John van Lienen

Local Expertise,
Global Connections

With experience in over 6,000 property transactions as a salesperson, a sales manager and as company director and principal, few realtors have the credentials better equipped to give real estate advice than John van Lienen. When John and Michelle van Lienen sold their award-winning boutique real estate agency JVL Prestige Realty in 2014, they chose to go back to selling real estate at the coalface. John and Michelle’s innovative reputation is well known to the people of the Manawatu which has seen them constantly achieve benchmark results for their clients and the property market in the region. Looking back, John says he is proud of the fact he has recruited and developed many of today’s leading real estate people, some of whom have gone on to form their own real estate companies or become respected managers. Today many of those recruits are household names as leading sales people in the industry. The same can be said about their current team, made up of Sales Assistant Kristen Lowndes and PA/Administrator Tracy Eagles who work alongside Michelle and John to provide a formidable team. John is the most experienced real estate auctioneer in the Manawatu and a former two-time Australasian Auctioneer of the Year for the Real Estate Results Network, and selected as a judge of the REINZ New Zealand Auctioneer of the Year. He has conducted thousands of auctions and has a distinct auctioneer’s patter people like with his livestock sale yard auctioneering background. John and Michelle are proud of their kids. Jake has a love for aviation and is currently completing a Massey University Aviation degree. Gorgi, their daughter, has a passion for sport and is studying in the United States completing a soccer scholarship and business degree. Giving back has always been a part of John’s DNA. For ten years he was an active Real Estate Institute of New Zealand committee member for the Manawatu-Whanganui region. Being selected to be on the advisory board for Michael Sheargold’s Australasian Real Estate Results Network was also enlightening and rewarding for John. His sporting passion that runs throughout the family lead him back to his football roots to become a board member of Young Heart Manawatu Football Club and help get them back into National League status. In recent years, the position of chairman of the board for the successful Bike Manawatu cycling club also created a busy and rewarding challenge at local, national and international level. John also enjoys commentating the annual UCI International cycling event “The Gravel and Tar Classic” as well as his weekly “Real Estate News and Interviews” show on Facebook where he talks to industry experts about property related advice. Real estate is in John’s blood and together with Michelle their journey has been remarkable. They are high-energy people with a humble respect. Their reputation and experience to sell property with a high level of integrity is a breath of fresh air for clients in all economic climates and their results speak for themselves.