Last Sunday’s article in Stuff put numbers around something many of us have been feeling for a while.
A recent report on social cohesian highlighted a sharp decline in trust across New Zealand.
- Only 39% of Kiwis trust the Government to do the right thing most of the time.
- Only 45% trust the courts to make impartial decisions.
- Half no longer believe our election system is fair.
- More than a third say people in their own street would not help a neighbour.
Aotearoa has traditionally been one of the highest-trust societies in the world.
That is changing.
And real estate sits right in the middle of it.
This is the backdrop our clients bring into every conversation before we’ve even said a word.
Many arrive with their guard already up.
And perhaps with good reason.
Trust, once freely given, is now more cautiously earned.
Real estate doesn’t operate outside that reality.
We operate inside it.
Now add another layer...
Real estate may be the only profession where the relationship starts with a discussion about complaints.
Before rapport.
Before credibility.
Before trust.
Before we’ve earned a dollar.
The system hands the client a roadmap explaining how to complain.
No lawyer starts there.
No accountant.
No doctor.
Estate agents do.
That’s not to suggest the framework is unnecessary. Consumer protection and accountability are essential.
The point is that it shapes the psychology of the relationship from the very beginning.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence then; that complaints to the REA jumped by more than a third last year. Yet only 9% of licensees involved in a complaint were found wanting.
Meaning…
Estate agents, most likely, start on the back foot
Venuto referenced Stephen Covey and his observation that when trust declines, everything slows down and becomes harder.
His example was post-9/11 airport security.
Same destination.
Far more friction.
That is the modern property transaction.
Clients are navigating financial pressure, institutional scepticism, economic uncertainty, and an industry framework subtly signalling from day one:
“Be careful.”
Some agents still operate as though trust is automatic.
It is not.
So the question is not whether the landscape has changed.
It clearly has.
The real question is whether our behaviour has changed with it.
What high-trust agents do differently
Not intended to be exhaustive.
But it’s worth revisiting some common denominators among high-trust real estate agents.
Build relationships. Not databases.
A database is a list of people you extract value from when the timing suits you.
A relationship is something you’ve invested in before you ever needed anything from it.
Clients know the difference instantly.
If the only time they hear from us is when we need a listing, they feel it.
People have highly tuned radar for transactional behaviour disguised as care. We cannot be that agent.
Earn the right to list.
Can I be honest with you?
Four powerful words.
In a profession where many clients expect spin or self-preservation, honesty feels disruptive.
That question lowers resistance immediately.
It signals confidence.
It signals we are about to tell the truth – not manage perception.
Then we need to follow through.
Especially when the conversation is uncomfortable.
Front foot it
If the vendor calls first, you’re losing important ground.
One of the simplest trust metrics in real estate.
If the client is chasing us for an update, silence has already created uncertainty.
And uncertainty never stays neutral.
It becomes anxiety.
Anxiety becomes doubt.
Doubt becomes distrust.
Call before they wonder.
If there is nothing to report, say that.
Assume nothing. Explain everything.
Assumption is the mother of all ….
What feels obvious to us is often completely unclear to the client.
Process.
Timelines.
Next steps.
Why something stalled.
What happens now.
We do this every day.
For many clients, this is one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
Clarity builds safety.
Vagueness creates suspicion.
Never imply next steps.
Spell them out.
“Here’s what happens now.”
“Here’s when I’ll update you.”
“Here’s what I need from you.”
Simple.
But often overlooked.
Be the agent who wins on value
“Free” marketing.
Heavily discounted fees.
For discerning owners wanting the best net outcome, those are red flags – not selling points.
The best campaigns require expertise and reach.
Competition.
Buyer tension.
Strong negotiation.
That takes investment.
Cheap fees and cut-price marketing often invite the wrong conversation from day one. When the campaign underdelivers, the scepticism walks away validated.
This industry does not need more agents racing to the bottom.
It needs more agents worth paying for.
Be better.
Not cheaper.
Final thought
The trust environment has shifted.
Clients are arriving more cautious and more sceptical than they were a decade ago.
Then they enter an industry where the compliance process introduces complaints before connection.
That changes the dynamic from the outset.
We cannot control that environment.
We can control how we operate inside it.
The agents who dominate the next decade will not just be good practitioners.
They will be trust-builders.
In a market full of noise, automation, scripts, AI-generated communication, and transactional behaviour, trust becomes the differentiator.
Not claimed trust.
Experienced trust.
High performance agents reduce uncertainty.
They do not create more of it.
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Discover more from Richie Lewis | REINZ Manager of the Year
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