Last Friday the Ray White office in Wakefield Avenue, Sumner finally succumbed to the throes of the demolition digger. The most recent earthquake of June 13th was the final straw for the ex-Ray White building which was deemed to be beyond repair. The demolition took place in front of a small crowd who watched the building come down and like many areas in the city; a small piece of history was lost with now only a gap appearing on the landscape.
10 Wakefield Avenue in Sumner had been a real estate office for approximately 50 years; firstly under the banner of Sumner Properties Limited and from the early 70s as a branch of Kent Prier Real Estate Limited. It was one of the first in the Kent Prier Group to be a branch based outside of the central business area. Early records show the building was constructed in 1926 as an old grocery store and an original part of the building constructed in 1906 was a small cordial factory. Many locals will have fond memories of the Forget-Me-Not Restaurant which was one of the first cafe style restaurants in the area.
Current co-owner of Ray White in the Eastern Suburbs, Rae Manson, commenced her real estate career at the Wakefield Avenue office in 1985 and has spent more time than any other person associated with the business in the Sumner office. Rae became a business owner with Ray White in 1999 and two years later was joined in the business by Craig Prier in forming Prier Manson Real Estate Limited. More than just the loss of premises is the loss of a business which was part of the community. Ray White Sumner has relocated to another of the Prier Manson offices situated at Opawa.
Although much of the area has been decimated there is an exciting future for the Sumner area, with urban design groups having various meetings looking at the overall concept of the area. We have high hopes that 10 Wakefield Avenue will be part of that future and hopefully able to house another leading Ray White office.
Prier Manson Real Estate Limited is the market leaders throughout the Eastern Suburbs with a market share just on 55%. They also conduct property management and provide financial solutions through their association with The Loan Market. Their office continues to service the Sumner area and community; a recent example of this being holding a seminar entitled “Is My Property Saleable?”
For up to date information on listings, both for sale and for rent, throughout the Eastern Suburbs please see their website.
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