Product knowledge, and natural enthusiasm
PAUL BERNARD loves Otago Peninsula, and has lived there in Macandrew Bay for over three decades.
The LJ Hooker salesperson is a realestate expert on the area, having sold houses there for almost as long. He came into the industry in 1990 as a people person, and has built a career from there.
‘‘I have a natural enthusiasm for the area,’’ Paul says. ‘‘Plus product knowledge and an appreciation of why the peninsula is a wonderful place to live. There are lots of nuances about why people buy a certain house. Every view is different, and some houses don’t have a view at all, but have something special.’’
He and his wife, who also grew up on the same street where they now live, have raised their three daughters on the peninsula. Through this and involvement in school and community activities, he’s developed a deeper understanding of the area and its people.
Like many residents, he appreciates the diversity reflected in the community, and especially the creative edge.
‘‘I’ve sold homes to people who are artists, sculptors, who make birds, or knives, or have quite creative business angles, and B&Bs, all sorts of folk,’’ Paul says. ‘‘And it shows in some of the housing as well — there are houses with lawns on top of the roof, eco houses, loadedwithpersonality houses — it’s fun.’’
He believes that rubs off on the children raised in the area, saying his daughters and many of their peers had creative opportunities when they were young and have since enjoyed success in their chosen fields.
Like the rest of Dunedin, there is currently a lack of supply of homes on the peninsula, but that’s generally always been the case, Paul says.
‘‘If you want to live on the Otago Peninsula, there’s never going to be a lot of choice,’’ he says. ‘‘In each suburb along the peninsula there’s an average of one sale per month, across all price brackets. If you’re looking for a particular kind of house, when it’s there, that’s the time to buy it.’’
Having been in real estate for so long, and witnessed its many fluctuations, Paul has a welldeveloped sense of how things will play out in many situations.
He enjoys helping people at times when they’re making major life decisions, and developing good relationships with vendors that are built on trust.
Often in deadline sale or auction situations, vendors are tempted to accept good early offers. But better results can be achieved most times if the process is taken to completion,
Paul believes.
‘‘If you just let it percolate and show its full value before making a decision, often there’s a bit more for the vendors, and this is a fairer process for the buyers too,’’ he says. ‘‘We’re under our vendor’s instruction, and representing their choice of how each one would like their home to be represented. But we enjoy the fabulous results that are regularly achieved in this market at our auctions.’’
Paul enjoys the team environment at LJ Hooker Dunedin, believing that they’re genuinely there to do the best that can be done for their clients.
Even after all his years in the industry, Paul still loves it — and is still learning.
‘‘I enjoy people,’’ he says. ‘‘And I became a salesperson who knows a lot and knows his craft just because when you love what you do, you tend to accumulate experience along the way. But you never know everything.’’