Three of Ray White’s best reach Premier status

JUST over six months into the financial year and three agents from Ray White’s Ballarat office have been awarded Premier status.

The recognition is bestowed by the Ray White Group on agents who exceed benchmarks in sales volume or value.

Ballarat residential sales consultants Sam Borner and Will Munro along with rural sales manager Josh Todd were recently acknowledged for the strong effort.

“It’s great to see our staff achieve and become Premier members,” said Phillip Lee, Ray White Ballarat director of residential, rural and commercial sales.

“It’s great recognition for their hard work and effort, and it’s great for us as we have three now and four last year and there will be more this year.

“I think it demonstrates our staff commitment to ongoing training and also ongoing customer service.”

As a rural sales manager, Mr Todd, has a large geographical area to cover, about a 100km radius around Ballarat.

His core business includes farming enterprises, lifestyle and township properties and he’s consistently hit Premier status for the last six years.

“It’s an achievement and an achievement I’m very proud of,” he said. “It’s a good milestone.

“I’ve been involved in the rural sales space for almost 20 years now, so I’ve built up a good client base and a good knowledge of the market as well.”

With a growing desire among buyers for rural lifestyle and acreage properties, Mr Todd’s experience and knowledge means tangible benefits, both for clients and himself.

“Last week alone I had new business from three clients that have now transacted with me three times,” he said.

Mr Borner has also consistently hit Premier status within Ray White Ballarat for the last five years.

His career journey started in property management, so he’s able to see things from the investor’s point of view.

“I think you really need to understand every facet of real estate and the only way to really do that properly is to work in it,” he said.

“I started answering phone calls as an 18-year-old. I worked administration, through to property management – looking after 230 properties, through to sales.

“It’s taught me everything I really need to know.”

Mr Borner puts his ongoing success down to relationship building with vendors and buyers and understanding the Ballarat property market, whether it’s for houses, units or land.

“It’s about knowledge and being able to build really good rapport with people,” he said.

“I’d put it down to getting along with all sorts of different people and being able to have people trust me to sell their houses.”

Just like Mr Todd and Mr Borner, Mr Munro also regular Premier status holder, having hit the level every year since his first with Ray White Ballarat as well as the Elite tier 18 months ago.

One of the keys to his success is a large database of contacts that includes sellers and buyers and associated industry professionals like solicitors, valuers and surveyors.

But there’s also one other important component to his high achieving.

“Mainly it’s a lot of hard work and long hours, putting that time and the effort in and going that little bit extra beyond what people expect,” Mr Munro said.

“That makes a huge difference because that starts that referral network.”