Property veteran’s just living the dream
Estate agent loves what he does even at the age when most people retire
At anagewhenwork is a distantmemoryformany people, Jim Maysis still going strong at almost 83. He’s sold about $1.5 billion of property in his career andcommutesfrom his homein Tauranga to Takapuna and Matakana everyweek to sell luxury homesforpremium Real Estate. His reason for still working: “I love it.”
Howlonghaveyoubeenselling real estate?
Forty-three and a bit years. I did a few other things beforehand. I left school shortly after turning 15 and went to work for a general warehouse merchant, then Iwent to a firm that sold hardware andhomewarelines, things like plastic rubbish bins, cans and buckets, Newzealand-wide.
Ididmycompulsory military training at 18 and loved it, and Iwas going to go into the regular army. But mycompany offeredmea job on the road, selling their products, and a brandnewvauxhall car to drive. That swungit. Damnthe army, Iwanted the car!
Didyouenjoy selling?
Idid. Iwent right through the country and I got toknowthe buyers from the major retailers and wholesalers everywhere.
At 22 I setupmyownimport licensing agency. You had to have a licence for everything you imported — clocks, crockery, glassware, you nameit, everything was under licence. But a lot of firms never spent all of their licence. So I’d go to the buyers I knewand buy their unused licence for about 20 per cent, then I would go to Hongkong or Singapore or Jakarta and import goods inmy ownright using their licences. Idid very well and the world wasmy oyster. I loved it, but I had ahankering for real estate.
Whythe interest in real estate?
I realised the value of it. I got that from mydad. Wheniwas 15 and had just started working, mydad bought a section formeinexmouthrd, Northcote, back in the dayswhenit was a goat track. I think it cost about £125, and Ihad to pay himback. In those days Iwasmoreinterested in buying a car so Iwasn’t very impressed withmydad telling me, “Youowememoneyfor this bit of
land.” I paidhima bit everyweek— if I earned £3, he’d take £1, and Iwas able to pay himoff with the £12 cheque I got from the army. But he wouldn’t givemethe title until Iwas 21. Heknewi’d sell the section to buy a car.
Later, I ended upbuying about five or six villas in Fleet St innewton and renting them out. After awhile I got an offer so I sold up. That’swheni decided to go into the real estate business myself, and joined a firm called Scholes Oakley on the North Shore. I had a ball.
Howdifferentwasthe industry then?
Completely different. The only ads you had were the black and white print run-ons in the Herald. If itwas a really good property you might get a black border around the ad. People would ring about themand I learned to qualify them on the phone— what were they looking for, where did they want to live? Whentheycamein to seemeiwent to the office card system and sorted out nomorethan four properties toshowthem. Invariably, they’d buy the third.
Youwould drive themaround in your car and you had total control. That all changedwhenthey introduced the Melbourne system of selling at auction. Openhomes
changed things too. Suddenly you lost control of the buyer. Your whole strategy had to change.
And, of course, technology has changed everything. I remember wheniwas at Bayleys in the early 1990s andmycolleague David Rainbow had this big box with a screen on his desk. Hesaid, “Jim, I believe computers are thewayit’s going to be in the industry.” I said, “If that’s the future of real estate, I am out of here.” But I learned to use them. Youadapt.
Tellmeaboutsomeof the highlights of your career.
There have been a lot! Onewas getting approached by the Auckland Area Health Board, whosaid, “Jim, we’ve heard that if wehave difficult things to sell, weshould give you a ring.” They were going tobecomea district health board, and they had three years to get rid of their surplus hospitals, mental institutions and clinics. They gavemea portfolio of 28 properties, millions of dollars of real estate. By the end of the three years Ihad sold every property in that portfolio.
Later, after John and David Bayley had askedmetocomeand work for them, I could see an opening for someone to specialise in waterfront properties, be it oceanside, lakeside or riverside. So that’s what I did. I put out amagazine called Waterfront, listing 17 beautiful properties throughoutnewzealand. I later did a second one with 30 properties and a third with 36.
Iwas the only true specialist in Newzealandwhocould authoritatively talk about property in places like Matauri Bay, Waiheke, Taupo¯, Lakewa¯naka, Bay of Islands, Takapuna, Pauanui Waterways, Awhitu . . .
Didyoualso sell overseas properties?
Idid, in Fiji and Rarotonga. I’d charter a boat and take buyers out to look at islands.
But after awhile I’d had enough of all the travelling, itwas hard on myfamily. I did onemorewaterfront magazine and sold 98 per cent of those properties, then Iwent to Premiumreal Estate. It’s a boutique firm with a huge wealth of knowledge and I amproud to be part of their team.
You’renolonger workingonyour own?
After being a one-man band for most ofmyworking life, Ihave teamedup with two wonderful agents, Jelena Freeman in Takapuna and Linda Smith in Matakana. They are so professional, dedicated and hardworking. Ido everything 50/50 with them. Linda and Ihave achieved someof the highest prices in the Matakana region.
Jelena and Ihave sold one Takapuna property for over $22mplus another for $29m, records on the North Shore.
I passon what I know about the business to them but I also learn somuch from them.
What’s the secret of your success? Loving what I do. Andstickability. This job is not all beer and skittles. There have been timeswhenihave gone formanymonths of not selling anything and not getting paid. Many years ago I sold ahotel complex in Hawke’s Bay but the vendor went bankrupt and instead of the fee of $150,000 Iwas owed, I got a payout of $5000.
Willyouever retire?
I amlooking at calling it quits on March 31 next year. Inever contemplated retiring at 65 because I loved what Idid. I’veknownmen with interesting jobswhoretired at 65 and three years later they were either dead or the most boring fellows. I didn’t want to be like that.
I amstill enjoying it but I amabout to turn 83 and I think it is time. I can hand everything over to Jelena and Linda, whowill continue to do a wonderful job, but Iwill be here to support them, if they wantmeto.
Whatdoyoulike todowhen you’re not working?
Mywife, Lynne, and Ihave a caravan andwelove to drive somewhere, parkup and go off exploring. Welove walking and cycling and seeing different parts of the country. Earlier this yearwewent to Shelly Beach, north of Coromandel town, and explored the whole of the coast around there. Thenwedid thesame from Whitianga. It’s a beautiful country.
Andfinally, whateverhappenedto that section your dadmadeyou buyat 15?
I eventually sold it inmymid-20s. I advertised it myself and got £2000 cash for it, half of the price ofmyfirst house in Wellington. Itmadea big difference having that cash. Iwished mydad had taken every spare cent Ihad and committedmeto buying moreland. That’swhenit really hit homethat the future is property.