to dish out water to the competitors.

“As a Southland boy born and bred, people can relate to him (Justin)”

“We’re privileged to have someone of Justin’s profile and experience as part of our team and he brings invaluable knowledge that can be transferred into the realm of real estate.” said Mr Coburn.

“The importance of nurturing the future of our profession is significant to us and we want to ensure we train the best people, in the best way, to become the best real estate professionals they can.”