Happy Clients
Nikko and Anna Buenaventura (buyers)
“Our Testimony is simple. Simon Ritchie is awesome.
I can’t say enough about Simon’s professionalism, true caring nature, and extensive knowledge/connections. He brings all these qualities to the table for his clients, not just in the real estate transaction, but in the transition to our new home/community. We purchased a home through Simon early this year. We met Simon on a weekend and that was a good indication of the level of commitment Simon had to service. Throughout the home buying process, Simon was extremely responsive and thoughtful in his recommendations to us. I’ve worked with some realtors in the past, and Simon is the most service-oriented realtor I have worked with. He got us the house of our dreams including the curtains and the drapes my wife wanted and the fridge! And this was even after someone else made a first offer before us… “Magic”, I say!
I would be very happy to give Simon my highest recommendation for anyone desiring to sell their property or buy one. His in depth KNOW HOW and the numerous professional and personal contacts in the business, places him in an enviable position from where he can take advantage of opportunities for his clients which other realtors can only dream about.”
Jodie and Derrick Rahman (buyers)
“We have been searching for so long, that at one stage we even lost hope. But, Simon, you gave us hope. We were going to leave it for the following year but then prices just kept going up. Simon you have been absolutely amazing throughout this whole process in helping us and even showing us properties from other agencies. You negotiated on our behalf in such a brilliant way with a multi-offer situation that we felt really confident in what you were doing for us. We simply couldn’t have got this far without you and now we are the proud owners of a lovely home. Thank you so much!!”
Fiona and Hamish Fraser (buyers):
“Simon, you have been absolutely brilliant to us. You are a fabulous real estate agent and wonderful gent. I can’t thank you enough for all of your help. There’s no one else we want to deal with but you. I’ve got some of your business cards, so if I get a sniff of anyone wanting to sell their house, I’ll be putting one of them in their hands!!”
Sharon and John Wheller (sellers):
“I would highly recommend Simon as one of the best agents I have dealt with. He was very understanding of our needs and worked tirelessly to obtain the best result for our family during what was a particularly difficult time for us. At all times, Simon acted in our best interests and with great integrity and professionalism. Simon’s knowledge of the market, and his understanding of both buyers and sellers’ needs, is excellent. His advice during the lead up to the sale was spot on and the timing impeccable. Simon went far above and beyond what we expected of an agent in order to be of assistance to our family. For this, we are incredibly grateful. And because of this, we achieved a fantastic result. As an overseas seller, I was concerned that distance might be an issue. Simon, however, kept us informed at all times, despite the time differences between countries and we were even able to ‘attend’ the auction by phone and experience the excitement live.”
Colin and Ann Bouzaid (sellers):
“Simon, we wish to express our appreciation for all the hard work you put in to the marketing and selling of our house. We could not fault your enthusiasm and professional manner. At all times you kept us informed as to what was happening. We left it all in Simon’s capable hands. Your sense of humour, support, and caring certainly helped us. We have no reservation at recommending you to potential clients and wish you all the best for the future.”
Debbie Matthews (seller):
“A wholly positive experience from beginning to end. Simon helps to give confidence to the vendor as he listens and gives suggestions accordingly. There is open dialogue throughout the process so the vendor feels informed and included. Simon has an attention to detail and a manner that instils confidence, not only with the vendor but I imagine the buyer also, allowing a purchaser to bid with confidence in his trustworthiness. Simon has been so thorough in keeping me updated on all details. In my mind, Harcourts’ professionalism and knowledge of the current housing situation makes them the best company for the job.”
OPEN LETTER from someone who went about trying to sell privately…
“To whom it may concern:
I entered into the agent/vendor relationship with Harcourts after a period of 3 weeks privately marketing and selling my 2 bedroom property, an experience that I found was complex and time consuming. I soon realised selling privately was not uncovering the optimal price I was seeking, and I decided it was time to bring in the big guns.
Enter Simon Ritchie, Agent Extraordinaire.
From the very start Simon’s personable character engenders confidence and stability into the process. His experience in the real estate sector and insight into the buyer’s habits, combined with the Harcourts’ methodology in getting the very best results for their clients, allowed me to make the decision to run with a Harcourts agency campaign. As the third party, Simon was able to ask the questions that as the owner I was unable to; he was able to convey my expectations to the buyer and offer them the assurance that the agreement was backed by a solid and reputable company. Because of the process employed by Simon and Harcourts, the value in my property was soon realised by the buyer and a record breaking pre-auction bid was received and accepted within the space of 9 days.
Simon has been all things to everybody involved. The buyer’s dream of home owner-ship has been happily achieved, all the while he was looking after my bests interests as the vendor. Simon knows what he’s doing, he is thorough and considered in his approach and achieved my goal and more, that of the best price. Without hesitation l would recommend Simon Ritchie and Harcourts to sell your home.” D. Matthews
Vanessa Yong (buyer)
“Thank you Simon for making the purchase of my first property such a smooth transaction. Your professionalism and experience shone through and made the purchase quick and trouble free. You responded to every query with enthusiasm and promptness. Your courtesy, advice and honesty were first class and you kept me informed every step of the way. I would like to think this is the start of my property portfolio and I could not have asked for a better experience to begin my venture. I have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone who is looking for an effective and professional agent.”
Fiona Tulloch (buyer)
“Simon, I would like to testify that you are without doubt the most helpful, impartial and lovely real estate agent that we’ve worked with, and we’ve worked with many. I always felt that you were looking out for our interests and I would have no hesitation in having you be our sole representative/agent when we are back on the market again, looking for a property to buy. You have great integrity and it’s very comforting to know that you’re on our side, guiding us through a very tricky, confusing and expensive process.”
Bridget & Jason Holt (buyers):
“Simon was always on time to all appointments. Simon kept us fully informed at every stage of the property finding and viewing process so that we knew exactly what was happening. He kept in contact regularly and clearly explained what was involved in the process for us needing to purchase a house. He went to great effort to source properties that he thought would fit our needs and wants. Simon was always polite, professional and consistently worked hard on our behalf. Simon sent us information that was relevant and helpful to what we were looking for. Simon listened very well to what we both wanted and needed in a property. Simon saved us a lot of stress because he was knowledgeable about the real estate market. Simon also offered some out of the box ideas to help us. It was helpful having someone who knew the current market, particularly as we were first home buyers. Simon had some great ideas about what to consider when buying that we had not thought of ourselves. Simon went out of his way to help us with what we needed. Simon gave us confidence that we were dealing with a first class real estate professional. We would definitely recommend Simon’s real estate services to others because it helped make the process of looking for a house less stressful. We were given lots of options when looking at homes. Simon was always encouraging and consistent with his support in finding a home for us.”
Harry-Jan den Biggelaar & Jeroen Brand (buyers):
“We were very happy with the real estate services provided by Simon. Simon was a tremendous help acting for us in some very tricky negotiations with the vendor. We only had 2 days in Auckland to find a property for our work employees with a business we have in Albany. Simon not only showed us what Harcourts had available with the criteria we had, but Simon also showed us properties from several different agencies also with properties they had for sale. This information was presented to us and Simon arranged with the other agents to show us the property. We ended up looking at 6 places and were able to short-list 2 places all within the space of 2 days! We were overseas in Holland at the time negotiations were taking place on the apartment we ended up choosing and so the time difference was a challenge for us but Simon helped us in every way possible by keeping us updated and informed as to where things were at and what was expected of us. Negotiations came down literally to the last minute for us as we had a deadline to keep and Simon amazingly managed to procure a win-win situation for us as well as for the vendor, when things were looking at one stage as though they were going to fail. We have a business in Albany, Auckland and this apartment was going to be for our employees. Simon’s skills in producing this outcome for us were outstanding and were very much appreciated.”
Naresh and Bina Nathoo (buyers):
“Simon was a great person to deal with. He was very efficient and thorough in all the paperwork and dealings with both us and the vendors. It was a pleasure dealing with Simon. We would not hesitate to recommend Simon to anyone wishing to sell their house. All the best Simon and thanks for getting us a lovely home.”
Brenda Griffith and Joyce Normanton (sellers):
“My mother at 94 years of age had come to the decision to sell her 2 bedroom unit and move to a retirement village. Simon came and saw me several times to talk through the process, advertising, etc. and brought me all the written information I needed. Consequently, I was able to discuss a variety of things with mum before she met with Simon and we both found this very helpful, especially the decision about auction or not and the type of advertising required. On the day of the auction both of us were very surprised and thrilled when her unit fetched exactly the top price that Simon had expected. Subsequent to the sale Simon’s service was again superb–he stayed in contact with me about the final settlement date, and the odd buyer enquiry. Of particular help where I felt he went above and beyond, was arranging for someone to come round and take away all the bits and pieces left on the property eg. old letter box, broken pieces of gib, etc. This was especially useful and really helped us in a pressured situation. Overall, we were both very pleased with Simon’s professionalism, service and of course the price and would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone wanting to sell.”
