Sellers: Michelle and Justin Vaughan

Their property: A modern cedar townhouse featuring five bedrooms on a flat north facing section in Grammar Zones.

Sellers' motivation: A job transfer to Christchurch

How they decided on me: They asked me to have a look at their home three months before they were ready to sell. Closer to selling time they interviewed a high profile agent working for a smaller company who appraised their home below $900,000. I didn't discuss pricing with Michelle and Justin. They understood that the market (not the appraising agent) would determine their sale price. Their focus, like mine, was on achieving the best price. They were also keen to utilise the resources of a company like Barfoot & Thompson with a larger network of salespeople. They worked out that B&T attracts more buyers because of their market share. Having me on their side was an added bonus.

Selling Method: I found Michelle and Justin incredibly easy to work with. They let me do my job without any input at all. We chose a three week auction program with Property Press and Herald Homes. They were comfortable with the process and totally realistic on price. In their minds it was time to move on and the whole family had mentally already moved to Christchurch well before the auction. They almost accepted a private offer for $900,000 from a friend. Achieving the best price was our goal.

Marketing: We advertised in the Property Press (full & half pages) and utilised the unique Remuera Branch open home column in the NZ Herald. We erected a photo signboard that showcased the big backyard. The property featured on the websites www.barfoot.co.nz , www.trademe.co.nz and www.realestate.co.nz. Colour glossy A4 size brochures were distributed throughout the neighbourhood, were handed out at open homes, attached to the sign and displayed prominently in the B&T Remuera branch office & window. The property featured in my regular flyer distribution to more than 2000 Remuera residents.

Results: This was a perfect programme. The open homes were attended by over 150 groups of potential buyers. Buyers were also introduced through B&T salespeople from the Greenlane, Onehunga, Epsom, Meadowbank, Mt Roskill, Henderson, Grey Lynn, City, Panmure and Howick branches. Michelle loved the network support but also commented how ‘in control and informed’ she felt. I had total control and communication with every B&T agent who came through. It would have been easy to sell pre-auction – but too risky. With competitive interest from 11 bidders we sold for $1,045,000. This figure was well above their reserve price, above prior offers, above the other agent’s appraisal and above the Capital Value (CV) of only $600,000.

Main Success Factors: Michelle & Justin were committed to sell. They handed me complete responsibility for selling their home. They allowed me to use all my skills & methods to get them top dollar. They didn’t put pressure on me to achieve an unrealistic figure. An amazing result that can easily be replicated.