Born in Chinchilla and raised around the Western Downs, experienced real estate professional Jon Kingston has expanded his Ray White business into the rural centre of Chinchilla, an easy 50kms east of his current office in Miles.
Known as the melon capital of Australia, agriculture has been the mainstay of the Chinchilla region, with beef and grain production underwriting the local economy. The recent resources boom exhibited mass growth and development into the community but more recently a heartfelt contraction and loss.
Mr Kingston, who currently owns Ray White Rural Miles, has personally felt the impact of this volatility but feels confident moving forward. His remarks suggests there was “genuine confidence in Chinchilla as a strong, vibrant community”.
“There is evidence of the CSG industry beginning to expand again, not to mention a general increase in confidence throughout other retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors,” he said.
Mr Kingston said he was utilising the strength of the Ray White brand to help him deliver into Chinchilla, where he was born.
Stephen Nell, CEO of Ray White Rural, said it was great to see Mr Kingston expanding into Chinchilla.
“Jon is a well-known and respected agent of the local community and a highly valued member of our organisation. We are thrilled to support him as he continues to grow his business and cements his team as the leader in the Chinchilla residential and rural markets,” he said.
“I have a lot of history in Chinchilla and I know the area quite extensively,” said Mr Kingston, who is also a former bank manager within the region.
Mr Kingston has also been associated within the property development and civil construction sectors since 2006, ultimately leading him to start his own sales business as well.
“Our occupancy rates are growing stronger for rental properties in Miles and to a point where we are currently experiencing zero per cent vacancy in Chinchilla. I just can’t get enough stock to manage. I am desperate for rentals, so if anyone is unhappy with their property manager give me a call,” Mr Kingston said.
“We settled over $7 million in sales in 2016-17 and I expect to double this again within the year. While there is much more confidence in the residential sector since the contraction of energy throughout the area, the rural sector is still performing solidly despite its various uncertainties.”
Ray White Rural Chinchilla’s core ambition was to become the agency of choice for both residential and rural real estate in the region.
“We work in such a tight-knit community, we are all affected with the rise and fall of regional diversity,” Mr Kingston said.
“The local agri-business underpins our community, and through leveraging the national strength of the Ray White brand we aim to be the leader in both residential and rural sales.
“Our main priority is to provide our clients with an unrivalled experience. We genuinely value helping people as they transition through the various stages of life. Whether renting or buying, selling a home or managing a business, we aim to be the agency of choice for the community,” Mr Kingston said.
