Style: September 10, 2021

Locked
Down but
Looking
Up
b y L ynette McFadden
‘Locked down but looking up’ is
how I’d describe this, our
second national Level 4
lockdown.
What have you made of
it? Did you survive, thrive,
walk daily, bake madly,
online shop gladly, consider
other job prospects, think
about those that are finding
themselves in tremendously
vulnerable positions and, more
importantly, what did you learn
about yourself and the worlds –
personal and professional – that you
occupy?
I’ve learnt so much about myself and
about the resilience and compassion that
exists around us all. In 2020, when we went
into our first lockdown, my major emotion
was fear. Fear of the unknown, fears for our
business, our family, our friends.
You name it I was scared silly about it.
Strategy, support and structure got me
through – as they probably did for many
others – but this time it’s different. You’re
not as scared when you know a bit, or
should I say a lot, more about what you’re
dealing with. Here’s some of what I’ve
learnt.
1. Business hasn’t completely stopped.
Auctions were able to be undertaken
utilizing the Zoom platform and this
allowed us to sell unconditionally 20 out
of 22 properties at a full range of prices
and across a myriad of locations. That’s
a massive change from last year and it’s
gone a long way to ensuring confidence
in the market for all participants. For me,
the standouts from the auctions have
included the huge benefit to vendors of
having property videos and floor plans,
the increase in buying without seeing and
the continued strong demand for property
despite everything, as evidenced by
multiple bidders and some bidding wars
between highly motivated parties. People
are calmer, me included. As a business
we have daily (usually six days a week)
meetings which have been proactive and
constructive, training, company meetings,
Q & A, recruitment meetings and team
yoga. This rhythm ensures and engenders
a quiet confidence and has enabled a
different level of leadership effectiveness.
2. Thinking forward to the future has
also been more evident. What if this is an
ongoing part of our reality? What changes
need to keep occurring to remain relevant
and productive? And then processing
these thoughts into an actionable plan.
3. At a personal level, last year’s bubble
was a biggie. Five beautiful members of my
family all together with John and I made
for a noisy, busy time. This time, with only
the two of us, it’s been so different. No
more Warriors reruns, war movies or gentle
walks with my dad, no more ten meals
a day, care of my mum or dance lessons
from our niece. I’ve missed that.
Whatever your lockdown has looked or
felt like, I hope there’s been a quiet lesson
somewhere in it.
Here’s mine:
“Happiness is being able to enjoy
the things you worked for without
slipping into thinking about what’s
missing or what is next.” – Yung Pueblo
Lynette McFadden
Harcourts gold Business Owner
027 432 0447
lynette.mcfadden@harcourtsgold.co.nz
LOCKDOWN
Auction Success
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
We may have been in lockdown alert level 4 but with the combination of
technology and expertise the team at Harcourts gold SOLD 20 auction
properties of the 22 called in the second week of lockdown!
We have determined buyers, committed sellers and a team of professionals ready to
make your real estate goals a reality!
Contact
any of our team today!
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD SOLD
PAPANUI 352 6166 | INTERNATIONAL DIVISION (+64) 3 662 9811 | REDWOOD 352 0352
PARKLANDS & NEW BRIGHTON 383 0406 | GOLD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 352 6454
GOLD REAL ESTATE GROUP LTD LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008 A MEMBER OF THE HARCOURTS GROUP
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