Seals the deal: WHITEFOX Real Estate launches in Queenstown

Mar 10, 2023


As the adage goes, if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em. And WHITEFOX is going to be the real estate agency to beat.  

Melbourne-based agency WHITEFOX has found huge success with their innovative marketing, iconic arched signboards, bold communication and distinct tone of voice. And as of March 1, with the opening of their first office in Queenstown, they have become a global agency. Get ready to see 'sold' on a lot of arched signboards around town, and get familiar with their trademarked language, 'The Deal', 'Obvious' and 'Seals the Deal'.

Marty Fox - breaking the mold

Founded by Marty Fox back in 2017 WHITEFOX broke the mold of traditional real estate agencies. Finding that the bigger, volume-based brands were inconsistent in their delivery of marketing and production, Marty set out to re-establish expectations of the industry by building an engaging and creative brand that resonates with other lifestyle brands– promoting more than just property. 

“We are a creative marketing agency that happens to deal in property…each property has its own personality, which is why our creativity is infinite.” – Marty Fox.

Marty was born in Melbourne, but Otago has a big place in his heart.

His family moved to Dunedin during his high school years and continued his tertiary education at Otago University. There he met Rory Stumbles, one of his best mates and CFO of WHITEFOX, who is moving back to Central Otago later this year to strengthen WHITEFOX’s association in the region and help expand the company into other regions around New Zealand. 

“There’s no place like Central. I’m excited to be coming home after a great stint in Australia. Marty is fully supportive of the move, and I’ll continue my role as CFO from there, with a slightly different view out the window.” – Rory Stumbles.

It’s this personal association with New Zealand, plus the strong buyer synergies between Melbourne and Queenstown that made Queenstown the natural choice for the first WHITEFOX office in New Zealand. It should be noted that many of the buyers snapping up high-end properties in Queenstown are from Australia and Auckland.

And when it came to finding the face of the brand for Queenstown, Kate Fairmaid was the “obvious” choice.

A recent article about Kate’s triumph with Origin Property, and her “big plans for 2023” might be jogging some readers’ memories. These big plans were unable to be shared due to ongoing negotiations at the time, but now the ink is dry Kate is excited about her new role as sales director for WHITEFOX Queenstown. 

Kate Fairmaid is already a well respected and highly successful part of the Queenstown real estate market

“The level of support I’ve received from WHITEFOX has been second to none, they have stayed true to their word every step of the way…Our businesses aligned so much in terms of our ideologies of the industry and where change needs to happen…This opportunity was too good to pass up – I just couldn’t say no.” – Kate Fairmaid.

Much of what made Origin Property successful was gleaned from observing WHITEFOX – the boutique style, the strong focus on digital platforms, and the dedication to customer service and engaging property marketing. Kate had been an admirer of the brand for many years, so when Marty approached her about heading the launch of WHITEFOX into New Zealand, she didn’t take long to say yes. Her decision was not without hesitation – having built her own business from scratch, a brand that she loved and stood behind – but the reality for Kate was that WHITEFOX was going to be successful and she could be a key part of it. 

There are perks to joining a now global brand. WHITEFOX has an influential connection to the Australian market, giving Kate and her team an advantage with Aussie buyers. Joining WHITEFOX also gives Kate the opportunity to realise her own global ambitions. 

WHITEFOX has big ambitions for New Zealand. Later this month they plan to open their second office in Ponsonby, Auckland. With fingers in all the right pots, WHITEFOX is set to secure their place as the national boutique real estate brand to watch out for.

So, what’s 'The Deal'? 

'Obvious' – Kate and WHITEFOX are going to shake things up in Queenstown, and they’re going to be hard to beat.

Find out more about WHITEFOX

 

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