We Are Real Estate

Alison Ross: Setting her sights on a winning outcome

Alison Ross from Elders Real Estate in the NT talks about her passion for rural sales, why you need to embrace rejection, and why retention of staff is the biggest challenge.

On getting into real estate 
Real Estate chose me. It was not the career path that I thought I would end up in, but my mother encouraged me to join the team after uni (I have a degree in Agricultural Business).

The happiest moment in my career
There were several happy moments in my career. Negotiating rural property transactions with complex conditions. Breaking down each condition and negotiating for a win-win outcome. Land, cattle, equipment, produce requirements, delayed settlement, lease-back conditions, access agreements, different land tenure.

Cracking a difficult vendor and negotiating with a stubborn purchaser. All these provided a great sense of achievement for me, as well as being awarded National No. 1 for Rural Sales within Elders Real Estate for 2018. It was certainly unexpected.

The most memorable moment
Maryfield Station in 2008. It was my highest price at that time, and a satisfying negotiation between vendor and purchaser.

Best advice she’s received
You will succeed in real estate if you can handle rejection (the ability to step back up and keep pursuing the client and business).

Biggest challenge
Retention – a generation of staff that looks forward to change rather than cling to the past. Real estate can be exceptionally rewarding, but sometimes, it requires a bit of pain. It can be a test of stamina and motivation, which is a result of the right attitude. As principals, we need to give staff the vision and tools to succeed. It is then their attitude to stick by it to reach higher levels.

Change for good?
Uniform legislation across states for the Tenancy Act, sale of property, vendor declaration, and contract of sale.

‘Elite’ agent means
The ability to outshine when the market is down. Many agents can succeed when the market is strong; however, it takes an Elite Agent to succeed when the market is weak.

#WeAreRealEstate is a series of short interviews with 140 agents all over Australia exploring the industry’s hopes, concerns, future challenges, and what it really means to be an Elite Agent.

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To contact the editorial team at Elite Agent email editor@eliteagent.com.