Warkworth real estate couple Ben and Nola Kloppers have moved their successful RE/MAX Realty Group into historic premises, recently relocating into the gracious Bank of New Zealand building on the corner of Neville and Warkworth Streets.
RE/MAX House welcomes real estate customers to the lower floor of the heritage building, which was built around 1930 and is typical of the style of banks of the period.
The stately building features big facades with triple layers of brick and was designed by prominent architect Richard Abbott (1883-1954).
“We were delighted to be given permission to place ‘RE/MAX House’ over the entry,” Ms Kloppers said.
“The idea came from one of our RE/MAX peers in Australia, Brad Nielson, who owns the number one office for the RE/MAX network there.”
The Kloppers also decided, and had special approval from the global real estate giant, to use silver lettering in signage rather than the iconic RE/MAX blue and red.
“We felt use of the silver showed greater respect for the building,” Mr Kloppers said.
“The local community appears to have recognised this and all are very appreciative.
The RE/MAX Realty Group team had grown from three when it opened in 2016 to 18; and will continue to grow.
“We were too cramped in our old office space and we didn’t have the room to be as professional as we wanted to be with the spaces we could offer for meeting rooms, a conference room and agent workspaces, for instance.”
Mr Kloppers said the benefits of the new location, apart from the increase in space, were evident to the team and their clients.
“We’ve been able to design a very welcoming environment. We are still in the main part of town, in a high foot-traffic area, and we have a free public carpark out the back.”
Inside RE/MAX House is the original vault, with its super heavy six-inch-thick doors and safe, both bearing the Chubb name.
The vault is now in working order and is being used as a utility room for filing, printing and binding.
RE/MAX New Zealand managing director Michael Davoren attended the recent RE/MAX Reality Group ‘house-warming’ event.
“Ben and Nola have been with us for three years and in that time the business has outgrown one office and is moving into the new.
“They have built their business from nothing to be one of the largest real estate offices in a competitive Warkworth market.
“They’ve done this through their commitment to the local community, by being heavily invested emotionally and financially in Warkworth and the surrounding district, and by being very focused on business strategies, planning and execution.
“RE/MAX in Warkworth is the fastest growing business that I’ve seen in a fairly tough real estate market,” Mr Davoren said.
