On getting into real estate
I have had a passion for real estate since I was a young boy when I used to ride my bike to open homes around the area on a Saturday.
This was before the internet and realestate.com.au, so it was a Saturday paper and a marker pen to choose which open homes I’d look at. The property designs are what interested me, so originally I thought I wanted to be an architect.
The happiest moment in my career
There are so many happy moments, but I would say the most exciting was opening my own office. It settled the day before my 21st birthday. I have been very fortunate to have a career that has allowed me to meet so many amazing people, both peers and clients. To collect my Centurion award, (top 1 per cent internationally for Century 21) in Las Vegas was also a very memorable experience!
The most memorable moment
I have had the privilege of marketing some incredible homes. My most memorable was a home that I personally rented from a friend.
When she needed to sell it, I was the tenant as well as the agent at the time. We called it the Champagne Palace as it was built over three levels with a built-in bar. It’s still to this day my favourite home in Buderim, with panoramic views across the Sunshine Coast and up to Noosa.
Best advice he’s received
Stay true to what you believe and why you do it. There are no secrets to success, just do what you do with integrity, honesty and passion and the rest will follow.
Biggest challenge
There are always challenges in every market, I believe that clients have a greater expectation from their agent, a higher level of service and it is important to offer additional services and greater communication.
Our true role is to market property and particularly negotiate. That won’t ever change, you just have to ensure you are doing it with integrity, sincerity and at a much better level than your competitors.
Change for good?
I believe the real estate industry needs to change how easy it is to get into the industry.
When handling someone’s largest asset there is so much more involved than gaining the knowledge from a one-week course that is impossible to fail.
To increase credibility in the industry, I believe the industry should be a degree. This would give the industry dedicated professionals, as opposed to so many people having a “give it a go” attitude.
‘Elite’ agent means
An elite agent isn’t necessarily based on the volume of sales but more so the reputation you have in your community. Someone who is both charitable and community-focused with a positive reputation, the rest will follow it you are respected, admired and liked.
#WeAreRealEstate is a series of short interviews with 140 agents all over Australia, exploring the industry’s hopes, concerns, future challenges, and what it really means to be an Elite Agent.
