Testimonials

I have known Kathie for many years under my professional capacity as a property valuer. I have always found Kathie to be honest, reliable and friendly in our dealings with her and for the people she represents. Kathie is well respected within the business community . Kathie always handles herself professionally and is diligent to the task at hand. She is well experienced, which enables her to meet exceptionally high standards . I would have no hesitation in recommending Kathie to meet people’s professional needs.

​

P M Smith

Director Registered Valuer B.Com (VPM), P G Dip Com, ANZIV, SPINZ

This is a quick note to thank you for your time, effort and support with our project. I have enjoyed working with you both from our first meeting back in 2009 when we had only conceptual plans. At this time you were more than willing to work with us and provide constructive feedback regarding our initial design. From Kathie’s previous experience as a motel operator and the combined knowledge you both have of the Hamilton market our initial meetings were an invaluable insight into what would and wouldn’t work based on our location and target clientele. This input up front has ensured we were able to cover off all the little details that end up making a big difference to the final design. I believe the proof of this has been the level of interest in the Astra Motor Lodge and your ability to pre-sell the motel lease prior to commencement of construction. Looking back on our initial meetings one comment I vividly remember from our first meeting is John you said in jest at the time that you’ll be retired before we get to build this motel. Well it appears your comment won’t hold true as in early 2013 the new Astra Motor Lodge will be completed. Once again I thank you both for your time and expertise you’ve put into this project which has extended well beyond selling the management rights.

​

Andrew Bruce

Kathie was so professional in a very friendly way. She must have had some frustrating moments as we were totally new to the motelling and were not really sure what we wanted or where. Thank goodness she was prepared to share her wealth of knowledge with us. We thoroughly trust Kathie and there is no truer statement than their guarantee that they will be there and stand by you with advice if you want it during your motelling career. They really are only a phone call away or if they need to jump in the car and come and visit they will. Honest, friendly personal service. We look forward to selling and buying through them again when the time comes. Thanks guys.

​

Alister and Charlene

Purchasing a motel is a complex business. It is a major decision by the purchaser and takes a lot of courage. Making sure that the right information and the right advice is available is an imperative. You need to ensure that you have an adviser that you can trust. I have been associated with Kathie Shepard for over 12 years first as a very fine operator, then as a member of the board of the Motel Association and latterly as a very expert Broker. The ability to translate the complexities of operating a motel to assist those that are looking to enter the industry is a skill and a talent both of which Kathie has in spades. In my experience where Motels are purchased with less than excellent advice from the broker the transition into the new business is doubly difficult. Kathie is a subject matter expert and as such is an asset to any purchaser. I believe that Kathie is an asset to the purchaser and the seller and also an asset to the industry as a whole. I would recommend her to an aspiring purchaser and to any Motelier looking to sell there businesses.

​

Michael Baines

Chief Executive of Motel Association of New Zealand 2005-2015

Recently whilst looking to purchase/lease a motel we were referred to Kathie Shepard as a broker who has the knowledge, honesty and integrity to help any one through the mind field of all the different stages of purchasing or selling we were not disappointed. One thing we were both impressed with was Kathie’s efficiency and friendly service. Kathie went over and beyond as she would with anyone to help find the right property. If I was buying or selling I would use Kathie every time. Thank you Kathie for all your help.

​

Adrea Beveridge and Annetter Gramiak

As new motel operators Jocelyn and I relied heavily on both John and Kathie to find us a motel that suited our needs. One which would also allow us to both “cut our teeth” as motel operators and also give us an insight as to whether this was the right industry for us to work in. We can say without reservation that this was achieved. John with his many years as a motel broker and Kathie with her expertise in motel ownership delivered exactly what we asked for. Advice such as, “Make sure you read and understand the lease agreement; Choose carefully and take your time rather than buying the first motel you see” were invaluable when it came to purchasing the motel our motel, along with regular follow up service have helped us tremendously. Thanks to you both, we have enjoyed the industry so much that when it is time to look at something bigger we will be calling John and Kathie.

​

Jocelyn & Murray Woofe

Ascot Motor Inn