Min Sarginson| Director |Min Sarginson Real Estate Ltd
Min Sarginson is the Director of Min Sarginson Real Estate Ltd - specialists in coastal, sea / beachfront, rural, lifestyle, residential, business & rental property sales.
The name Min comes from Min’s maiden name Finlay. When she first arrived in Christchurch in 1972 to complete her BA at Canterbury University she stayed for a short time at her big sister’s flat. There she met her future husband Euan Sarginson who came up with the names Big Fin and Mini Fin. The Mini Fin stuck and was later reduced to Min. “ I had always hated my name Margaret so I was quite happy to become a Min” she says.
Min and Euan married in 1974 after Min had completed her secondary teachers' diploma and immediately set off for England where they lived for 2 and half years. While there Min taught for 12 months at a large Comprehensive school, later making several excursions onto The Continent. Their daughter Alice was born in England and this event eventually lead to their return to Christchurch in 1976 to eagerly awaiting paternal grand parents.
Min and Euan moved to Allandale with their now 2 small children Alice and Finlay in 1980. There they nurtured a managerie of pets and animals over the years and eventually built their dream home up on the hill.
It was in 1983 even while her children were still wee bairns that Min decided to go into the heady world of selling real estate in the city. At the time Min’s neighbour had JD Bundy Ltd Real Estate office in Lyttelton and it soon became obvious to Min that working in the harbour and from the local office made more sense.
14 years later it felt time for a change so Min left the security of working for a well established company to open her own real estate office in Church Bay. A professionally designed fit out transformed the neglected little Church Bay store building from the storage shed it had become to a very up to date, trendy real estate office. At the beginning there was Min, 2 other sales people and Linda Pickering, a true stalwart who did everything else that wasn’t selling property and even did that at times when it was needed.
Taking over the JD Bundy office in 2001 overcame the problem of where to have an office in Lyttelton. That particular charge was lead by Marie Malone who decided she wanted to work for Min but didn’t want to leave her bright, sunny street side office in London street so brokered a deal for Min to buy the sales side of the Bundy business from David and Heather Bundy.
The following year Heather offered Min the opportunity to buy her rent roll and thus the company became a fully fledged real estate business offering both sales and a Property Management division which has been nurtured and grown to the efficient business it has become today under the careful stewardship of Sally McOscar and Lyttelton Manager Phil Alexander.
Towards the end of 2003 a bright young thing from Auckland knocked on Min’s door and thus began the very successful onslaught of Min Sarginson Real Estate into the seaside suburbs of east Christchurch by Simon Barrett. As this part of the business grew Simon was joined by his wife Debra and it was only a matter of time before there was another Min Sarginson Real Estate office in Southshore New Brighton.
The company now consists of a total staff of 7, there are 2 offices and the future is looking very exciting because Min Sarginson Real Estate does not intend to stop here.
When Min is not at her desk in her office she is most likely out on her bike on the hills or on the plains with other harbour cycling enthusiasts. This is a relatively recent passion for Min, a long way from the riding a bike to school days of the 60's. It began with a family event riding the central Otago rail trail followed by an invitation from a friend to join his team to do Le Race. It was only a few weeks prior to the race that Min learned not only that the race was March not October but while it was a team each member did the entire 100 hilly kilometres.
This was the beginning of her love of "big events" and she has gone on to ride in Le Race 3 times, The 101km Grape Ride 3 times, 130 Round Lake Brunner once and also the inaugural 100 miles Source to Sea.
These have also become fantastic family events as the whole biking thing has spread like wildfire through the majority of Min's large family of brothers and sisters!
Biking has also in recent years seen Min head off to ride through the beautiful Loire Valley and Charente region in france with family and friends, and join a family group to ride one of Australia's excellent rail trails The Murray to the Mountains.
This passion for road biking has sprung not just from a way to savour the beautiful scenery right there on her doorstep but from the opportunity to meet some truely inspiring people.
"And it clears my head after hours at my desk, it keeps me fresh and fit!"
