High flying Raine & Horne agent, Bram Pollock, says his decision to invest in an RV-7A light aircraft saves his travelling time by thousands of hours annually.

Pollock, who is the principal of Raine & Horne Rural Atherton/Julia Creek, provides real-estate services to a market extending 800 kilometres from Julia Creek in Queensland’s far north-west, to the fertile Atherton Tablelands on the east coast. 

“One of my remotest cattle clients is six hours (drive) from my Julia Creek office, yet I can be there in 75 minutes in the RV-7A,” said Mr Pollock.

“Even with this time saving, the travelling is significantly more than for a residential agent in a capital city. I’m still in the air about 300 hours a year or about 12.5 days annually.

“Without the plane it would be closer to 1,800 hours or 2.5 months of car commuting to cover my vast territory," he said.

Mr Pollock markets a vast range of rural properties, from citrus farms to beef and wool properties.

“If a buyer is interested in a significant rural listing, there’s an expectation that an agent like me will pull out all stops to get them to the property for an inspection,” said Pollock. 

“We fly many of our buying prospects in the RV-7A from Cairns and Townsville for inspections. If they’re prepared to spend millions, they expect this level of service from an agent,” he said.

While many of the properties Pollock visits have a Royal Flying Doctor-rated airstrip, landing is not always easy.

"Last week an errant ant bed put a dent in the wing of the RV-7A,” said Pollock. Fortunately the plane is still air-worthy, but requires a new part from the United States.

“It’s a very fast plane to fly and economical to run,” said Pollock.

Pollock says the rural property market in North Australia has two tiers.

“The corporate market is represented by assets valued over $40 million," he said. "And there is a private investor market, where properties are selling for between $1.5 million and $8 million. We’re talking mostly 30,000 acres plus beef properties valued up to $8 million.”

Raine & Horne Rural Atherton/Julia Creek recently listed 'Ooralat', a 34,560 acre, pastoral holding, with 28 kilometres of Einasleigh River frontage at Junction Creek in Far North Queensland.

“The property comes with 17 dams, five bores, five main paddocks, four holding paddocks and a 5km laneway system. It has near new barbed wire fencing, which is shock proofed,” said Pollock.

“Ooralat is within an hour of registered cattle sales and 2.5 hours from all major services at Atherton, so isolation isn’t a problem,” said Pollock.

“This is a cost effective, drought proof, easily managed property, experiencing an excellent season and an abundance of feed, and will appeal to owner-occupiers and private investors.”

Pollock said, with beef prices doubling over the last six months "Ooralat is set to appeal, as it comes with 650 breeding female cattle."

See also:

Rural property set for strong spring sales

Rare rural opportunity