Creative Junction Magazine June 16th 2017 | Page 20

The Perfect Team
E C ONOMY
P IPPA BOURKE/EDITO R
P H O TOS: SARAH MA RS HA L L
They’re the perfect team,
definitely not a couple- but
the perfect team.
Ben Purton is proud to
work alongside his mum for
Harcourts in Whangarei. Susie
Purton has established a
great reputation over the past
decade in real estate.
“Knowing that I have Susie’s
knowledge to help me with
my listings is a huge comfort
to me,” says Ben. “And on
the same note, I like the fact
that I can bring my own life
experiences to the table.”
Ben has come from a
background in trades- as a
mechanic, a builder and most
recently, a painter.
“Having been in these houses
as a tradesman and seen
what can go wrong, it’s great
to be able to ask all the right
questions so I can accurately
represent a listing.”
Susie, a very private person,
has held a number of jobs prior
to her career in real estate.
“I have run a business in the
past and done a lot of jobs that
predominantly have involved
me sitting at my desk,” she
says. “The one thing I love
about real estate is that you are
ADVERTISEMENT
rewarded for the work you put
in.”
Susie asked Ben to join her
team last year.
“I felt like I needed a millennial
to embrace new technology,
like social media and all that,”
she says. “I knew that was one
of Ben’s strong points, so why
not employ my own son?”
Ben says he has absolutely no
qualms working alongside his
mum.
“I admire her work ethic, plus
she knows I can bring a lot to
the table as well- we are very
similar,” says the 25-year-old
keen rugby player.
It gets a little awkward having
the same surname though. Ben
says he was once mistaken for
Susie’s husband.
“I had to reassure them, I think
it’s pretty obvious we’re not a
couple!”