Get to know Adam McCann, top salesperson number of sales, Raine & Horne Darwin

Contact

Sep 28, 2017

Get to know Adam McCann, top salesperson number of sales, Raine & Horne Darwin

Adam McCann, sales agent with Raine & Horne Darwin, has such a good reputation in the industry he has been headhunted for his last three roles.

Adam McCann receives his award from Raine & Horne CEO Brian Reid.
Adam McCann.
Glenn Grantham, Raine & Horne Darwin.

At the recent 2017 Raine & Horne Awards, Adam McCann was named the group's Top Salesperson by number of sales for the 2016-2017 financial year.

"The Darwin real estate market has significantly smaller transaction numbers than Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, so it’s pleasing that Adam’s hard work and dedication has paid off with this stunning win," said Angus Raine, executive chairman Raine & Horne.

Raine & Horne Darwin settled more sales than any other office in Darwin in 2017, and has arguably the city’s biggest property management rent roll, said Raine.

Raine & Horne Darwin holds 12 per cent of the city's property rental market, and 22 per cent of the sales market.

The award was presented at the 2017 Raine & Horne National Awards for Excellence, held at the Darwin Convention Centre and which more than 200 people attended. The event is in its fortieth year, making it one of Australia's oldest real estate events.

McCann spoke to SCHWARTZWILLIAMS about his win, and about how the Darwin market is faring.

How did you first get into real estate? Have you always worked in the industry, or did you do something else previously?

I have spent my adult life in sales, across several industries such as hire equipment and shipping. My sales success has meant that I have been headhunted for my last three positions, including Raine & Horne Darwin. The latest approach was one of my more memorable.

I received a phone call from Glenn Grantham, General Manager of Raine & Horne Darwin and a regular Recon Daily blogger, asking whether I wanted to catch up for a beer. This was nothing out of the usual. I’ve known Glenn for many years and catching up to solve the problems of the world over a cold frothy, is not unusual for tropical Darwin. We met at a bar in the Darwin CBD and he introduced me to a friend from Geelong, by the name of 'Mike'.

We chatted for a couple of hours before leaving. Around 15 minutes later, I got a text from Glenn telling me that mystery 'Mike' thought I was perfect. I was totally baffled by the text, until Glenn revealed they were scoping me out for job at Raine & Horne Darwin. The meeting was a job interview and within a week I had a formal job offer to join the team at Raine & Horne Darwin.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Apart from the clandestine job interviews, the satisfaction of real estate sales is immense, especially when I can put together a deal for young people starting out in life. It’s not about selling properties to our clients. Rather, we are helping them achieve their dreams.

Explaining how to buy land and guiding them through the process is gratifying. Moreover, getting countless referrals from these same real estate newbies to all their friends recommending what we can achieve for them is also satisfying. This is great PR, as you can’t put a price on the first home buyer grapevine in Darwin.

At the recent awards night, you won the prize for Top Salesperson, Number of Sales for the 2016/2017 financial year. How did you achieve such high sales volumes?

Winning the award at the recent 2017 National Raine & Horne Awards in Darwin is a major milestone. At the same time, it was very much a team effort. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by an amazing team here at Raine & Horne Darwin. Our offices in Stuart Park and Palmerston have outstanding staff members working behind the scenes that are critical to our success.

We have a team that has a commitment to detail, and it’s the little things such as never missing deadlines, creating advertising that cuts-through, while maintaining the paper trail, which supports the entire sales process, is staggering.

Without the support of Business Systems Manager Elise Harris and Eva Nistazos our Senior Administration Manager, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. I’m lucky enough to be given some freedom by Glenn Grantham to run with my ideas. We are always looking to lead the field, and I believe we are the first company in NT to implement and launch Electronic Contract of Sales.

Moving with the times and staying ahead of the game frees up large amounts of time to enable me to concentrate on selling real estate, which is my core occupation. As sales agents, we must look at every potential client on a case-by-case basis, and adapt our services. The proliferation of technology is a plus, but you can’t beat good old fashioned service. No two clients are the same. So, I treat everyone how I would expect to be treated myself.

What makes a good agent?

Communication is paramount in this industry and the ability to listen is a skillset, which is highly underrated in the real estate industry. A bit of old-fashioned hard work won’t go astray either.

Can you tell us a bit about how the Darwin market is at the moment? What types of properties are selling well?

The sweet selling spot is for entry-level homes in Palmerston between $300,000 and $450,000. In the popular northern suburbs of Darwin it’s $400,000 to $600,000.

Given the Northern Territory’s generous first-home buyer subsidies, 25 per cent of the sales of established properties in Darwin and Palmerston involve new buyers. Moreover, 90 per cent of land sales in some developments involve first timers.

A first home buyer who is building or buying a new home in the Northern Territory is eligible for a $26,000 first-home owner’s grant. In addition, first-timers receive $2,000 to buy household goods. First home buyers purchasing an established home valued up to $650,000 receive $23,000 in stamp duty relief.

Can you tell us about an interesting property you’ve sold recently?

We listed a property for sale that I classified as a lemon. I felt it would sit on the market for some time. However, I offered it around to a number of first time buyers. I was transparent with my evaluation of the property, and to my amazement one young couple absolutely loved it. As a settlement gift, I purchased them a small lemon tree to plant in the yard.

If there was one thing you could change about the real estate industry, what would it be?

Maybe there could be more support for property managers, or owners that have to deal with challenging tenants. The law assists difficult tenants too much. Maybe tilting the legal balance back towards property managers and landlords could help minimise investment property damage and rent defaults.

Where do you live now, and where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

I live in Larrakeyah in Darwin. As for where we would like to live, my wife’s father is a dairy/sheep farmer in England. The farmhouse is around 400 years old and the property comes with many old barns. The dream is to convert one of the old barns into a home, and along the way invite television program Grand Designs to document the project. This would enable us to look back on the conversion with pride.

The 2017 Raine & Horne National Awards for Excellence winners

Top Office (Number of Sales)