Want it sold? Ask Tina Lum
Find Tina on Facebook here
We asked Tina some “hard hitting” questions and this is what she had to say…
Tina, your house is on fire but you can save one non-living thing which is…
My Jewellery
What’s the best life lesson you’ve ever learned?.
You are more powerful and stronger than you believe, nothing is impossible if you dream, plan and take action consistently, fail and learn from your mistakes.
When I win Lotto the first thing I’ll do is…
Take time out to plan a financial strategy to buy a house, plan world trip and pay off my Mum’s house and siblings mortgages.
My favourite dinner party guests (living or dead) would be…
Oprah Winfrey, Ellen, Lady Gaga, J Lo, Obama
What is your motto or personal mantra?
Treat others how you want to be treated, never judge a book by its cover.
Describe your business:
Residential Real Estate agent helping home buyers and investors invest in the Auckland property.
What is the best thing about it?
I work until the client gets the result the want whether that is selling their home or rental or finding the perfect new home or investment property. I go the extra mile in the passed working for over 6 months to find the right family home for buyers, signing deals on Boxing Day and just after New Years to negotiated deals on a property for almost a year after clients failed to meet new finance regulations.
Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next five years? The next ten years?
This Year: Increase database of customers and add new listings from referrals. Aim to sell $10 million worth of property.
5 years: Build a team of salespeople I can work with so I get more work/life balance.
10 years: Set up so that I manage team and have the ability to work remotely at least 3-6 months a year.
Can you describe your ideal customer?
First home buyer or investor looking for property in Auckland under $750,000.
Why do your customers select you over your competitors?
Because I make the process easy, friendly approachable nature, explain the process without using too much jargon and go the extra mile to find a property that fits the customers criteria and price range.
Why did you choose to advertise with CoffeeNews?
To gain more exposure in target demographic and area and encourage brand awareness.
Do you have any special deals or tips for CoffeeNews readers who may be interested in your services?
10% discount on commission for Gold Card Members. Free property appraisals.
Boring Insurance salesman? Not this lady!
This lady has sparkle and wit. An ex-lawyer she loves to go to battle for her clients, and will take on the big boys in the name of fairness.
1. Describe your business:
Commercial and Domestic Insurance Broker
2. What is the best thing about it?
Getting to know people and to find out what their story is, where they are from and where they are going. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has goals, and if I can be a part of helping someone protect their goals then I am happy. I love seeing my clients grow and succeed.
Sitting with anyone of my clients, whether it is a farmer, a logger, a tradie, or a homeowner, on a deck somewhere, reminiscing about life and getting to know them better.
3. Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next five years? The next ten years?
I am going nowhere. I will still be doing what I am doing for as long as I can. Why would you want to fix something that is not broken?
4. Can you describe your ideal customer?
Honest and serious about protecting his investments. A client that trusts me to take the boring part, called insurance, and sorting it out so that he can focus on getting a good night’s rest!
5. Why do your customers select you over your competitors?
Because I live by the motto: First find out if you can before you say I can’t. I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated and I appreciate each person’s individuality.
6. Why did you choose to advertise with CoffeeNews?
For the exposure and because I believe in supporting a business that is honest!
7. Do you have any special deals or tips for CoffeeNews readers who may be interested in your services?
Let me do a free health check on your existing insurance covers. You never know, I may save you on your premiums and ensure that you have the correct covers in place that suits your requirements. As your life and business changes your insurance changes, so please stay in contact with your broker to ensure that he has his finger on the pulse.
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Ellerslie Song Bird Project
As CoffeeNews loves to support our local organisations and businesses we thought we would publish this blog from the Ellerslie SongBird Project. They are working hard to protect and increase the number of songbirds in the local area.
I love the sound of bird song, there is something about listening to birds that is relaxing and joyful. Before the arrival of humans, New Zealand was the land of birds. The birds were safe from predation by mammals because there was only one, the bat. Our birds have not evolved as fast as the growth of introduced mammals. In Auckland, we are lucky that we have pest-free islands that we can visit to enjoy our amazing wildlife and plants. Just imagine what the bird song would sound like at home if our gardens were pest-free.
In March 2019 I met with four friends, Troy Elliott, Madeline Banda, Megan Darrow, and Bronwyn Abbott. Each of us shared an equal passion for sustainability and wildlife and we decided to start the Ellerslie Songbird Project. Our vision for this project is to restore and regenerate the local natural Ellerslie area to create a safe place for the birds, lizards, and insects to thrive. The project was started with financial support from the Ellerslie Residents Association. Since our launch, we were have been successful in getting a grant from Orakei Local Board that will finance more traps. This financial support is crucial because it enables us to provide traps. These traps have been made by the Men’s Shed Auckland East.
The success of the project will require local residents to put traps in their gardens and report back on what they have caught so results can be monitored.
What could you do right now?
If you are unsure if you have rats in your garden you could put out chew cards that can be brought from any DIY store to see if you have rats, mice, possums and stoats in your garden.
Rats seek out sources of food and water. Make sure food scraps are in the bin and not left lying around and secure your compost bins.
Keep your garden tidy by removing piles of wood and garden waste, pick up fallen fruit and cut back overgrown areas.
If you are landscaping in your garden think about planting native plants. Planting native trees is important as it provides food and homes for the birds.
Take a good look at your garden and see what is growing. The fatal four are climbing asparagus, moth plant, wild ginger, and tradescantia.
If you are a cat owner add a bell to your cat’s collar to give the native birds a chance to stop silent hunting. Feed them well with a balanced diet, entertain them with toys to prevent them from using real wildlife as toys and bring them in at bedtime.
The future
It would be great to have a resilient and diverse birdlife in Ellerslie. With support and innovation, it is possible to turn this around nationally. Over recent decades New Zealand has had some great success in conservation. However, there is more that we can do in our gardens at home to help because our natural heritage is not just confined to the reserves and more rural areas. There is more to protecting our natural heritage than saving birds, but if we can restore bird populations our ecosystems as a whole will benefit.