Honesty and Knowledge the Way to Go

Noosa Today’s property magazine Real Estate Lifestyle has welcomed a not-so-new face to their growing list of advertisers.

After many years in the Noosa property scene, long-term and well-respected real estate agent Deni Castle has made a bold move to Robert James Realty,

After many years of selling real estate in Noosa, Deni said she has noticed a change in the demographic. Her sales used to be predominantly to retirees and older investors, but of the nine settled sales and six accepted offers she’s had since the start of December, not one of the buyers was over 50.

“And they’re all locals,” she said.

Deni said she believed there were many contributing factors driving the change ranging from the economic climate being the biggest downfall, to retirees no longer being able to retire early due to their loss of super de-amalgamate.

But it’s not only the demographic that is changing, it is buyer’s awareness and Deni said it was important to know how to respond or react to an extremely educated buyer.

“Today’s buyers have a price range and an area in mind, and with today’s technology, are experts in both,” she said.

“By the time an educated buyer comes into town, they’ve already made contact and it comes down to local knowledge and product knowledge. You get 30 seconds to make a    first impression, to convey trust, knowledge, confidence and experience. That’s it, if you fail to do so in those fi rst couple of minutes they’ll move on.

“I was invited into real estate many years ago but my family were young and when you work in real estate you have to be available when your clients are off work, which is weekends and evenings.

When I retired from the education department I was again invited to come into real estate but I had serious concerns about doing so.

“I had formed a very negative opinion about real estate agents from my earlier personal experiences with them. I found that they fibbed and were bullies – I’d been lied to and that really wasn’t necessary and they emotionally pushed you into corners to try to get a sale at any cost.

And I was the seller! So I really was determined if I came into real estate I would make a difference and would treat people with honesty, integrity and professionalism – the way I would expect to be treated.

“In my first year I spent a lot of money –I invested heavily in education and training. I did every course that was available, including multiple courses in auction management and auctioneering. I became an accredited business broker, even travelling to Tasmania to do the accreditation courses of the Australian Business Brokers & Valuers Association. I had to have that depth of knowledge to just get out there.”

“My goals were simple: to fast track my product knowledge and expertise, find the right property for the buyer be it one of mine or another agent’s listing and make sure buying real estate was a pleasant experience.”

Over the years Deni has been involved in over 2000 transactions. She had one of the first multiple sales in Noosa Waters, selling the blocks of land in The Anchorage, which was also one of Paul Clout’s earliest big sales. Plus she held the record price of $2.65 million for a Sunshine Beach unit.

“Probably the most interesting sale I’ve ever made was after I’d been bitten three times by a brown snake! I was in the Nambour emergency ward when I sold a property in Bottlebrush Avenue,” Deni said.

About 90 to 95 per cent of Deni’s business came from repeat or referral customers and some properties she has sold three or four times.

“My belief is that the sellers need to know what is happening right now out there in the market,” Deni said.

“Generally a listing appointment will take a minimum of 90 minutes to view the property and to look at comparative property data.

But I don’t just show it to them, I explain where the data comes from, how it is collated and together we analyse the information it.

“With open and honest communication backed up with current data, the outcome is that the owner is able to confi rm with confidence where their property sits in the market. Plus we are both on the same wavelength. Given the owner’s situation, sometimes the right decision is not to sell and even then we are on the same track. We also determine the marketing program together.”