Bayleys may be in the business of selling real estate, but for this long-standing national brand, it’s all about the people.

Bayleys Gisborne is this month celebrating its 25th year in business. Owner and managing director Simon Bousfield heads the team, with founding shareholder, director and agent licensee, James Macpherson.

James came to real estate in late 1993 after becoming “a bit bored” with farming. After subdividing his own land, and receiving several nudges to venture into real estate, James did just that. Within two years he had bought the business he worked for, and three years further on had joined the Bayleys’ brand. James’ farming background stood him in good stead, as he and his team dominated the rural sector while also excelling in both commercial and residential.

“I  had always wanted to be part of Bayleys and position the company in the rural and commercial sectors,” said James. “In the late 90s Bayleys were far ahead of anyone else in marketing in New Zealand. They were a big but small company — a family-owned operation based in Auckland. While we were a franchise, we got the benefits of the very strong and dynamic Auckland headquarters.”

With several partners along the way, by 2017-2018 Simon Bousfield and Karen Raureti became directors alongside James who had by then also taken up the Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa franchises.

Over the past decade James has seen many changes, particularly in marketing and social media, and the shift from large farms being sold by stock agencies to specialist real estate companies, but the heart of the business has remained — people.

James says he has had some tremendous people in the team with plenty of highlights. Peter McIntyre and Greg Robertson have been agents with Bayleys almost since the beginning and are still selling today. Greg has stamped his dominance on the East Coast market over the years. In 2005 Peter listed and sold 70 properties within the year.

“This was a phenomenal achievement. We have certainly had some incredibly good years and would have sold the majority of farms and big stations, by some margin,” said James, who also acknowledged the support and loyalty of repeat clients and key professionals within the region.

Top agents are worth their weight in gold, and James said as a company they always sought the best.

“We have a strong focus on training and growing our people. Eighty percent of real estate is sold by 20 percent of the agents, and the region has some truly gifted ones here.

“Survivability is how you cope with both the highs and lows. Our regions have had some tough times — we were here in the 1980s too so it is familiar territory, but we know our communities well and they will recover.”

James is still very involved with the Gisborne franchise, consulting with Simon often during the week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Simon,” he says. “You are always looking for people to replace yourself and you want those who are better than you to take over. Bayleys has those sorts of agents.”

Simon is the first to admit the opportunity James gave him has been phenomenal. When approached in 2014, he had a look around at other companies to understand the lie of the land.

“It was 100 percent evident that Bayleys was where you would want to be if you were going to step into real estate,” says Simon, who also came from a rural background.

He’s now one of Bayleys top 5 percent salespeople nationally.

“What attracted me to Bayleys was their dominant position in the rural market, top-notch brand and absolute focus on customer service through building strong relationships to deliver results.”

The local franchise calls for 100 percent commitment from the entire team.

“A large part of what makes us successful is recruitment of the right people. We have 26 in the team and they all are passionate not only about real estate, but also the community in which we live, work and play.”

Business is built around community focus, and the team of 24 people are ingrained across it all.

They have some big plans for the future, which started with the appointment of three new shareholders.

“We have massive growth plans, and I am pretty excited around what the business has in store for the future” says Simon.

“We will always continue with our community-centric approach to real estate, getting alongside as many local organisations as possible. We’re excited by what the future brings, and by what the team will achieve in the coming years. We’re looking forward to another 25 years alongside Tairāwhiti.”