Flying The Property Flag
Cam Reed and Bas Smith have been flying the Queenstown property market flag at the helm of Ray White Queenstown for the past ten years and as business partners have developed complementary skillsets and demonstrated success, drive and an exceptional service standard.
Bas is a larger-then-life personality who is passionate about healthy living, family and above all real estate. He is committed to Queenstown, as is Cam, who in the early 1990s spent a few years living the ultimate lifestyle, working in a local ski shop in winter and as a track guide in summer.
“It gets in your blood, which is why I made a conscious decision to move here with my family in 2002.”
While Bas and Cam move in different circles, which ensures they have their finger on the pulse of business opportunities and contacts across the board, family and community are the basis of the strong ties they have to the resort town.
“The Ray White story is one of a budding entrepreneur who set up a real estate company that’s grown to become the largest real estate brand in the Southern Hemisphere, with the third and fourth generations working in the business today,” says Bas.
“Here in Queenstown our ‘business family’ has grown from just the two of us to a 15-strong team that includes some of the best agents in the market. We’ve always prided ourselves on operating with respect and honesty at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s selling a cabin in the campground, a commercial building, lifestyle blocks or project marketing a major development.”
Cam says the Ray White brand is in growth mode, with over 1,000 offices in Australia and 160-plus in New Zealand.
“The company has offices in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Wanaka and nationally we sell one in five of all residential properties in the country.”
“Recent changes to legislation mean Australian, New Zealand and Singaporean citizens are exempt with regards to changes to overseas investment rules,” he says, “so it’s to our huge advantage that we have access to the largest group of potential investors in that market.”