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(For land leases or business purchases)
I sat with my fingers poised on the keyboard for several minutes wondering what I was going to write here.
Our original website (www.tongaproperty.com) didn’t have an “About Us” page. For years we never seemed to need one and didn’t think anyone really cared. I had a few articles on the Internet and some articles written by others about us, which seemed to serve the purpose and probably more believable than anything any might find in their own “About Us” page. We have years of passing the tests of handling many hundreds of thousands of dollars of other people’s money without incident. The most recent past President of the Tongan Law Society is our attorney whom we consult with on our activities. The governing people in Vava’u are our references. With that and with the recent onslaught of hostile and desperate new in the business competition, it occurred to us that it might be important to have an “About Us” page when we noted our competition had more to allude to about us in their “about us” than they had to say about themselves.
So about us:
We are the original licensed land and business broker here, small time as this small place could conjure up. We evolved into the business more by a fluke than by design. We were the first to use the Internet to sell our own small restaurant which had served its purpose to qualify us for our business/residency visa. (Since, a popular way to achieve this coveted visa). Soon others came to us for help in selling their businesses, houses and their land (land being leased not “sold”). We accommodated them until it made sense to charge for the service and make it a business, which didn’t seem to deter anyone.
Being the original broker here, we certainly had no one to learn from and had no experience in the business from our homeland; so from scratch we read all the laws and met with most of the lawyers and powers from the top down to learn about the business we were becoming assimilated into. We are the resource for information in that regard now.
We are successful. That statement is not for bragging but important to know when doing business that you aren’t dealing with desperation. I retired with enough to be independent of any need to provide anything but good service and good deals, turning down those bringing me over priced properties that I could not sell in good conscious. I send them to the competition. Everyone here knows where to bring a good deal for the market.
Coming from a line of educators, I take pride in not selling anyone, but rather educating them until they are smart enough to buy. Some, I advise not to buy, which does get me some funny looks. This business serves as a catalyst to bring some good people to Tonga that will invest here and normally wind up becoming friends. For any amount of new money I don’t want or need unhappy people around. I have that with my competition and a couple of the old expats that had this place to themselves before I arrived. All’s well.
For not knowing what I was going to say a few minutes ago, I think I made some points that will help you to know “About Us.”
Humbly,
Robert