The search is on for one real estate rookie and one real estate pro to join one of Tall Poppy’s top performing agents in Central Otago, as we continue to challenge the cutthroat nature of the real estate industry.

Peter Hishon owns both the Tall Poppy Wanaka and Central Otago franchises. He says while it might feel counterintuitive for someone to make a career change when the number of real estate licences issued are declining, he says doing it now will work in the lucky rookie’s favour.

“It’s actually an advantage to begin at the start of a market recovery - there’s never a right time to start, but beginning when you have time to learn the ropes and build a strong foundation will position you better than coming in at the top of a property boom.

“By taking the approach of pairing someone new to the industry with someone more experienced, it will help foster a more proactive, supportive team which is at odds with how many other real estate offices work. All too often, when someone completely new joins the industry, they’re left to sink or swim on their own. I’ve seen it happen, and we want to show people it doesn’t need to be that way,” he says.

Some of our top performing agents have joined the company from the building sector, Police, fashion, business and interior design. One example is Cromwell and Queenstown Tall Poppy Business Owner Keeley Anderson, who entered the industry in 2019 and draws on her experience in sales and marketing within luxury fashion and publishing. Peter says while it might not seem like an obvious transition, great communication and customer service skills transcend industries.

“As a real estate agent you’re there to help people make what will likely be their biggest purchase. Work and life experience from different paths and industries makes it that much easier to help people when they’re at their most vulnerable; and of course honesty and integrity are two of the greatest things you can bring,” says Peter.

Tall Poppy has been a vocal disruptor of the status quo within the industry, we want to buck the trend that ‘bigger is better’ when it comes to real estate - we were recently awarded the independently rated Canstar Blue’s Best-Rated Real Estate Agents in New Zealand for 2023, a drawcard Peter hopes will attract perspective agents to his team.

“While others advertise the benefits of huge teams and wear it like a badge of honour - the reality is that doesn’t add anything to the sales experience, it’s an illusion to cover a lack of progress.

“Our industry is grappling with historic practices that make it harder for young talent to come through - too many people are over-territorial making it hard for people to progress and intense competition damages team dynamics. In taking this approach of pairing a rookie with an experienced agent, we want to showcase what successful real estate can look like,” he says.