Stephen is the Bayleys Regional Manager and Auctioneer for the Waikato. He began his Real Estate career at the beginning of 1998 at the age of 24. Now in his 19th year in Real Estate he has excelled to be a leader in the Industry. He is also a Director/Shareholder of Realty Services, who own the Bayleys Franchises for Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki, with 7 offices.

Stephen has made a Career of Real Estate – a hands-on manager, an Auctioneer and a real estate trainer. He gets immense pleasure in helping vendors and his salespeople achieve their goals. Stephen has a breadth of knowledge in all real estate property types, working alongside teams of experienced super achievers. Bayleys focus is one of small teams with good quality people. Members of the Success Realty Bayleys teams have regularly won REINZ awards for leaders in their field including C&I, Country and Residential Salesperson of the year. Stephen has also received National recognition awarded the Bayleys National Auctioneer of the Year in 2009-2010, Bayleys National Manager of the Year in 2011-2012 and Bayleys National Top Auction Office 2013-2014.

Throughout his career Stephen has specialised in the Auction method of sale and formulating comprehensive marketing programmes to achieve fantastic results. He attributes Auction Marketing as key to his success, because it has a higher success rate than any other method of sale. To date Stephen has negotiated or called in excess of 3500 auctions. Since his arrival in the Waikato he has called or negotiated 400+ sales over $1 million dollars for a total value of over $900 million. He has competed in the REINZ Auctioneer Championships four times.

As a trainer Stephen regularly brings people to Real Estate from other industries, utilising their business skills to raise the standard of the salespeople within the industry. Stephen presents sales training to other industries too, including ASB Bank, Fairfax media and The Radio Network. He attends many conferences and workshops every year in New Zealand and overseas to ensure he is kept up to date with the latest marketing tools and trends. He leads his teams through their compulsory Real Estate Agents Authority compulsory Verified Training course.

Prior to Real Estate he completed a Bachelor of Management Studies at Waikato University before embarking on a three year OE; working and playing rugby in South Africa and Europe. Outside of work Stephen enjoys quality time with his wife and partner of 22 years Rachel Waldegrave and their four children, Hugo, Madeleine, Toby and Phoebe. He keeps fit at the gym and actively participates in many sporting pursuits such as tennis, touch, fishing, multisport, cycling and the occasional rugby match. He coaches children’s rugby and cricket and is currently a Director of the Waikato Rugby Union and Past President of St Pauls Swimming Club. “If you are thinking of making a move, please call one of my team or myself, to discuss our secrets to obtaining a premium price for your property in this marketplace”

#1 - Bayleys NZ 2015/2016 (Res Sales - Volume)

Top 5% of all Bayleys salespeople NZ 2018/2019
Top 10% of all Bayleys salespeople NZ 2017/2018
Top 5% of all Bayleys salespeople NZ - 2015/2016
Top 5% of all Bayleys salespeople NZ - 2014/2015
Top 5% of all Bayleys salespeople NZ - 2013/2014

Upon completing a degree at Waikato University at the age of 24, I bought my first investment property. This was the beginning of an investment portfolio and a passion for Real Estate. Now I get the opportunity and great pleasure in assisting other people to realise their real estate goals.

Having a teaching background of 11 years helped me develop:
• A wide breadth of networks
• Strong listening skills
• A confident and effective delivery style
• A good understanding of positive teamwork

I loved teaching, particularly the last five years at Cambridge High School. However, in 2005 an opportunity arose to work for a great company. The Bayleys mission statement reads, ‘we are committed to maximising the value of our client’s real estate assets through superior customer service’. After 13 years working with the great Bayleys team I firmly believe in our ability to market quality property and achieve outstanding results.

I have a love for sport, in particular rugby and am affiliated with the Hamilton Old Boys Club. I have now focussed my rugby interest to refereeing and have set high goals in this field. I have travelled extensively throughout the UK and Europe, basing myself in London for three years. Whilst travelling through Spain, I met my wife Shani, we have four beautiful children. We also lived in Japan for two years, where I played rugby whilst experiencing their beautiful culture.

I live with three basic principles; to succeed you must be ‘hardworking, reliable and honest’.

For any real estate assistance, please feel free to contact me