NZ’s youngest real estate business owner busy in Silverdale

NZ’s youngest real estate business owner busy in Silverdale

At just 20 years of age Andy a’Beckett is the youngest licenced real estate business owner in New Zealand.

He’s based in Century 21’s new Silverdale office in the old part of village and is never far from parental guidance, as his business partner mother Donna a’Beckett is also a real estate agent working out of the same office.

Andy says the mother and son relationship is helpful in the cut-throat world of real estate.

“It has worked out well and it offers a family-orientated feel to our business. I was looking for a new career and mum was doing really well in real estate and could see the opportunities for me to get involved,” says Andy a’Beckett, business owner and licensee salesperson for Century 21 Northern Realty.

“For sure it tests our patience at times but the advantage for someone young like me is the instant trust factor. In this game, it’s easy for agents to focus primarily on looking after themselves but we see the bigger picture for our clients. Whereas, we naturally look out for each other. The biggest challenge is probably not taking the office stuff home, but we’re getting better at that.

The a’Becketts say while it’s not unusual for husbands and wives to be involved in real estate, the mother and son combination is a bit of a rarity.

“Mum’s been really encouraging and pushes me out there. She certainly hasn’t wrapped me in cotton wool. Initially mum would front the jobs and I’d just help her behind the scenes. Now we’re both fronting our own listings but we’re still working closely together and sharing the weekend open home work.”

Andy says being young in real estate can be a great advantage.

“There’s probably a perception that the silver foxes are the ones who prosper in real estate, but I’m finding people are really generous and encouraging of me. People love that I’m keen, have energy and are genuinely enthusiastic about the properties we’re marketing.”

Donna says Andy is like a breath of fresh air and people are attracted to that.

“I’ve been around real estate for a long time and what Andy has shown me is when you inject some youth and vitality into the equation, people most respond well to it and open up. I’m really proud of his attitude and the results he’s getting. Young people often get a bad rap, but Andy’s a great ambassador for his generation and of course can help us all with the latest technology,” says Donna a’Beckett, business owner and licensee salesperson for Century 21 Northern Realty.

Century 21’s office at 12 Silverdale Road opened in February with business throughout much of the Rodney and North Shore area progressing well.

“As everyone knows Silverdale is experiencing huge growth with many of our clients being young couples or families looking to buy in a semi-rural community which has good big city access. One of the big opportunities is the neighbouring Millwater development which is 600 acres, will have 3,500 homes and one day 10,000 residents.

“It’s certainly an exciting time to be in real estate. Being able to share the experiences and work successes with my mother is brilliant,” says Andy a’Beckett

www.century21.co.nz

ENDS

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