McGrath Estate Agents has assembled a team of elite performing agents in the competitive Brisbane property market.

End of 2021 financial year sales tallies confirm a winning combination of culture, attitude and experience is at work among its Top Five agents and Charles Higgins, General Manager of Company Owned Sales in Queensland.

“We have one of the highest concentrations of elite agents and their teams in Queensland,” said Mr Higgins. “The culture is uniquely high-performing with our Top Five all sharing a hyper-local approach to the growth of their sales businesses. We are extremely proud of them.”

The leading agents are Alex Jordan, Craig Lea, Kelly Qualtrough, Brett Greensill and Reuben Packer-Hill. Craig Lea transacted 136 sales for the year while Alex Jordan sold more than $200 million worth of property earning him the honour of being named Top Residential Agent in Queensland in the REA Excellence Awards 2020 and taking out the McGrath Founder’s Award for 20-21.

Results for FY21 show a 130 per cent increase for McGrath’s Paddington, Wilston and New Farm offices which achieved an average sale price of $1.15 million across 545 sales totalling $625 million in value.

Charles Higgins was asked to share some of the qualities needed to reach elite-agent status.

“We have a new era of real estate agents,” he said. “They’re not pushy; they’re sophisticated and professional. They are leaders in their respective marketplaces and many of their industry peers look up to them for professional inspiration, and they are generous with their mentoring of those up and coming in the industry.”

Mr Higgins noted that as mentors, they’re seen to have mastered the craft of prospecting, listing, marketing, negotiating, and transacting.

“What I notice that drives peak performance is a balanced mix of several factors,” said Mr Higgins.

Cultural alignment within the company, uncompromising service excellence and a shared set of standards are crucial.

He adds that dedicated teamwork, structure in the form of Effective Business Units (EBUs) and clearly defined roles and responsibilities within each team make for smooth transactions for clients.

Mr Higgins encourages agent specialisation and a hyper-local approach from his teams which service the inner city through to the northern and western corridors.

He backs his agents with a strong network of tailored systems and support to streamline processes. “Working with such high-performing talent, we ensure that the effectiveness of our systems and support is always a top priority,” he said. “I believe providing the right platform for our elite teams to operate from is imperative to their performance. It’s like professional athletes having the right equipment to train and prepare.”

“And of course, we always emphasise and encourage a healthy work/life integration,” he added.

In the past 12 months, 13 agents have joined the team. They are working alongside high performers like Brett Greensill who covers the New Farm, Newstead and Teneriffe areas.

The experienced Greensill team has sold over $630 million worth of property since being together. “Our clients’ 5-star reviews give us feedback on our professionalism, sophisticated negotiation skills and the effectiveness of our high-quality marketing,” said Mr Greensill. His top sale this year was a $7.35 million riverfront penthouse in Newstead.

Kelly Qualtrough, who specialises in Brisbane’s Hills District, said the incorporation of various tech solutions in her business has helped her team to excel in serving their clients. “It’s streamlined our systems to allow us to take on more clients than ever,” she said. Ms Qualtrough transacted 94 sales for the financial year with a value of more than $65 million. She now holds 30 per cent market share in her specialised area. “Our business has become heavily referral-based,” she added.

Reuben Packer-Hill’s team has an average age of just 32 years and yet has negotiated over $400 million of property sales. “We have always been defined as high-energy real estate professionals,” he said. “We deliver dynamic ideas, innovation and enthusiasm and yet we maintain a strong integrity.” Mr Packer-Hill’s team covers the western suburbs of Brisbane. They offer their clients an extraordinarily high level of service.

Craig Lea has successfully led a team that employs streamlined processes and a business model capable of handling high volumes without compromising on service excellence.

“My team is all about bringing great energy to what we do,” said Mr Lea. “We are a longstanding, cohesive unit, each uniquely effective.” The Lea team has maintained Number One status for sales in its area with an average sale price circa $1 million.

Alex Jordan sums up the quantum leap to becoming an elite agent. “I think what ultimately differentiates a good agent from an elite agent is the agent’s ability to maximise the perceived value of a property,” he states.

“This is done through optimising presentation and having a targeted promotion campaign to reach the right buyers." Mr Jordan believes the agent’s negotiating skills and their experience in using the appropriate relevant sales and market statistics to defend the value of a property, will have a direct impact on the price achieved.

“In my experience, the seller’s choice of agent can easily influence the eventual sale price of their property by at least 5 to 10 per cent.”

“We are proud of the calibre of professionals we attract and nurture at McGrath,” said Charles Higgins.

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