It was supposed to be a celebration, but despite the social media post, the tulips told a different story. Delivered late, left on the wet porch, and despite answering the door in under 30 seconds, the delivery person had already walked away. When I picked them up, the box gave way, shattering the vase and leaving the flowers bent and broken. After a trip the next day for a new vase and some florist wire to prop them up, the tulips were finally camera-ready. But behind that picture-perfect moment was a very different reality.
It stirred up memories of a similar frustration we experienced while trying to get an appraisal for my property before launching Cliquey Realty. Something that should have been simple ended up being more effort than it needed to be, and disappointing.
When the Agents Miss the Mark
At the time, my partner had just accepted a voluntary redundancy, and we were considering our options. To explore those options, we contacted three local real estate agents for rental and sales appraisals. Only two even bothered to respond.
The first agent? He showed up like a walking advertisement – suit pressed, shoes polished, and charm dialled up to eleven. But that’s where the professionalism stopped. No Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), no real understanding of what we needed. Instead, he pulled up an ANZ property report he’d quickly ran from his phone before stepping inside.
The second agent? Let’s just say the presentation was lacking. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he looked more like he’d rolled out of bed than stepped into a professional setting. But here’s the twist – he was prepared. CMA in hand, questions that actually focused on us and our needs.
Yet neither agent delivered on the rental CMA, leaving us without the information we needed.
Why I Started Cliquey Realty
This is exactly why we started Cliquey Realty. Real estate is about more than just showing up in a suit or scrambling to pull data last minute. It’s about listening, providing accurate information, and delivering a service that makes the client feel valued.
Just like those tulips, it’s easy to make something look good on the surface, but the real value comes from what’s behind it. At Cliquey Realty, we believe in doing things right from the start – no quick fixes, no half-measures, just honest, reliable service built on trust and a little bit cliquey.
