Not just a real estate agent: Inspirational in real estate and in life | WATCH

PHOTO: Heather Walton. SUPPLIED

The first Leading Ladies of Real Estate Journey’s webinar coming live from New Zealand was hosted in Auckland today, with hundreds of listeners tuning in to hear the inspirational Heather Walton impart her wisdom after 25 years as a renowned leader in the property industry.

The session was kicked off by host Larissa Tuhaka, Head of Marketing at Ray White New Zealand, who articulated what a powerful force Heather is in Auckland’s property scene.

“Your name is synonymous with excellence and high performance. Your recently published book Rags to Riches to the Real Me has been read and loved by thousands of people including myself and the whole corporate team here,” Larissa said.

Heather said that it was a joy and privilege to pen her first book, which is about carrying on in the face of adversity and dealing particularly with issues that are unique to women.

“I always knew I had a book to write and had things to share; it wasn’t until I went through some major adversity in life that I could uplift and inspire other people. I didn’t want to leave this world without writing my story,” Heather said.

When quizzed on what a week in the life of Heather looks like for success, she responded that it is not rocket science.

“Monday and Tuesday are callbacks and sales meetings and stock reviews. Wednesday and Thursday is prospecting and appraisals. On Fridays, we take some time off to reset and recharge before getting into the action of the weekend,” Heather said.

Having reached the pinnacle of success achieving number one for the entire Ray White network throughout New Zealand in 2016, Heather has since learnt to slow down and enjoy life.

“I have learnt the importance of filling up my own cup first. I am a mother, a grandmother, a director and boss to so many people so I really need to structure my mornings and my life in general. I want to reiterate to all the listeners; while I am not the top of the country anymore, I am a lot more balanced in my life.”

“The one thing that hasn’t changed since I started in real estate and never will change is the importance of high-quality interactions with people. You have only seconds to build rapport with people at an open home; you have to be able to read people and understand emotional cues,” Heather said.

“As a new salesperson, if you get invited to do an appraisal, you can be tempted to drop everything and run straight over to that person’s house. It is better actually just to pause and collect your thoughts and give a little bit of time in between to prepare and not give off a vibe of urgency.”

Larissa pointed out that women in this day and age can be super career driven, and it can be challenging and scary deciding to start a family as well. Heather gave some sage advice for managing the balance between being a mother while still having career success.

“When I got my real estate licence, my son wasn’t at school yet and I was a single mum. It is all about planning; one of my favourite mottos is failing to plan is planning to fail,”

“If you have a goal and you are driven to achieve it, there are things that you can put in place to help make it happen. My son watched me work and he is my biggest fan and supporter and the most proud of me.”

Heather said that it is important to understand that not everyone is going to love you. And that can be really hard, it is something ‘you need to learn to let go’.

Larissa pointed out that Heather has brought up four other real estate ‘rockstars’ and mentored them to achieve huge status within the New Zealand real estate industry.

“I look for people who have a little bit of scar tissue and a lot of drive; someone who has lived and has a real desire to make a great life for themselves.”

“It is important for rookies to be patient and really soak things up; learn on the job and then once they are ready, they grow their wings to fly by themselves.” she said.

Heather’s husband Mark works in the business with him, and Larissa asked how they make it work balancing both personal and professional life.

“We both bring a really different skill set to the table. We actually barely see each other during the work day; until the evening when we debrief over a gin and tonic! We then close the book on the day and let it go.”

Outside of work Heather loves to spend time around beautiful Matakana, checking out the farmers markets, playing golf, doing yoga and enjoying a wellness-focused lifestyle.

The next step for Heather is looking at succession planning and maintaining a quiet and happy life.

“Just because we have started to slow down, we don’t want our business to. Just like the Ray White family, we want to get pleasure out of watching others step up and succeed in the business.”

Heather finished on her favourite quote that “bad stuff happens to all of us, but suffering is a choice.”

CLICK HERE TO BUY HEATHER’S BOOK