In sales for more than 50 years, Eugene says it's important to "move to what moves you".
With a flair for selling that began with the sale of a secondhand car at a Holden Dealership at just 22 years of age, in his career Real Specialists Principal Eugene Stone has sold cars, boats, caravans and real estate.
Motivated by the smiles on people’s faces, Eugene says he made a decision “to become the best salesperson I could be” in order to help people to achieve their dreams.
As General Manager of Linmar Property Development and Building, Eugene built the company into the third largest in Queensland, and he started the first No Deposit Home loans scheme in Queensland, before becoming Vice President of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA).
Now Eugene is back to what he loves best, Real Estate, selling 35 properties in the last 12 months.
Eugene spoke with WILLIAMS MEDIA about his decision to join RS and offers his thoughts on the outlook for the market.
What is the one thing you have learnt over your years as an agent?
The one thing I have learnt is to be honest with people. Show respect and the ability to listen, show professionalism, do everything right, put the buyer and the seller first, and you will end up in a win, win situation.
What do you love most about the REAL model?
Real Specialists is a team leader - they show respect to their members and you keep more of the fees you have earned from the sale of the property. They look after the backend of your business, while you are at the front of your business doing what you do best: helping people achieve their goals and dreams.
What are your interests outside of Real Estate?
Fishing, reading, gardening, sales, and motivational speaking at times. I started writing a book on sales and pitfalls for both the public and salespeople, it will be named ‘Trust me I'm a retired used car salesman’.
What are your predictions about the 2021 market in your area?
I expect the market will continue to do well in 2021. There will be a land release in the Moreton Shire of 2,000 blocks of land over the next 5 years in the Morayfield and Caboolture areas, as well as Bribie Island and surrounding areas.
The market will remain steady while interest rates are down and outer suburbs in particular will grow steadily.
What advice would you give to your vendors for the best outcome?
Don't gamble on your asset. Interview those agents who you think will do the best job and look for somebody with a few years’ experience who you think will be good at negotiating. The upside of employing an experienced salesperson is that they will have a big database of buyers, sellers, and investors.
What are your vendors currently saying about the market?
Vendors are seeing opportunities. Some are going to sell in a buoyant market to upgrade their house, some want to sell to get something smaller (Empty Nesters) and have some funds left over for whatever lifestyle they want, while investors are looking for buys to flip on or keep for rentals.
What are buyers currently saying about the market?
They are doing their homework. Some are very nervous thinking about interest rates going up, some are not too sure if they will have a job and are worried about Covid. However, they know if they make the move now, they can move into their home while interest rates are low.