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Real estate leaders honoured are REIA'S Third National Awards for Excellence


4-Apr-2008

Outstanding customer service, contributions to the real estate profession, innovation and community service were amongst the criteria for success in the Real Estate Institute of Australia's third National Awards for Excellence, announced in Melbourne on Thursday 3 April.

Nominees for the Awards came from across Australia, and all had previously been selected as State or Territory Award winners.

'Entries in the 2008 Awards were of the highest standard,' says Noel Dyett, REIA President.  'The commitment to best practice and industry leadership by all the award nominees is impressive.'

The 2008 REIA National Awards for Excellence winners were:

REIA President's Award:   Kevin Sheehan, Real Estate Institute of Victoria
Kevin Sheehan has been a member of the real estate profession since 1973, and is currently Managing Director of Kevin Sheehan Property. He has dedicated many years of service to the profession through leadership roles in the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, including presidency of the Institute. He is also a Past President of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, holding the position from 2000 to 2001. An active member of FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation, Kevin continues to contribute back to the profession both at a national and international level.

Large Residential Agency:  Independent Property Group, ACT
Sponsored by Direct Connect
 
Winning this award for the second time, following earlier success in 2006, the Independent Property Group has been leading the real estate profession in Canberra for over thirty years and now has 175 staff in eleven locations across the region. With over 20 percent market share, Independent has diversified into all areas of real estate including property and strata management, training, IT systems development and home finance.

Small Residential Agency:  Sissons Estate Agents, Qld
Sponsored by realestateview.com.au
 
Sissons employs a methodical and detailed approach to property marketing that highlight to sellers the benefits of promoting their properties at market value and ensuring each property is well presented. With a conversion rate of listings to sales of 94 percent, the agency has also maintained an average time on market of only eleven days for residential properties during 2007, and achieved a number of benchmark sales with record prices.

Commercial Agency:  Colliers International, Qld
Sponsored by realestatefind.com.au
 
During 2007, the integration of PRDnationwide and Colliers International to form the largest property services company in Australia was finalised. A corporate client development team was formed to grow corporate sector revenue and ensure Colliers International’s full service range was promoted. A careers division was established in response to the current competitive employment market. The agency also made a commitment to sustainability by developing a Corporate Social Responsibility program.

Residential Salesperson:  Simon Kersten, Colliers International, NSW
Sponsored by domain.com.au
 
In his 15 years in the property sector, Simon Kersten has worked in all sectors of the industry, winning awards in both commercial and residential sales, and becoming a market leader through marketing and innovation. As well as establishing a number of real estate offices, he has a strong track record, selling numerous multi-million dollar properties and setting a number of market records.

Commercial Salesperson:  Evan Florinis, Commercial SA Property Group, SA
Sponsored by realestatefind.com.au
 
Evan is co-principal of Commercial SA Property Group, along with business partner Andrew Turner who won this award in 2007. Commercial SA Property Group has a strong focus on client service and being the best in the business, made possible through a work environment that promotes personal development, professionalism and pride.

Residential Property Manager:  Alexandra Scott, Top Notch Property Management, ACT
Sponsored by Aon
 
Alexandra Scott has been in real estate for the past decade, and is very passionate about property management as a profession. She has established her own boutique portfolio, Top Notch Property Management, specialising in personalised, efficient and professional property management services for the Canberra market.

Commercial Property Manager:  Johann de Beer, Colliers International, Qld
Sponsored by realestatefind.com.au
 
With 22 years experience as a commercial property manager, Johann de Beer is Colliers International’s State Director for Queensland. During 2007, he was instrumental in securing the management of high profile buildings and portfolios, and implemented a range of strategies to manage building operations and risk, occupational health and safety, and an automated diary management system for assets under his control.

Achievement:  Jacqueline Dwyer, McGrath Estate Agents, NSW
Sponsored by The Mentors
 
Jacqueline Dwyer is a sales representative with McGrath Estate Agents. McGrath Estate Agents’ impact on the Australian real estate market is largely due to its driving ambition to be the world’s most customer centric real estate company, providing 6-star service to its clients, an ambition Jacqueline lives out in her work as a sales representative.

Business Broker:  John Trafford, Dale Wood Business Sales Consultancy, SA
Sponsored by realestatefind.com.au
 
John Trafford works across South Australia in rural and regional areas as well as metropolitan Adelaide, specialising in the sales of supermarkets, liquor stores and bottle shops, as well as coordinating the sales of quality businesses in the manufacturing, services and distribution sectors. In winning this award, John has brought the Business Broker award back to his agency, Dale Wood Business Sales Consultancy, for a second year, following the success of his colleague, Richard Hall, in 2007.

Buyer's Agent:  Frank Valentic, Advantage Property Consulting, Vic
Sponsored by Your Investment Property
 
Frank Valentic is regarded as one of the leading buyer’s agents in the Melbourne market. Over the last eight years, he has grown his business to a team of thirteen staff who have assisted over 1400 clients. A regular speaker at property conferences, Frank has also been featured on national television shows including Hot Property and Hot Auctions.

Innovation:  Toop and Toop, SA
Sponsored by PRDnationwide
 
Taking the Innovation Award for the second year in a row, Toop and Toop demonstrates outstanding leadership in introducing innovative practices and technology to the real estate profession. Toop and Toop clients have the use of the agency’s innovative Virtual Agent system, with daily updates to registered buyers via SMS or email. Inspection and auction times can be downloaded direct to a PDA or Outlook diary. With the innovative dot Toop it, each property has its own address on the web – no more search engines or search screens. Clients can go directly to the property they are looking for.

Communications:  Independent Property Group, ACT
Sponsored by Direct Connect
 
In its second award for 2008, the Independent Property Group has been recognised for excellence in Communications. The group’s communications strategy is not only about generating interest in its current property listings, but also maintaining the position of its brand, and promoting its agents and their successes. Independent’s commitment to design and innovation makes it stand out from the crowd.

Community Service:  Nelson Alexander, Vic
Sponsored by Deposit Power
 
The Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation has worked tirelessly to raise and distribute $137,000 over the past year to its local community, across a range of charities. In addition, Nelson Alexander offers its staff two paid leave days per annum for community service, allowing them to contribute to a cause or community group of their own choice. The Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation is run entirely by Nelson Alexander staff, and is a great demonstration of what can be achieved by leveraging the talent, enthusiasm and generosity of staff keen to be engaged with and supportive of their local community.
For comment or more information, contact:
 
Noel Dyett - REIA President - 0418 532 145
Chris Fitzpatrick - REIA Deputy President - 0412 574 401
Alison Verhoeven - REIA Public Affairs Manager - 0403 282 501