Rakesh's property story. 

Rakesh is a proud Wellingtonian, born and raised in Island Bay, educated at Island Bay School and then Wellington College. “Wellington is just so deeply home to me: I can’t imagine being anywhere else. It’s the coastal life - being close to the beach and water. But most importantly, having my family near - I’m a massive family guy, they’re a huge part of my life”.

 

The great agents inherently ‘get’ people, and there’s not much more of a solid lesson in human behaviour than being in a customer service, specifically in retail and call centres: “You quickly learn how to become a stellar communicator, ask the right questions, set the right expectations, and deliver outcomes with genuine empathy”. 

 

Straight out of school, Rakesh worked behind the scenes in his sister’s business, selling high end hair tools to both wholesale trade and direct to consumer. “It was the best possible introduction to business, giving me true insight into what it takes to be successful: the huge attention to detail required, the relationships, the importance of communication and delivery. Everything I learned there; I still apply today”.

 

Rakesh then made the leap from beauty to the financial sector, working the phones for ANZ Australia, and then for AXA in insurance and investments: “Obviously, when you’re supporting such high value assets, communication is key, as is understanding and following detailed legislative frameworks: it was an excellent foundation to move into real estate”.

 

At 21, Rakesh applied for a scholarship through Remax Leaders Real Estate and was successful. His property story had begun. Following the kiwi tradition, Rakesh started his OE in the UK, working under Becky Fatemi - Director of Rokstone Real Estate in Marylebone, London.

 

Fatemi founded Rokstone and became a dominant London force in high end properties and developments, she was hugely inspirational to Rakesh, as were Nicholas Reeve & Ian Cassels when he made his way back home to Wellington.

 

Nicholas and Rakesh collaborated on his first development sell-down: Erskine in Island Bay (98Townhouses + Apartments). That was a development of Ian Cassels, whom Rakesh then had the privilege of working for inhouse. “I had five and a half years with The Wellington Company, where I was involved in selling multiple development projects. Ian’s drive, passion and vision for Wellington is simply second to none, and I’m beyond grateful for the experience he provided me”.

 

Rakesh is huge on loyalty, ethics and genuine relationships, so the fact that he’s ended up full circle backwith the Leaders family isn’t at all coincidental: “This place is home too, I consider it a massive privilege to be back. Chris works with the exact same values as me so I’m beyond excited to launch into this next phase of our careers together in partnership”.

 

When asked for a favourite sales moment in his career, the answer is easy: “Selling out Hauwai Apartments in Mt Cook for The Wellington Company, for sure. That project involved 93 apartments and launched the first KiwiBuild offering in Wellington. It had elements of what I love the most - obviously, it had the new build sales component. That's an area of real estate that I’ve been focused on for the last eight years. It requires a specialist skillset: you must be able to explain a concept that people can’t see, and there’s just so much detail involved…but I’ve loved new build sales since first working that space in London. Also, that project created so many first-time homeowners, and that’s something that really connects with me too. I love meeting people from all walks of life and understanding where property fits into their goals”.

 

Outside of real estate, Rakesh is a keen sports enthusiast – and a huge family man. He’s probably the proudest uncle you’ve ever come across, and when you meet his family, it’s easy to see where his strong values come from. They’re the reason he got into real estate in the first place, and now they’re a big partof his drive to continually grow. That’s Rakesh’s property story - if you’d like him to help with yours, he’d love to hear from you.