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Raine & Horne announced its principal of the year at the Raine & Horne National Awards on the Gold Coast last week.
Kate Smith, principal of Raine & Horne in Semaphore in South Australia, scored gold in the Top Salesperson (Principal) Number of Sales category.
Ms Smith placed 10th in the said category, for which Angus Raine, executive chairman of Raine & Horne, commended her for her hard work.
“A top 10 finish in the Top Salesperson (Principal) Number of Sales is particularly impressive allowing for the average sales price for a house in Semaphore is $458,817 in 2017–18, and Kate is competing against agents operating in the pricier eastern state markets such as Sydney and Melbourne,” Mr Raine said.
Ms Smith beat Sydney agents Ric Serrao, co-principal in Double Bay where the median house price is $4.2 million, and leading principals Peter Mosedale and Lachlan Yeates in Dee Why/Collaroy where the median is $1.8 million.
Ms Smith is a regular at the Real Estate Institute of South Australia Awards for Excellence and attributed her winning to hard work.
“I have been hitting my sales targets for the past five years because I rarely settle. Once I achieve my numbers, I look for ways to improve my service to clients to help me achieve the next goals,” the agent said.
Ms Smith added that they had introduced a new service for vendors which had created better customer service experience and furthered the client relationship.
“Rather than pressing the vendors to come to our office to collect the keys to their new property, I place a red ribbon on the door and greet them.
“Our red-ribbon greeting makes the experience more exclusive for the purchaser, giving them greater satisfaction in the process and paving the way for future business when they ultimately sell the property.”
Ms Smith said that 50 per cent of her sales came from repeat or referred business, but she has also had huge success with Raine & Horne’s technology.
“The old methods for selling will still play a role in real estate, but with Amplify, we are embracing change,” the agent said. “We need to continually accept change to stay relevant to real estate consumers today who increasingly use their phone and social media to make their buying decisions.”
