About Paragon
Paragon strives to provide independent analysis built by someone who has seen both sides of the property market.
Paragon Property Ratings was founded by Ryan Smith, a New Zealand property and investment professional with over seven years of experience across mortgage lending, investment sales and financial advisory - spanning New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the UAE.
From the founder
I've spent my career working across the property and investment industry — starting in mortgage consulting, moving into new-build investment sales across New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the UAE, and into financial advisory. Across those roles and three continents, I've advised on everything from $400,000 townhouses in New Zealand to £1.2 million units in London.
What I noticed throughout that time was a structural problem that nobody talks about openly. In a typical property transaction, everyone involved gets paid when the deal goes through. The agent, the developer, the adviser; their income depends on the sale completing. That makes truly independent, objective analysis almost impossible to find. Buyers are making some of the largest financial decisions of their lives based on information provided by people with a direct interest in the outcome.
Paragon was built to fix that.
Every report we produce is completely independent - no developer affiliations, no commissions, no financial interest in whether a property sells or not. The only thing that matters is whether the buyer gets an accurate, honest picture of what they are considering.
My background spans mortgage consulting, investment sales and financial advisory, and holding certifications as a financial adviser, mortgage broker, and real estate salesperson means I understand how lending, returns and risk interact at a property level. The four pillar framework Paragon uses was designed specifically from that experience - built to assess the things that actually matter to an investor, not just the things that are easy to measure. The reports are not financial advice, but they're designed to give you a look behind the curtain at the real investment numbers — not just what's on the brochure.
If you're considering a new-build investment in New Zealand, I hope a Paragon report gives you the confidence to make the right decision.
