South Auckland agent: ‘It sold for $1.5m ... that was life-changing’

Harsimran Singh was just 21 when he launched his real estate career, and 29 when he opened his own Harcourts branch in Papatoetoe.

In only three years it has become the number one Harcourts medium-sized office in Auckland, and number three in New Zealand, giving him more awards to add to those he won as a salesperson.

You’ve done exceptionally well in a short time – have you always been a high achiever?

No, I was very average at school. I didn’t have high scores, I was that student that probably half the other students wouldn’t remember.

I didn’t have any kind of X factor about me, I was very much just part of the crowd. But with real estate, I have found my passion. I have become very motivated and I don’t settle for something, I keep wanting to do better and better.

Have you surprised yourself with how well you’ve done?

One hundred percent! I was very surprised when we did so well at the latest Harcourts awards.

I knew the office was doing well but not how we were tracking in comparison with other offices. I rocked up with the hope that we would [win] a few awards for our salespeople but we ended up owning the awards.

The office was number one for the whole year in the medium group category, which was fantastic. But now I feel the responsibility to improve on that and do even better. I don’t want it to be a one-off thing or a fluke. I want to keep being the best.

“I think when you have to make it work because there is nothing to fall back on, that is when you are 110% motivated and you work hard to succeed, which is what I did.”

How did you get started in real estate?

I had been working as a network engineer for Vodafone, in fact I came to New Zealand from India to do my diploma in network engineering and then got the Vodafone job.

But very soon into it I realised I wasn’t made for the 9-to-5 thing. I could see myself slaving away for years and there was no growth in it.

Nobody in my family had ever gone into business, they have always gone to uni and then got a nice stable job.

But I wanted to have my own business, and the flexibility that comes with it. Some friends who were in real estate encouraged me to try it and I have never looked back.

Was it scary going into a commission-only job?

Yes. I resigned from Vodafone so it was make-or-break. I didn’t have any family here so there was nothing to fall back on.

I had to completely start from scratch. But I think when you have to make it work because there is nothing to fall back on, that is when you are 110% motivated and you work hard to succeed, which is what I did.

I had my first sale three weeks into the job. It was a general listing, a property that had been done up by an investor.

I was asked to cover at an open home for a colleague – it was the first open home I had done and not long afterwards I came across a buyer who was looking for a property and I realised that one would be perfect.

I went through the whole process every step of the way with the purchasers, even taking them to the bank to get their approval sorted.

After that things took off and in my first year I was the runner-up in the Rising Star award for REINZ, across all real estate companies for the whole country.

That was a pretty massive achievement, and I found my business just kept doubling and then quadrupling.

What’s the secret to your success?

Real estate seems to have come very naturally to me, I found I was able to connect with people.

I understand that it’s not just about the transaction, it is about people’s lives. You are dealing with their biggest asset and it is important to do the right thing for clients.

When it comes to running the business, I am very focused. I think being young and having a lot of energy helps.

I was still selling properties myself until a few weeks ago – over the last year I was the Harcourts number one agent for South Auckland – but now I am putting all my time into investing in my team.

About 75% of the agents in this office are new to the industry so it is a very young and dynamic team.

I am very hands-on, rather than just giving them a lot of theoretical information I will go to appraisals with them and help them with negotiations so they can learn directly from me.

I do hold the staff accountable – I want to know where they are and what they are doing – but I think that helps with motivation.

We are a very close-knit team and I feel like they are my family. It can be a very cutthroat business so I make sure that we have a great culture in the office.

There are no secrets, no unhealthy competition. We are big on team activities – we’re all going to a bowling arcade next week and we go out for dinners.

There’s a big billboard with your face on it on the Southern Motorway – does it feel weird seeing yourself like that?

I’ve got used to it, I’ve had other billboards before. It’s part of the marketing plan, you need to put yourself out there and let people know who you are. When I go anywhere, to the car repair shop or other places, people say, ‘We’ve seen you on the billboard.’ So it is working!

Are there any sales that particularly stick in your mind?

I recently sold a house in Papatoetoe that was on the market for the first time in

100 years. It was a third generation owner, his grandfather had built it. It wasn’t livable – the house was on a lean and the foundations were gone, so I couldn’t even show anyone inside.

But it was on 800sqm of land and the auction was crazy. It sold for $1.5 million which was a record for the suburb and a lot more than the owners were hoping for. That was lifechanging, emotions were really high.

Your work sounds all consuming – do you get much time off?

Not really, my life pretty much revolves around the business. But it is my passion so I don’t look at it as a stress or a burden.

Once my wife Roop and I start a family I won’t have as much time to spend on the business so I am happy now to be spending most of my time here. And we are seeing results from that – the business has grown 300% in the last year.

When I do have some time off, my wife and I like to go out to dinner and try new restaurants. I am looking forward to when we can travel again, that’s probably the only time when I switch off. I try to get to Queenstown twice a year, to relax. I am very lucky to have the full support of my wife.

I opened the office in 2018 just after we got married, which was a lot to take on. She is also busy, she is a social worker at the Ministry for Children and finishing her master’s degree in social work.

My parents Kulwant and Sudarshan are also very supportive. I am very close to them, and I got them over to live with me in 2013. They never thought this was how things would be for me but they have been watching my success and I think they are proud.