Christine Rudolph loves to be challenged, take risks and try new things, whether that is travelling to new places, or learning about art, architecture, or new technology. Although, as she told WILLIAMS MEDIA, “It's been a while since I have jumped out of an aeroplane skydiving or taken the controls of a helicopter co-piloting, but these are definitely some of my favourite things.”

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Source: Christine Rudolph

Christine's journey into real estate was accidental, prompted through her own personal experience as a property owner and renovator. She swapped a successful corporate career as she was passionate about making a difference to the real estate industry.

As well as a decade of experience as a fully licensed real estate agent, Christine also has professional qualifications as a television journalist/presenter and international business experience having worked for many years for a leading international airline.

Since joining the Ray White Group only seven years ago, Christine has won numerous awards for excellence in the industry, including consistent recognition in the top 2% of Ray White agents internationally, and she has been awarded the prestigious Alan White Elite performer's award for 2019, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

What are your interests outside of real estate?

Starting 2020, has been about new beginnings, intentions and adventures for the next decade.
Part of this discovery has been taking up running which has been an exciting way to start every morning watching the sunrise along our Brisbane River. I get to take in our beautiful city every morning, the buildings, sights and architecture as well which makes the experience even more enjoyable! 

This year, I've really committed to a regular fitness plan, have finally joined the 5am club and am hooked!

Entering my first official fun run this year, the RACQ International Womens Day Fun Run in Brisbane, as part of Karen's Army was an unforgettable experience. Our team, men and women from teens to septuagenarian were the highest fundraisers, with over $25,000 going to the Mater Hospital in support of our very dear friend who is undergoing treatment there. 

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Source: Christine Rudolph

As agents, we are very invested in our work, which means being available around the clock, 7 days a week. I love a quick escape whenever possible to be by the ocean, doing a long walk and getting lost in a good audible book. Noosa National Park and the Bondi to Bronte walks are my absolute favourites.

I really try once a year to travel internationally, which is both incredibly inspirational and a great recharge.
 
What are your predictions for the 2020 luxury market in Brisbane?

Our market started strong straight out of the gates this year, and we really look forward to this continuing as a fabulous start to a decade of tremendous growth for Brisbane. 

Brisbane is such a well planned, clever city. While we have always been a steady reliable market, we are now seeing the rise of entrepreneurial global nomads who can live and run their business from anywhere in the world. 

On a weekly basis, we are seeing many clients attracted to Brisbane for the lifestyle, affordability, safety of our city, ease of both moving within the city as well as connecting to the rest of the world with our expanding international airport. 

We are incredibly excited about the future of Brisbane.
 
What advice do you give to vendors for the best outcome?

The three keys to achieving optimal price are presentation, promotion and professional agent.

In many cases, we can work with our clients for up to a year getting their home ready for sale assisting with the entire project management of having their home look "show home" ready for sale. We can give our clients great value during the planning stage to make sure that they make their home a standout from their competition when it is launched to the market. 

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Source: Claire Williams Fast Focus

Selling a home for maximum price is about finding and emotionally engaging a buyer. We are in the business of helping buyers achieve dreams of finding a beautiful place to live where they will be happy.

That's why we work so closely with our vendors to make sure that they make their home incredibly special, warm and welcoming and inviting for the next owner.

A buyer must walk through the door and have that heart moment, where they connect and truly fall in love with a home. That's where the magic happens. Even simple cosmetic work like painting inside and out, new carpets, beautiful gardens, repairing decks, gutters can produce a huge return on investment for our clients. 

What advice do you give buyers?

I'm very fortunate in my work to cover a multi-generational scope of buyers.

Having a 25 year old daughter saving to get into the market as well as many of her friends looking to buy their first home or apartment, I love being in a position to provide solid advice on fringe suburbs with good capital growth potential close to the city to maximise their capital growth over the next 5 years.  

First home buyers naturally transition into larger homes, once children arrive and looking at areas with good schools, functional family friendly floorplans, accessibility to the city and scope to value add to their home for generally a 10 year hold are all of major consideration.

Buyers in their late 30's to mid 40's are aspirational. They are generally established in business, have achieved financial success and want a statement home offering more space, separation for teens and a larger block. 

This again, is where having an agent providing them confidence to commit to generally a multi million dollar transaction, which will be potentially a 30 year hold, becomes an extremely important factor.

And finally, empty nesters. This is a very big part of my work as I tend to be involved in both the buying and selling side of the transaction. 

This can be a very long and somewhat daunting process considering many have lived in their homes for on average, three decades. 

Trust is critical and some of my clients I have worked with for four years before they find the right place to downsize.

They really need to feel secure as the process of letting go of the family home and accepting the next phase of life can really be confronting. 

There's also decluttering, downsizing and coming to terms with simplifying and minimising life, so time, patience and respect are key.  

The greatest joy in our work is really seeing our clients so happy with their purchase as we really play such a special part in people's lives and that's something never to be underestimated with the difference our care and commitment can make. 

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Source: Christine Rudolph

What are vendors saying?

Our vendors are really excited at the moment to see how much national attention is being focussed on Brisbane.

In the national and international spotlight, Brisbane has emerged as an international city and so much of this has been driven locally by the incredible achievements of many of our home-grown entrepreneurs who have had a vision and taken risks, like the Malouf Family with The Calile Hotel development, Graham and Jude Turner with the Spicers Hotel Group, The Emporium at Southbank, Howard Smith Wharves again transformed by young local entrepreneurs. Our vendors are wanting to make sure that their homes stand out in the market, to capture the premium buyer being attracted to living in Brisbane. 

What are buyers saying - what are they looking for?

We see buyers wanting lifestyle, luxury, smart homes which work well in our climate and are low maintenance for them to enjoy from their busy lives. 

Many of our clients are entrepreneurial, run successful businesses, work long hours and want their home, no matter how big and grand or small and humble, to be a place they can come home and enjoy. High on the checklist are always places close to good shops, cafes, restaurants within walking distance. Views are also high on the checklist and land size. Art deco properties are an absolute collectors item from both investors and homebuyers as they are such beautiful properties and in limited supply. We have seen tremendous price jumps in New Farm for these properties this year. 

Big Queenslanders on large blocks are always in high demand, while bespoke, architecturally designed homes with a cutting edge are of high appeal to many discerning professionals.  
 
Are the buyers changing?

Yes, buyers are changing. I am astonished at the rise of entrepreneurs we are seeing in their late 20's and early 30's. 

Recently we had two young couples in this age group, make offers on houses in the $5m and $8m plus range. 

They are incredibly savvy negotiators and smart operators. One of them has made a fortune from starting an online clothing business in her garage which is now a multi-million dollar global enterprise, another is a lawyer who was frustrated with spray tans and created her own tanning lotion line which has now gone global, while the other clients are in the health and fitness industry. 

Handling such incredible properties, we are also mindful for our sellers of doing our due diligence on buyers and while we protect our clients’ confidentiality at all times, we are increasingly noticing the rise of both the global nomad attracted to Brisbane as well as the rise of home grown millennial entrepreneurs. 

Where do you see demand coming from?

There continues to be an unrelenting demand for good quality property on large blocks within 5km of the CBD, homes within 10km on acreage with tennis courts, grand riverfront homes and bespoke art deco properties. These properties are high demand and subsequently are highly competitive with buyers. 
 
Where are most of your buyers from?

Brisbane residents transacting account for 65% of our buyers, while 35% are combined interstate and expat buyers.  
 
Are they downsizing/upsizing?

Again, buyers tend to be seasonal depending on stage of life. I wouldn't say there is a particular trend at the moment as downsizers statistically transact once every 20-30 years. 

The higher transactional market tends to be in the $700-$1,500,000 range, which is transitional from buyers who are upsizing from their first home into a larger home as more children come along, and then their forever home in the $2m plus market, which tends to be the empty nesters downsizing. Supply and demand drives this market and as they are in limited supply, this tends to be why these forever homes are consistently each week in the top 10 sales in Brisbane as they command the highest prices.    

 What is one thing you have learned during your years as a luxury agent?

Last year, I was so grateful to meet and befriend one of the world's most successful female agents, Dolly Lenz, personal broker to both Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump, and one of New York's most distinguished and sought after agents. She has a book of clients which reads like the Hollywood A List. She is discreet, confidential, knowledgeable and an absolute lady, truly a role model for me in business. 

She gave me one piece of advice which has completely changed my life - there's only room for one ego in this business and that's always your client.

Humility is so incredibly important in this business. We are only as good as our last transaction and the high level of service we provide to our clients.   

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