Richard Newman, principal of Ray White Arrowtown, says family values run deep through his real estate office. Located in one of the oldest buildings in New Zealand.
The building his real estate office sits in was built in 1862 in the historic gold mining town in Otago in the South Island. It was originally a bank before it was refurbished a few times before the Newmans moved in 20 years ago.
The Newman name has been synonymous with real estate in Arrowtown for more than 48 years.
Ray White Arrowtown continues to have the leading market share in Arrowtown with 2 out of every 3 homes sold are completed by Ray White. During 2017 the market that has seen a 4.6 per cent lift in prices to its current median of $1.036 million.
All of the Ray White Arrowtown sales team individually donate a portion of their sales success fees to various local community service clubs from each sale.
“Like the Ray White Group, we are a family business and we pride ourselves on integrity and community values,” Mr Newman said.
Mr Newman’s dad John retired in 1994, some 25 years after he started selling property in Arrowtown. He passed away 10 years ago but not before he was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for Community Services for tree beautification around northern Southland and Kingston.
“For 23 years he sold most of the town, three or four times over. Remembering the town’s population was only 300 people and the majority of the homes were owned by Dunedin or Southland people,” Mr Newman said of his dad.
In those days property ads were typed on a typewriter on a Monday morning and posted to The Southland Times and Otago Daily Times by Wednesday for publication on Saturdays. The ‘For Sale’ signs were then made of tin and very small.
Richard Newman started real estate 30 years ago in Coromandel, working for Richardson’s Real Estate and moved back to Arrowtown in 1992 starting his own business as Newman United.
Carey Smith, New Zealand Chief Executive for Ray White said that “Richard and his team share an amazing connection to the Arrowtown community. There is a special magic about Ray White Arrowtown that has continued through from Richard’s dad and carried on every day through service, giving back and a genuine love for their town. It doesn’t get much better”.
“We are very proud (and blessed) to have Richard and the team as members of Ray White,” said Mr Smith.
“I decided Ray White was the one the only franchise going places. Also, it was family owned and I felt the White family had the same genuine values as the Newman family had, and I wasn’t wrong,” he said.
“I admire Brian and the White family and love how Brian is so genuine and sincere about everything he does. I’m only sad John didn’t get to meet Brian, two gentlemen.”
“I have been with Ray White for just over 10 years and I really align strongly with the growth and continued broader success of the company. I was awarded a Fellow membership of The Real Estate Institute of NZ in 2002 for services to The Institute and local real estate industry.”
Mr Newman and his wife Leanne, director and property manager, have three grown-up children,“We have two girls, Emma, Mandy and a boy named Nick and I’m hopeful that either Nick or Emma might continue on with another generation of the Newman name in Arrowtown real estate.”