Seller Stories — Real Results from Real Wellington Sellers
Moving is widely acknowledged as one of the most stressful events in our lives.
These 5 real seller stories — from Johnsonville, Khandallah, Ngaio, and Paparangi — show the real feelings and situations that everyday Wellington sellers run into. They also show what your real estate service needs to do to get you the best result, with all your nerves intact.
We didn't know where to start — Johnsonville
They needed $720,000 to make retirement work. They got $860,000.
'We had been in our house for over 20 years when we decided we needed to downsize. We'd got a market appraisal and it was clear that getting the right price was the only way that we could realistically be able to move to our dream retirement.
We weren't sure what to do or where to start but we'd watched Leonie and Steve work hard for others so got them around for advice and a plan. We chose them because they are very professional at what they do.
Leonie went room-by-room with us, taking photos of the spaces, and then came up with a preparation plan, which she sent to us. Being semi-retired we needed to be careful with money and some of the clever things cost little but made a big difference to how our property looked. We couldn't believe it.
What really helped was knowing which things to focus on and how far to go. Leonie's advice and tips gave us cost-effective improvements that we set to work on. They kept in touch popping in to see our progress and when it got closer to the time they came back with the staging ideas and touches to best set-up our home to its best potential and for the right buyers. Staging our office as a kid's bedroom was a great touch. The transformation was amazing.
We got into the market and were kept up with the play throughout the process. It went fantastic and we got the best result which was more than we expected. It got us into the retirement place we wanted and gave us more money to enjoy our retirement with.' - Bob and June - Johnsonville, 2023
Our timeframe was urgent — Khandallah
12 offers. $80,000 above appraisal range. A relocation that felt impossible — until it wasn't.
'We needed to buy first, which we did, and then sell our home within a timeframe to make the move. To say it all felt a bit scary was a total understatement. We had bought out of town and our experience as buyers hadn't done a lot for our nerves. We also hadn't sold a property before as a couple so it was all unfamiliar to us and we didn't know what to expect.
We appointed Leonie and Steve to sell our Khandallah property and were so glad we did. Their planning, communications and contact at every stage made us feel at ease and what could have been nerve-wrecking instead became doable and we felt comfortable.
The weekly written vendor reports in particular gave us huge comfort and confidence in the process. Essentially this is the key piece of information we needed throughout. There was lots of detailed feedback and it meant we knew all prospective buyers were being followed up and we had an idea of what people were saying about the property leading up to the sale date. This was also supported by Steve's regular call and insights.
From the get-go, the process and communication was clear and the guidance on what options were best for us made things easy e.g. marketing, staging, being given building inspection company options. Having issues identified and managed prior to the sale was also a relief. They had access to a plumber in a timely fashion when we found it hard to track someone down who could come. I would usually assume it the vendor's responsibility to do all of this and it was a huge benefit to have this taken out of our hands and dealt with.
As our agents Leonie and Steve demonstrated a level of professionalism, care and pride in their work gave us comfort. Their experience in the market gave us comfort that we were on-track during the process and took the stress away.
While they acted in the interest of us as the vendor we could see that they were also acting in the interest of prospective buyers by offering a full disclosure no surprises policy. We feel a happier bidder will offer a better price than a nervous or uninformed bidder.' — James and Tracy, Khandallah, 2024
Unexpected disaster — Ngaio
Five offers. Steve kept going back to lift each one — and move the settlement date forward to meet their deadline.
'We had owned our Ngaio family home for 23 years when we decided to make a big change and retire to a rural lifestyle in the South Island. Steve went the extra mile to find helpful comparison sales, which helped us understand values down there and our offer was accepted conditional upon us selling.
Things needed to move quickly. The timeframe was critical as was getting the right price and this is where working with a highly experienced and professional team like Leonie and Steve really paid off for us. They understood our needs and put together a timetable and selling process to get us there. Leonie gave us a detailed plan to get our house ready, with set-up and styling recommendations to appeal to buyers and we got straight to work. There was a lot to do in a short time and Leonie organised a gardener to keep us on track.
Their personal touch throughout took a lot of stress away and made us feel we could do this. On photo day they both were there to set things up and move things around so we got beautiful images and things started to come together. Leonie's preparation and marketing strategy brought out the best aspects of our property and found the right buyers who connected with it.
They helped us obtain LIM and Builders reports and went through these to identify issues and put solutions and communications in place so that we could meet our timeframes and buyers would not be put off. One of the issues involved a fence that needed to be reset.
Our house had changed a lot over the years and there were not ready and easy comparisons to gauge its market value. Steve has an obvious analytical background and he had put together comparison sales to frame an honest assessment of where value could lie. It was clear that he met with each of the interested parties to educate them about the market and obtain top offers and his negotiation skills were evident in the high quality offers that we received.
While we had the LIM and Building Reports done, some unexpected issues arose that could have derailed things. This was where Steve's negotiation and conflict resolution skills came to the forefront and saved the day. It could have been a disaster had we not had a calm, experienced negotiator on our side. Steve got us on the phone and worked through our understanding of things, as he proposed solutions and went back and forward between us and the interested parties. He was able to draw information together, work-up solutions and work through issues with buyers. His level of interpersonal skills and negotiating experience meant that we overcame the barriers, ultimately seeing multiple offers and a final negotiated price above our expectations.' — Paul and Wendy, Ngaio, 2025
Unforeseeable disclosure issue - Paparangi
Their bottom line was $950,000. Two families fought it out. Final price: $1,100,000.
'We recently engaged Steve and Leonie to sell one of our Paparangi investment properties — this was the third property they have sold for us in four years (the other two being our own home and another investment property).
A three week marketing plan was agreed to, and Steve and Leonie set to work. Over the course of the first two weeks of the marketing campaign, a number of unforeseeable issues relating to the property arose which required us to do formal disclosures of each issue to potential purchasers.
Steve and Leonie quickly developed practical solutions and messages to remove the barriers and protect our sale, working past midnight on the day the worst of this happened to turn it around. We cannot speak highly enough of Steve and Leonie's professionalism, expertise, dedication and sheer hard work as these disclosures meant that each time they had to communicate personally and individually with over 50 potentially interested parties (in writing and verbally) to ensure that they were aware of all the issues and the proposed solutions.
It is a testament to their experience and skills in risk management and communication that the number of issues that occurred did not seriously compromise the sale of our property. The end result for us was multiple offers and a price that certainly exceeded our highest expectations.
We have no hesitation in recommending Steve and Leonie as per the saying when the going got tough, Steve and Leonie got down to work and brought home an excellent result for us. We will definitely be using them again in the future.' — Bruce and Karen, Paparangi
What clients ask us
What happens if issues come up during a sale?
They come up more often than people think — building report concerns, LIM queries, unconsented work, finance hiccups. We've seen it all. The difference between a sale falling over and a sale getting done usually comes down to how fast you move and how clearly you communicate. We get on it straight away, work through the options, and keep everyone in the loop — buyers, lawyers, the lot. Most issues are solvable if you don't let them fester.
How do you handle urgent timelines?
We've sold for people relocating for work, managing a separation, settling an estate, and buying somewhere else first. Tight timelines don't scare us — they just mean the planning has to be tighter. We move fast on photography, marketing, and buyer follow-up, and we're straight with you about what's realistic so there are no nasty surprises.
What does a vendor report include?
Every week while your property is on the market, you'll get a written report from us. Not a two-liner — a proper rundown of buyer enquiry numbers, open home attendance, private viewing activity, online performance, buyer interest levels and any objections we're already working on, price feedback, and our recommendations for the week ahead. You'll always know where things stand.
