Four years ago, Ms Harris and Mr Dawson ventured out from RE/MAX to establish an independent agency with Julie Harris Real Estate.
After two and a half years, they returned to a large franchise group, but after 18 months into that business experience, decided it wasn’t the right brand or culture.
‘We’re very fortunate that Julie and Sean, who have worked with both franchise and independent models, saw the benefit of working with RE/MAX Advantage, and they hit the ground running with a strong client base right across Brisbane,” Mr Gill said.
Ms Harris and Mr Dawson admit they were floundering in a franchise environment that was lacking in support when they approached Mr Gill.
“Sean and I are extremely happy since making the move to Advantage,” Ms Harris said.
“Securing nine listings in our first two months on the team just shows that the environment is massively important.
“Having a great leader helps, and we thank Travis for believing in us.”
Mr Gill acknowledges that he prefers to bring experienced people into his team.
“Experienced people have seen the ‘other side’ and so they thrive in our supportive, inclusive environment,” he said.
“We prioritise inviting the best onto the team.
“These will be people who seek synergy, high energy and collaboration; they are team players and agents who are in the industry for the right reasons.”
Mr Gill describes RE/MAX Advantage as a boutique franchise office.
“This means have tailored processes and systems, and not a cookie cutter approach to how our sales associates operate their businesses,” he said.
“Sales associates, like Julie and Sean, act independently with full support.”
Kim Gordon’s real estate career spans 10 years, three years of which have been with RE/MAX in New Zealand.
Familiar with the strength of the brand and its culture – from the network, through the New Zealand and Australian networks and the corporate teams that supports the broker owners and their teams – it was a matter of choosing which RE/MAX office to join when she relocated to the other side of the Tasman.
“Kim moved to Brisbane seeking a more active property market than the charmingly peaceful lifestyle blocks in the Mangawhai region, where she’s had a deep connection with the community for more than 35 years,” Mr Gill said.
“Kim brings fresh energy, style and sophistication.
“She has been very prominent in the premium lifestyle market and is now swapping acreage lifestyle for waterfront.”
“I chose RE/MAX Advantage because I appreciated that Travis was a selling principal, specialising in the prestige market, and I’m excited to join him and grow our market share,” Ms Gordon said.
RE/MAX Advantage services ‘East of rail’, which includes the suburbs of Wynnum, Manly and Lota, all featuring waterfront properties.
“Our market is across all demographics and price points,” Mr Gill said.
“The bulk of the sales come from the $900k to $1.4mil range and are established family homes; but over the past five years, the townhouse market has grown immensely as the entry level sector, priced around $600k.”
With the popularity of his market continuing to rise, Mr Gill is looking ahead to business growth – branching out to specialise in project development and ‘off the plan’ sales – in line with the growth in those sectors.
The expanded RE/MAX Advantage team this month moved into an exciting, contemporary space at 138 Bay Terrace, Wynnum, and is better positioned than ever to support the evolving needs of property owners and investors in the Brisbane bayside region.
