There is real estate: then there is ‘The Cooper Group’

August 31, 2022

The Cooper Group

Case Study: Spotlight on The Cooper Group's premium real estate service

“You are not your average agents!” is what our clients tell us.

We don’t just sell your home. We go to great lengths to get everything right. When we talk about ‘full service’, we happily put our money where our mouth is!

I don’t know of any other sales team, or agency, in the region that will go as far as we do in preparing your home for sale and working through the sale process right through to the delivery of keys to the new owner. Our entire ethos is to do whatever is needed to provide an easy, stress-free and supported experience. Whatever you need done, we have the resources, the connections and the desire to get the job done.

“The Cooper Group are not just your average agents! Debbie and her team effectively project managed the process from start to finish from the day the tenants moved out and the way she communicated the entire process from the get go, plus level of attention to detail gave me confidence to select her and her team to sell my property. She also didn’t set any unrealistic expectations and while the market conditions moved against our favour, she managed to get us an outcome that we were initially hoping for. All in all, the level of service in my view was a cut above what you would normally expect from an agent”.

– Pohguan

When we receive feedback like this, which we often do, it simply reminds us that the commitment to our clients, the work that we do, is the very reason they come back to us, time and time again. It is the reason why they tell their friends and, so importantly, the reason why we get out of bed every morning.

Service comes in various shapes and forms. Sometimes it’s the small, finishing touches that make all the difference. Without giving away all our secrets, it’s fair to say that your home will be presented to prospective purchasers just the way it would be – the way you would want it.

“Gidday you crazy woman – I am home and do you know what I did when I got out of the car – looked at the chimney!!! Thank you.”

“It was the middle of winter when my home of 35 years went unconditional. I was travelling back to Nelson from the North Island and was on the ferry when I got the call from Debbie to say the house had sold. By the time I reached Nelson, it was nearly dark. As I drove in the drive I noticed smoke coming from my chimney. I came home to a warm home, lights on and champagne on the counter ready for me. I couldn’t believe it.”

– Adrienne

Selling a home in winter can be challenging when you are not local. One of the key factors for any buyers is warmth. So that’s where we come in. It’s nothing for us to pop in early in the day and get the home warmed up – making sure that when your buyer walks through the door, your home feels lived in, and inviting.

The Cooper Group is a small team, but by definition, a highly effective one where everyone does everything that is needed to ensure that you come first.

“Wendy was such a great help: as I was finishing off inside and the photographer was arriving, Wendy picked up a broom and swept the driveway. What a team!”

– Fiona

Best in Class

Presentation is everything

At The Cooper Group we recognise the need to present property as ‘best in class’ regardless of the price tag.

Our job is to make sure that you have the best value proposition for your segment of the market today. Sometimes that involves a little extra work and preparation, but that’s where our expertise comes in. Having honest conversations with you at the start can make you more money at the end.

Case Studies:

We have recently worked with two different out-of-town clients to prepare their rental properties for market and I would like to share what that looked like in each instance.

Take a look at what full service looks like from us…

Property 1

This home was purchased six years earlier, purely as an investment property, by Christchurch-based owners. The home was left in an acceptable condition for the end of a tenancy but it was definitely not what we consider to be market ready. The first time I viewed the property I identified things around the home in need of attention that, through experience, I knew would impact on the overall saleability of the home. Our job is to extract the best possible price from the market, and through experience, we can show you that spending a bit to prepare the home for sale can return a higher return in after-tax profits.

In the initial consultation with the vendor, we were all in agreement that there was a need to do work to prepare for market.

Quotes were obtained from reliable tradespeople and companies, which were presented to the vendor.
Where required, further quotes were obtained until a satisfactory price was agreed.
Debbie was on site to meet all tradespeople and oversee the work done.
All of this happened within a 10-day time frame as there was a need to get the property to market as soon as possible.

We recommended:

Exterior, roof and deck cleaning / treatment
Interior clean – a full detailed clean, walls and ceilings
Paint touch ups and repairs
Odd repairs to doors, handles, etc.
Carpet cleaned
Windows cleaned
Gardening – general tidy up of lawns and gardens, new flowering plants to add colour to the garden and new bark
Home Staging

The result:

The home was professionally staged and professionally photographed before going to the market. It attracted multiple offers and a record sale within the first week of advertising.

Home 'hero' image:

The Deck:

The Deck:House roof washing / treatment

Professional Staging

Property 2

This 1920s home had been tenanted for approximately five years prior to marketing.
Again, the home was left in an acceptable condition for a tenancy end but we identified some much-needed maintenance and updating to attract the best possible sale price. Our client was North Island based and unable to travel – so that’s where we came in.

We recommended:

Repair or replace kitchen cabinets
Full interior paint
Repair to damaged walls/ doors/ windows
Repair or replace one window that had rotted frame
Exterior clean and paint touch up
Windows cleaned
Repairs to guttering and external plumbing
New carpet
Gardening and landscaping
Staging
New light fixtures in some rooms.

What we did:

We worked with the vendor to provide multiple quotes for subtrades and, coming up with best possible solutions for repairs, the vendor was able to confidently see that we were working to get the best result for the least amount of money spent.

Debbie personally met all tradespeople on site, discussed possible options, and project managed the co-ordination of all activities, working within a tight time frame and budget.

The result:

The sale price met the initial expectations that the client had been hoping for. We received three offers on the home, all within a similar price point. Following the sale our client was keen to provide feedback – confirming that our approach to the sale and the frank conversations around the need to undertake repairs and maintenance left them confident that we were the right team for the job.

When we first ‘applied for the job’, we were competing with five other agencies. We were not the cheapest, but neither were we the most expensive. What stood out for our client was that we were the most committed.

At the end of the day, all real estate activity transactions will cost you money, but hey, let us help because we do a lot of the hard work before we even meet you. We have already reduced some of the cost involved in ‘due diligence’.