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Harris Real Estate property consultant Arabella Hooper has detailed how she clinched second spot in the REB Top 50 Agents South Australia/Northern Territory 2024 ranking.
Hooper jumped from fourth in 2023 to second place this year after selling 101 residential properties for $161.4 million during the 2023 calendar year. While she sold fewer properties compared to 2022, her settlement values jumped by over 11 per cent year-on-year.
She told REB that this was the result of planning for growth over the years, which correspondingly led to her selling properties for higher prices.
“Every business should grow over the years,” she said.
Hooper’s average sale price also increased from $1.2 million in last year’s ranking to $1.6 million this year, resulting in higher sales values.
Hooper said she was also aided by the fact that economic headwinds, such as rising interest rates, did not impact her business negatively as the market remained strong last year.
This is despite growing hesitancy among buyers to purchase a property in the current environment.
“We haven’t seen the impact we thought it might have on the market, but it probably had an impact on some buyers’ ability and desire to spend on properties,” Hooper said.
As a result, Hooper said she has had to spend more time educating buyers and ensuring that all parties are comfortable with the transaction.
Additionally, she said that while low housing stock was not an issue last year, she has been challenged by it this year.
To overcome this and release stock, she and her team are combing through every property they sold over the last four years to uncover whether home owners are considering selling it.
“We noticed that there’s been a high volume of transactions for properties owned during that period,” Hooper said.
“Furthermore, we’re nurturing our buyer relationship and running a good off-market process so we can do more off-market transactions. The better our relationship with our buyers and the more we know what and why they want to buy, the easier it is for us to match them to a property that might be available as an off-market transaction only.”
She sold residential and acreage properties in 2023, stating that buyers are showing an inclination to move from either Adelaide city or interstate to Adelaide Hills for lifestyle reasons.
Hooper’s degrees in commerce and horse physiotherapy, knowledge of the equestrian field, and her accounting background have also enabled her to sell equestrian estates.
Around 30 per cent of Harris Real Estate’s business is comprised of the equestrian market.
“Having that depth of information around horses is influential when it comes to the listing room,” Hooper said.
“The vendor feels confident that you know what you’re talking about and selling.”
As for how other agents could thrive in their business, Hooper – who has over two decades of industry experience – recommended that they remain committed to their plan and their job, even when they face setbacks.
She concluded: “The work is hard and gruelling, but you need to look for the small wins along the way.
“Most importantly, be nice, endearing and caring to clients. That will help you build a strong business over the long term.”
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