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Going, going, gone … auctioneer Ryan Steven is laying down his gavel at the end of the year.
Ryan Steven appears to fit neatly into the mould of ‘successful young real estate agent’. He is sharp-suited, smartly coiffed and a smooth communicator.
But the Bayleys sales manager and auctioneer is preparing to lay down his gavel early next year and step back from the overheated north Auckland property market, in favour of a much simpler, quieter life.
“My partner and I live in our tiny house that we’ve built and lived in over the last two years,” Ryan says. “It’s been a labour of love and we’ve been looking at simplifying our life.
“We’re taking it down to Raglan and I’m going to grow food, spend time with my family and aim for self-sufficiency.”
He’s been in the business for nine years, a period when the housing market has not only recovered from the GFC downturn, but boomed so much that prices have skyrocketed to the point where owning property has become an impossible dream for many people.
The former Navy air traffic controller admits he can’t see a major about-turn anytime soon, not while demand continues to outstrip supply and cashed-up buyers, whether city dwellers seeking a quieter life or expats returning home due to Covid, continue to snap up homes as soon as they hit the market.
“All that generally happens is more or less restrictions on lending money, but they’re just tweaks,” he says.
With the exception of Mahurangi West, Puhoi and Waiwera, average house prices have risen throughout the Coast in the first six months of the year, compared to 2020, with Ōrewa and Gulf Harbour the real hotspots.
“Ōrewa has seen one of the biggest increases in average price, plus a massive drop in the number of days on the market,” Ryan says. “The northern suburbs have taken on a bit more of a corporate feel. Here, it’s a community and a coastal lifestyle. People have reflected what’s really important to them over the last year and a half, and they can justify the drive.”
However, there are signs that the tide is starting to turn and soaring prices might at least level out.
“I’m starting to notice there’s a bit more of a disparity between what people want to sell for and what people are prepared to pay,” Ryan says. “Buyers are digging in their heels a bit more.”
While he admits there is no magic bullet to make prices more affordable, Ryan says potential buyers can optimise their situation by doing some serious groundwork.
“They should be doing two months of market research, really getting to know what’s happening in the area they want to purchase. Get all the data – how fast homes sell, the price, features of the property, size of land, local schools, transport links.
“If they did all that, and went to six to eight open homes every weekend, they’d have more knowledge than most real estate agents. They’re so much more prepared – the fear of paying too much will be taken away.”
Ryan says, apart from market prices, the biggest change he’s seen in the past decade has been the amount of knowledge available to people.
“Consumers are a lot more savvy, much more informed,” he says. “Now we’ve got four online platforms buyers can go to, there is much more information at their disposal.”
