RE/MAX Australia announced its top performers for 2015 at a gala event on the Gold Coast this month and celebrated an exceptional year of growth and innovation.
Keeping with tradition, the network’s ultimate individual honour, The Eagle Award, was the final announcement for the evening.
Christina Penrose, broker owner of the Bardon-based RE/MAX Profile Real Estate was named winner in recognition of her significant contribution to the continued growth of RE/MAX in Australia.
RE/MAX Australia named RE/MAX Bayside Properties in Queensland as its star performer for 2015, bestowing the highest business accolade, the inaugural Pinnacle Enterprise Award, which is based on overall sales and property management performance in a 12-month period. This multi-office business also collected Top Multi-office Awards in both transaction and commission categories.
RE/MAX Regency at Robina on the Gold Coast was announced top individual office, repeating previous years’ performances, and won Property Management Team of the Year for a stellar performance through 2015.
Other winning 2015 individual and team performances were Top Sales Associate for Todd Gerhardt, RE/MAX Advantage (Wynnum), Top Sales Teams awards for the Deborah Evans Team, RE/MAX Results (Morningside) and the Mark Cheney Team, RE/MAX Ultimate (Burpengary/Murrumba Downs), Top Sales Growth for RE/MAX Island Properties (Bribie Island), and RE/MAX Results (Morningside) was named Most Productive Office.
RE/MAX Ultimate and RE/MAX Partners (Hervey Bay) won the top property management growth awards for offices, while Nicole Kemp from RE/MAX Elite (Wagga Wagga/Junee) was named Property Manager of the Year.
Auction awards went to RE/MAX Real Estate Services (Cairns) both for office achievement and the success of its principal, Tony Williamson. RE/MAX Regency’s Greg Parker has the Auctioneer of the Year title.
RE/MAX Connected (North Lakes) and RE/MAX Success (Toowoomba) won the top recruiting awards, both offices growing their sales team significantly through 2015.
Jerri Harrison-Taylor from RE/MAX Executive (Holland Park) was named Young Sales Associate of the Year and also won the Business Growth Award for an individual; and Gordon Walters from RE/MAX Advantage claimed Rookie of the Year.
RE/MAX United Vision’s Kirstie Clarke from Carina won Personal Assistant of the Year and Emma Gumbleton from RE/MAX Regency won Office Support Person of the Year.
Up against strong competition for the Special Achievement in Marketing Award, RE/MAX Advantage claimed the office category plus the individual with sales associate Marc Sorrentino.
The Australian Property Finance (APF) award recipients were finance broker Anish Prasad (Top Performer), finance broker Caitlin Troman (Top Market Share), Leanne Kroes, RE/MAX Platinum at Narangba (RE/MAX Top Referring Agent and Top Broker Owner Market Share), RE/MAX Regency (RE/MAX Top Referring Office) and RE/MAX Ultimate (RE/MAX Top Referring Office – Allianz business).
Denver-based Larry Oberly, RE/MAX LLC Vice President, Global Development, whose leadership has helped RE/MAX expand into around 100 countries on six continents, announced nine International Lifetime Achievement Awards and 20 International Hall of Fame inductees when he joined the awards proceedings this year as a special guest.
RE/MAX Australia Managing Director, Michael Davoren, addressed the capacity crowd of 550 in the Sheraton Mirage Grand Ballroom about remaining fixed on the real estate customer as the nucleus of business.
“The point-of difference we look for is within ourselves,” he said, “and uniqueness is the agent and the truly stand-out experience the customer has through their service. The agent earns their place in the real estate experience through being valuable and profitable for the customer, who should experience the extraordinary not merely feel satisfied.”
He said the proliferation of apps and portals in the industry could erode the agent’s uniqueness if such devices distanced them from customers.
“We are unique through the personal relationships we establish. That is what sets us apart, and any technology we introduce must better the customer’s experience.”
Davoren said top performing agents were similar the world over and very serious about doing things differently and better.
“The RE/MAX mission statement is direct and to the point: to be the worldwide real estate leader, achieving our goals by helping others to achieve theirs, and RE/MAX Australia is the right place for real estate entrepreneurs who want a combination of independence, support and unmatched competitive advantages,” he concluded.