Bring On The Expert
Meet Nicky Hartigan, the expert who's waiting to sell you a Samui home.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Nicky doesn’t consider herself an expert. However, with a solid customer-service and real-estate background in the UK and a proven presence here on Samui, she more than meets the criteria.
Starting out in the travel industry, Nicky worked for a couple of prestigious travel agencies, including American Express Travel where she excelled in creating tailor-made trips for high-end travellers. So it seems somewhat ironic that she’s now working in one of the world’s finest high-end destinations in a completely different role.
After several years in the world of travel, everything changed when she invited an estate agent around to value her house. The agent, an owner of an independent agency, liked her personality and attitude so much that he immediately offered her a job as senior sales negotiator. This agent had a very different approach from most in the UK and he was far from the stereotypical salesperson. For him it was all about honesty, integrity and personality. That philosophy sometimes meant pointing out potential negatives as well as all the positives of a property and, in some cases, this could result in lost sales. But at least all consciences were clear.
She took to the position like the proverbial ‘duck to water’ and before long the agency was outperforming all the national agencies within that area.
In 1999 Nicky got married and visited Samui on her honeymoon, her first trip here. It was love at first sight and she returned every year on her anniversary. After a few years, a business opportunity arose and she and her husband bought a home on the island with the intention of using it as a holiday home. However, the island’s attraction became too much to ignore and they decided to relocate here full-time.
Whilst looking for a home on the island Nicky had made contact with Stuart Evans, owner of Koh Samui Land & Homes, and, by sheer coincidence, it so happened that at the time of her relocation Stuart was looking for an office manager and sales negotiator. So, in similar circumstances to how she got her first job in real-estate, he offered her the position.
After five years of real-estate experience in the UK Nicky came to the island a little wary about differences in the market and in the way things would be done in Thailand. She soon realised that the basic principles and experience she had would serve her well on Samui.
She is strong, confident and, despite her small appearance, not easily intimidated. Her ethics are simple: Be honest and maintain integrity. Don’t go to Nicky expecting her to just accept your personal property valuation. Her thoroughness, knowledge and professionalism usually put her in a strong position to stand her ground and present you with compelling evidence to support her opinions.
For example, you may have a two-bedroom home with a reasonable-sized garden and a small pool which you may value at Bt10 million. Nicky may value the property at nearer Bt7 million and provide you with details of properties comparable in size and location with possibly more land, a bigger pool, an extra bedroom or better fittings marketed at less than you’re asking. It’s not always possible to find exact comparisons but this sort of research certainly helps you find a realistic sales price and increase your chances of finding a genuine buyer.
If, after viewing your property, she feels she cannot market it for at the price you want, or could not realistically expect to get you a sale, she’ll tell you so and wish you good luck in marketing the property with another agent. This approach can sometimes shock owners who are used to being in control and naming their own price. But, more often than not, vendors accept her honesty and are prepared to go with her advice. It can work the other way, too, where somebody may have undervalued their property.
Nicky sees her job as getting the best possible price for the vendor, without deceiving the buyer. After all, every buyer is a potential vendor in the future.
She’s been through the processes that her customers face; she’s bought property on Samui and knows about the potential pitfalls and procedures that have to be followed. She also has an unquestionable love of the island and a genuine belief that investing in Samui is a very good way to secure a significant income in the future.
Koh Samui Land & Homes had already built a reputation for being a trustworthy and reliable agency based on a British estate agency ethos. Since Nicky’s arrival that reputation has been further enhanced. Stuart says, “Nicky’s background and experience of working in an independent estate agency in the UK has been very important. She’s also been through the process of buying her own home and relocating to Samui and can therefore empathise with the people she meets daily. Since she joined the company the level of professionalism and attention to detail has increased considerably, from initial enquiries all the way through to completion. Nicky is prepared to tell people what they need to hear, as opposed to what they want to hear and that makes her a very honest and valuable asset.”
In further support of this opinion Michael Peart, the respected owner of Crawshaws Solicitors, stated, “Now that Samui’s property market is maturing, it requires a new breed of professional. Nicky is certainly one of them. We have worked together on a number of cases and I have found her understanding to the needs of both her client and her lawyer, and always doing the best for her client. She is patient, positive, and above all else very professional; which is like a breath of fresh air on Samui.”
And there are many happy customers who also appreciate the work and effort Nicky has put in, to not only secure them a home on Samui, but also in giving them advice, contacts and assistance wherever possible regarding settling in to life on the island. Ged Campbell says, “I contacted several agencies about properties; most never replied and those that did failed to inspire any confidence. One reply did stand out and that was from Nicky. We had many questions which she promptly answered. She also emailed me several additional photographs of the properties I liked. When we met we developed an instant rapport as she gave us honest appraisals of our questions, with no hard sell. We felt she genuinely wanted us to get the best Samui could offer for our budget. My wife and I have now lived here for a year; the sale was smooth and quick and since then Nicky has been an enormous help with things like house insurance, recommendations for curtain suppliers, etc. She takes a personal pride in making sure her customers find what they want and are happy.”
No one knows what the future holds but Nicky is very happy that the company has survived the market’s recent problems. In fact, this year has started extremely positively with sales figures rising considerably and customers coming from all over the world. If this continues for the rest of the year then Nicky is confident that the market will recover fully and go on to surpass the level it reached previously. Whatever happens, Samui is her home and she intends to be around for a long time to come.
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