Client Testimonials

Thank you so so much Terri for finding our dream house. Was very easy to work with you and made the buying process feel like a piece of cake. honestly, integrity and willingness to listen allowed us to purchase our property with ease. Terri really made our buying experience so wonderful. It was roller-coaster ride looking for our perfect home for over 1 year until I met Terri, who went above and beyond to give us advice and allow our family to make a fresh start in life and we will be forever grateful to her.
Especially a big thank you for respecting our Indian culture and giving us permission to bless our house with a traditional ceremony and we feel like you family member thank you so much for everything.

 From the moment we meet Andrea we knew we were in good hands as her warmth and lovely personality shone through from the start. 

Andrea was hardworking and extremely helpful throughout the entire process. Nothing was too much to ask. She balanced her communications giving us space to consider while also searching through tailored options that she had handpicked for us. 

If we were to recommend a salesperson Andrea would be our first choice, if we find ourselves on the market again we know who we will be contacting. 

Vince helped us find the perfect property after searching for months. It was quite hard to find properties in the short visits to Kerikeri that we had. We also had a tight deadline to settle and he worked with the Vendors and ourselves to make it work out really well for both parties.

Vince was always available when we needed him to view homes and he was always very prompt and knowledgeable with his answers to our queries.

We felt very comfortable working with Vince, he has a really friendly and honest personality and is also very professional.
He helped us find the most amazing home that we feel very settled in and love.
He has remained a firm friend in our minds.

We highly recommend Steve and the Team at Real. Our Beach House in Russell was marketed via Tender process and was sold prior after four weeks on the Market. The whole sales process for us was made easy by the effort and advice that Steve put into developing an effective well thought out marketing plan and property staging. This resulted in an excellent flow of well qualified potential buyers. Once sold Steve and Team continued to support us in getting the property ready for the new owners.

An absolutely brilliant all-round service. Highly recommended!

Thankyou Steve & Team!

Steve sold our lifestyle property for us in October of 2024. This during a period throughout NZ, when property sales were off their historic highs and interest rates rising from their correspondingly low rates. Properties moving in the Bay of Islands area had also dropped away somewhat. Steve however, was enthusiastic and positive that he'd find a buyer for us.

My wife and I sold a property back in the early 2000's through REAL and we also knew him personally, so we took a lot of faith in his expectations. During the sales process he remained convinced we were on the right track, and had helped us set a realistic price for our land and home. He held open homes, and toured prospective buyers on personalised viewings. His confidence rubbed off on us, and we stuck by him despite setbacks with purchasers cancelling contracts on unmet conditions. He communicated regularly, keeping us informed of visits and showings and guided us along the way. This was really helpful as we live out of the district. When Steve himself was otherwise engaged another member of his team stepped up to the mark, and were just as effective with their actions and communications. Eventually the REAL team found the right person for our property and the deal was done.

Steve's announcement of an agreed conditional contract to us, and then his joyful call to say the purchaser had approved the conditions to their satisfaction was the icing on the cake. His excitement came through the phone at us loud and clear, it was as if he'd sold his own property. Thanks Steve and to your Team, we're extremely pleased and satisfied.

It has been a real pleasure dealing with you during the process of selling my home. Your advice and guidance has been much appreciated and at no stage did I feel pressured, as you used to say ‘it is your call’. I have really enjoyed my 35 years of life in Kerikeri and although very sorry to be leaving, you have made the transition as smooth as possible.

We cannot recommend Sharon highly enough! Her deep knowledge of Kerikeri and its property market made our home-buying journey seamless and stress-free. From the very beginning, Sharon took a personal approach that truly set her apart. She took the time to get to know our family, including our kids, and made us feel like more than just clients.

Sharon’s thoughtfulness and dedication were evident throughout the process. It was clear that for her, it wasn’t just about making a sale—it was about finding the perfect home for us. She went above and beyond at every turn, providing invaluable insights and support.

We genuinely valued her experience and opinions. Sharon’s commitment made the entire experience positive and enjoyable. Should we ever decide to sell in the future, there’s no doubt that Sharon would be the first person we’d turn to. She stands out in this region for her exceptional service and dedication. We are eternally grateful for her support and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a top-notch real estate agent.

Thank you, Sharon, for everything!

We’ve become veterans with REAL having been party to three highly successful real estate transactions with them since moving from Auckland over a decade ago. We have both bought and sold with them and if were to move one final time, we would look first with REAL, absolutely no doubt. Why? They are the doyens of smoothing the way amidst the rough and tumble of real estate, and you feel as though their team really know Kerikeri and surrounds and are true citizens of the place. What you DON’T feel is that you are subject to the impersonal formulaic system of a national or international real estate giant. Which is a long way of saying you feel part of a big welcoming local family, members of which you will continue to know by first name for years.

We have recently sold our home on Pickmere Lane, Kerikeri through the “Real” Estate Agency with Steven DeRuiter as the agent acting on our behalf.

The market has been particularly difficult in the last few months, but Steve has tried many many different options to find us our buyer without once revising his initial valuation of our home or putting any pressure on us to reduce our price.

He has been very friendly, empathetic with our desire to move on, kept us informed as to progress and kept our spirits up when progress was slow in this tricky market.

The actual process following the sale agreement was very professionally dealt with and Steve has gone out of his way to make sure it has gone along without a hitch.

We would not hesitate in recommending Steve and the “Real” Estate Agency to use when selling your home.

Hope things go well for you.

I highly recommend REAL estate agency, as excellent agents for buying and selling properties.
I like the way they work as a team and the profit from sales is divided among the whole team.
The commission they charge covers ALL marketing costs.
Apart from the financial aspect I have found their agents to be very helpful and considerate to both buyers and sellers.
The other aspect I admire is their amazing support and sponsorship of Hospice to assist their staff in their wonderful work.
I wholeheartedly recommend the REAL Team.

My husband and I recently purchased a property with Pete Bestwick. We would like to compliment Pete with his professionalism and also the service provided to us as purchasers. We received a beautiful gift bag and also two days complimentary use of Real Real Estate's furniture trailer. If anyone is planning a sale of their property or purchasing, we highly recommend Pete and his team.

Vince was extremely helpful during the whole process of purchasing my property. Always responded promptly to my many queries. Very professional and personable.

Terri is the perfect balance of professionalism, adept understanding of the legal/financial requirements and Kerikeri charm! Nothing was too much trouble for us 'out-of-towners' to purchase. She met us at the airport, showed properties to meet our brief and followed through with excellent communications. We are very happy customers and purchased a great house with no fuss. Terri is highly recommended.

Pete has been absolutely amazing and always went the extra mile which was a godsend as we were living out of town. Pete has great knowledge of Kerikeri and the market and was transparent with us through the whole process. We would highly recommend Pete and the team at REAL

Following several stressful months trying to sell our home, we were most grateful to REAL for their imput which resulted in an efficient and timely sale.