Kitty Long got into real estate 11 years ago for practical reasons – newly single with two children, she needed a job that could provide a good income. It’s turned out to be a career in which she excels, and she’s regularly the top salesperson in Barfoot & Thompson’s Highland Park branch in east Auckland. She’ll go the extra mile for her vendors – even if that means singing on TV to promote their property.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I had been working for a Chinese TV and radio station, selling advertising. I wanted to do real estate because I thought I could make more money in this industry. I had become a solo parent, and I needed to have a good income because it was just me. If I hadn’t needed to make more money, I probably would have been very happy to work in an office for a big firm, an eight-to-five job. But I needed to make money faster, and I needed to make more than in a regular job.
When I was selling advertising, a lot of my customers were real estate agents, and I could see that you could make a good living if you worked hard. I have always worked hard, and I always want to be excellent at what I do. I wanted to be the best real estate agent.
One of my friends said to me: “I know you will be a good agent, get your licence and I will give you my house to sell.” I did the course as quickly as possible – I finished in six weeks – and as soon as I got my licence, I got her house to sell.
Q: Did your career in real estate take off quickly?
I think so. I started with Harcourts, and I had a lot of support. I also had a lot of contacts from my previous work. In my first year, I sold 19 houses, five of my own listings and 14 of other agents’ listings. In the second year, I also sold 19 houses, this time 14 of my own listings and five of other agents. It kept growing from there. In 2017, I went to Barfoot & Thompson. and now I head up a team at the Highland Park office – the Dream Team – and we sell over 200 houses a year. In the past three years, we have been the number one team in the eastern suburbs.
Q: Why do you think you have been so successful?
Hard work! I work more than 60 hours every week; I don’t have weekends most of the time. My kids (Esther, 18, and Aki, 12) say: “Mum, we never see you.” I would like to spend more time with them, but I have to work, or there’s no money. They understand.
“The only time I am not thinking about work!” Long on the badminton court. Photo / Fiona Goodall
There seem to be a lot of women with children who think they will be a real estate agent because their time will be flexible. It is not flexible at all. You have to work weekends because that is when you run open homes and you have to work evenings, because that is often when you are dealing with offers or talking to people about listing. If you don’t have support to look after your children, it is very hard. Luckily, I have my parents supporting me. They came from China to help.
Also, another reason I have been successful is that I want my family to be proud of me.
Q: What makes a good agent besides hard work?
Being kind, considerate and thoughtful, and also responsible and reliable. You have to be professional and knowledgeable; you have to understand the market. You have to have a good eye for detail; when I go into a house, I will suggest to an owner what needs to be done to help it sell and what doesn’t. That has always seemed to come naturally to me.
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You also have to be a good negotiator, deal maker and problem solver. I see my role as finding solutions to many different things.
Honesty is also important, so people can trust you. A lot of people don’t trust agents. They think it’s a glamorous job where you drive a flash car, but it takes a lot of work. We do a lot behind the scenes that people don’t see.
Q: Do you have any particularly memorable sales?
Many! I have seen a lot of situations in my years as a real estate agent. There have been some dramas. I sold one house to someone who turned out to be a criminal who then got arrested by the police. He was on the news. I was questioned about how I knew him. It was through the open home. I had no idea what his background was.
I have handled some tough cases, some sad situations. I did a sale for a couple who were splitting up and one side was easy to deal with but the other side was not; they were very firm in their opinions. We got an offer and one of the vendors said yes but the other one said no. I wrote them an email – 1000 words, it took three hours. I explained why it was a good offer, I shared my own personal experience of separating, and I talked about how if you want to move on, you have to be realistic. They said thank you for the email, we will accept the offer. The circumstances were very intense; you have to be sensitive at times like that.
The iconic 1980s castle that Long sold earlier this year in Auckland’s Half Moon Bay. She showed off her singing talents while showing the castle to TV show Seven Sharp. Photo / Supplied
Q: What about the castle you sold?
I did sell a castle. It was a very unique house in Half Moon Bay that was built to look like a castle. It was not something everyone would like, but I got multiple buyers and a very good offer for the owner, who was happy. That was a very proud experience for me.
It was on the Seven Sharp TV programme and I did a bit of singing to show the good acoustics in one of the rooms – it would be a good place to hold a mini-concert. After that, I had people saying, “You can do some singing when you sell my house.” I don’t know about that.
Q: And you have a radio show?
It’s live on AM936, on Fridays from 6-7pm, and I’ve been doing it for five years. I host with Kelly Zhang, and we just talk about real estate. We choose a topic and share our experience. We also talk about property news and our listings. I was a bit nervous when I first started doing it, but I am used to it now. It did help that when I sold advertising for a radio and TV show, I would sit outside the studio listening, but I never thought I would be on the frontline myself, talking about property.
I have a lot of followers, and people say: “Your voice is sweet. How old are you?” Then they see me in person when they come to the open homes and say, “Oh. You are a lot more senior than we thought.” I’ve just turned 50!
I came to New Zealand when I was 26, so I have now been here for nearly half of my life. I didn’t know very much about the country, but I had always dreamed of going abroad. It was time to change my destiny, and I am very glad I did it.
Q: What do you love about real estate?
You get a good sense of achievement. You get to help people move on with their lives.
I also enjoy getting to work with my team of six other agents. I have been leading the Dream Team for six years now, and we are very close. We cover for each other and we trust each other. It is like a family. And I like to share my experience with newbies and help them do the best possible job of selling a house and handling all kinds of situations.
I have been able to make good money, like I wanted. I can say to my daughter, who is going to university next year and loves fashion design: “Dream big – mum is always here supporting you.” But I have to keep working like this to pay for things.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
The only one I have time for is playing badminton. I belong to a club and try to go at least once a week. It refreshes me and gives me energy. And it is the only time I am not thinking about work.