Goodwins profile: Julian Burke – Property Manager
Julian has spent his entire professional career in property management. At the tender age of 17 years, he cut his teeth as an assistant to a team of property managers in his hometown, Palmerston North. Keen to spread his wings, he worked as a letting agent for a large city-based property management company in Brisbane, Australia, before returning to New Zealand where he worked for Property Brokers, and then joined Goodwins, in his current role.
Q: You could be the freshest-faced property management veteran in the industry, Julian. What’s changed in the industry since your early days?
JB: “The game is always changing. Legislation, in particular, which can make it hard to keep up. And technology, too. So much of our workflow is now digital – we used to handle printed tenancy agreements, but now things are on screens and signed digitally.”
Q: Can you shed light on legislative changes
JB: “Healthy homes is a big one. From my perspective, the regulations are extremely broad and there’s an awful lot to consider. Take heating calculations, for example. Property owners forked out quite a bit of money to satisfy the standards – and then the heating calculation changed. Owners were rightfully annoyed because they’d over spec’d heating.
“A large proportion of properties under my care are fully furnished executive homes. Typically, they are modern homes and built to healthy standards, often with central and underfloor heating, which means they often exceed minimum heating requirements. In any case, when rents are upwards of $3,000 per week, property owners typically don’t quibble about spending a bit to keep everyone happy.”
“Insurance excess is another issue, and renters need to be aware of their obligations in the event of damage and the size of the insurance excess they face in different scenarios.”
Q: And what about technology – how is Goodwins keeping up?
JB: “Goodwins continues to invest in new technology and systems upgrades to make our jobs easier and provide a modern customer experience. There’s lots in the pipeline, though much of it below the surface in the form of data-centric technology and safeguards. One recent example is the addition of an app to manage property inspections, which is all about fast capture, visual records, and automated documentation.”
Q: You work for property owners as well as tenants. How do you keep everyone happy?
JB: “Property and real estate are all about relationships. I love talking to people, building relationships, and making people happy – or at least satisfied. I know that the work I put in now will serve me well as I look to one day step into sales. People are the best part of my job – and people have long memories when it comes to how you made them feel.”
Q: Finally, what makes Goodwins different to other real estate firms you’ve worked for?
JB: “Our team is so incredibly tight. We all get on really well and pull for the team. We do a lot of things other companies don’t – some of it enshrined in policies and procedures and other aspects just part of the culture, perhaps symptomatic of being a family run business. I’m a massive fan of Goodwins and our professionalism. And I absolutely love the fact that I manage some really high-end properties and deal with discerning clients.”
Managing an investment property is a bigger headache than it used to be. Call Julian on 021 278-0765 to put your property into the hands of a pro.
