AUCTIONEERING is at the heart of Ray White, and the leading property group has an extra special recognition for its most dedicated auction professionals.
Ray White booked almost 19,000 auctions across Australia and New Zealand and cleared 62 per cent in the year to June 30, 2025, and the volume was some 3.5 per cent lower than the year before as listings eased.
In 2024/25, some 110 members were named in Ray White’s prestigious Tony Fountain Auction Excellence Recognition program in honour of a great man who was known as a fearless and relentless auctioneer.
There have only been 154 recipients of the Tony Fountain award since its inception on July 1 2022.
Ray White Chairman Brian White AO described Tony Fountain as a “legend”.
Over his 52-year career, Tony conducted more than 35,000 auctions across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. He passed away in 2018, aged 72.
Tony was one of the greatest auctioneers in Australia and Ray White members were fortunate to have had his services Australia-wide.
The commitment to auctions has been one of the most important reasons why Ray White has become market leaders throughout Australia and New Zealand.
This award is open to auction agents, not auctioneers.
The criteria to qualify for the Tony Fountain Auction Excellence Recognition program was they must conduct 40 auctions a year; and maintain a minimum 50 per cent internal auction share.
A separate criteria applies for Western Australia where agents must conduct 20 auctions in this developing auction market.
We hope that Tony’s fervour and commitment to the auction process continues to inspire further auction excellence among our group.
Ray White South Australia Chief Auctioneer John Morris said he was extremely proud of having played a part in the inception of the award and auctions in his state.
“We do punch above our weight when it comes to the percentage of recipients that hail from SA and having access to all our auction data has helped us all immensely to report with more clarity and authority.”
We are so proud of all of our auction squad.
Hats off to Ethan Petrie of Ray White West End who conducted 152 auctions in 2024/25, capping his career top date at now 293 and counting. His personal clearance rate in 2024/25 was 72 per cent.
When asked what one auction stood out the most to him was the campaign for 2607/66 Hope Street, South Brisbane.
His seller (pictured above) approached him after having an extremely poor experience with another property.
“With another property already purchased, they were under pressure to sell within a specific timeframe and achieve a premium price that had been promised – but ultimately not delivered – by earlier agents. They were hesitant about going to auction.
“After a few weeks on the market with a fixed price and several low offers, we pivoted to a two-week auction campaign which resulted in a successful sale under the hammer for $1,500,000 for the two bedroom apartment.”
The buyers were local and already owned an apartment nearby.
They had been attending Ray White West End open homes for over six months in search of the right upgrade.
“The moment they stepped into this apartment, they knew it was the one – not just for the property itself, but for the lifestyle it offered,” he said.
“This campaign was a great reminder of the power of a well-executed auction strategy, and the trust that can be built by guiding clients through a challenging process with clarity and confidence.”
The amazing Trish Orrico from Ray White Craigieburn conducted 104 auctions in the 2024/25 year (in her signature yellow heels) and cleared a whopping 89.7 per cent.
The unstoppable Melbourne agent has run 950 auctions in total in her career.
Her favourite auction of the year was 29 Paroo Ave, Roxburgh Park which sold for $675,000 and Trish almost put her body on the line to get the deal done!
“The owner was an elderly lady who needed to downsize and it took her kids a long time to convince her to sell. We had multiple bidders on the day, and at one point the underbidder jumped in his car to leave and so I kept calling the auction in the middle of the road! He ended up bidding again but another bidder bid above him and then I had to move out of the way!”
In Brisbane, Alistair Macmillian of Ray White Wilston completed 51 auctions in 2024/25 with an impressive 94 per cent personal clearance rate with an average of 7 registered bidders.
He’s booked more than 750 auction campaigns in his stellar career to date.
Alistair loves the structure of the process and the confidence that owners receive knowing that they have the best chance of achieving the price they want within the next few weeks.
“I like auctions for the certainty of the sale proceeding without the chance of it falling through with conditions, and owners having every opportunity to secure the best possible price in the market,” he said.
“My favourite auction of the year took place at 15 Armentieres St, Kedron. “I had sold this home three times before, but my daughters mentioned they couldn’t recall me calling an auction.
“Knowing that this one would attract significant interest, I decided to take the reins myself. It had been over a year since I last called an auction, so I was understandably nervous.
“Fortunately, the weather was perfect for an on-site auction, and we had a large crowd of around 70 people, including two new business owners who had never seen me in action, my three daughters, and 15 registered bidders.
“The auction was lively and competitive, culminating in a fantastic sale price.
“What made this auction particularly memorable wasn’t just the success of having my kids there, but the fact that, in my nervousness, I had mismatched my suit – wearing a jacket and pants that didn’t go together.
“Both Mitch and Christian, the new business owners, noticed this, as did my family, but none of them said anything beforehand, thinking it might distract me. We all shared a good laugh about it after the auction!”
Ray White Mt Gravatt principal Grant Boman personally had booked 47 auctions last financial year, and sold 45 of them for a 96 per cent clearance rate.
“I would say I have sold more than 700 homes at auction personally and called thousands since 2004.”
His favourite auction sale of the year was at 68 Marawah St, Burbank.
“This was the first time I had sold an acreage as Marawah Farm was 26 acres. The client was an existing one of mine, a retired judge and it had been their family home for more than 30 years. They were downsizing to an apartment,” he said.
Grant reached out to Rhondda Arnetz from Ray White Rural to work with him and it was a wonderful partnership.
“It certainly got the vendors an outstanding result and something no other agent could offer them. The property was sold at auction at my office at Mt Gravatt, with 14 registered bidders for $3,185,000. The buyers were a local couple from Mt Gravatt in the medical field and wanted something to get away from the business of the city but still close enough for work etc. They are currently working on an extensive renovation. “
To Jessica Cao of the Upper North Shore, the recognition meant more to her than anything.
Ms Cao, who booked 42 in the financial year, has sold 120 in her career to date with a 91 per cent clearance and 4.4 average bidders at her auctions.
Her favourite auction of the year was 21 Karoo Ave, Lindfield which sold for $3.796 million last December with five registered bidders and three active bidders.
Tightly held for 40 years, the five bedroom property was designed by Michael Dysart whose notable works include Urambi Village and Wybalena Grove. Michael Dysart is a leading practitioner of the late twentieth century Sydney regional style of architecture.
“The bidding started at $2.5 million and was slow to start, but once it got underway, the bids started coming and it flew past the reserve,” Ms Cao said.
“There were three active bidders, one was a developer but once bidding hit the $3.5 million mark, they dropped out and it was just the two bidders left going up in $1,000 bids.
“The winning bidders were owner occupiers, a young couple with children who loved the design of the house and wanted to totally restore it which made the seller (pictured above with Ms Cao) very happy.” Ms Cao said the unique modernist house was untouched.
“It was in the Sunday Herald back when it was new as it was such a great build. The vendor wanted to sell it for $3.2 million off market so we set the reserve at $3.2 million and ran an auction campaign. Needless to say the owners were extremely happy with the result. It shows auctions create competition and work well to get the best prices for vendors.”
The buyers are a young family who love modernist architecture and who will do a full renovation.
Brisbane auction agent Holly Bowden of Ray White Wilston conducted 41 auctions in the last year, with a 98 per cent personal clearance.
Her standout auction of 2024/25 was 20 Khartoum Street, Gordon Park.
“I had auctioned the seller’s last property which I sold under the hammer during COVID so it was lovely to work with the family again. There is a certain confidence with sellers when you’ve sold for them previously, as well as a warmth and familiarity.
“It turned out that the successful buyer just happened to be a lady who I had gone to high school with and I hadn’t seen her for over 20 years,” Ms Bowden said.
“It was a special win-win situation for both parties but to also achieve such a tremendous price on that sale. It’s opened the doors for me with other opportunities in the area.”
In Adelaide, Ray White Para Hills principal Brijesh Mishra conducted 91 auctions in 2024/25, off the back of 96 auctions in the year prior. He’s conducted approximately 340 auctions over the course of his career.
“His personal auction clearance rate for last financial year (24/25) was 88 per cent and 95 per cent in the previous financial year.”
His standout auction for the 24/25 year was 8 Winulta Court, Munno Para, which he called a truly memorable campaign, full of emotion and surprises.
“The seller had bought this home as his very first property and had always been hesitant about auctions, never having participated in one before. Initially, I recommended auction as the best way to create competition and achieve a premium price. Although he was convinced at first, in the middle of the auction campaign, he became anxious, withdrawing from the auction due to concerns about the property’s condition and the uncertainty of auction outcomes. After some reassurance, he decided to go ahead with the auction the following week.
“During the campaign, six groups inspected the property, including two neighbours. The seller experienced intense stress throughout this time. However, the auction attracted eleven registered bidders, with seven actively bidding. The result exceeded all expectations: the property sold for $710,000, which was $50,000 above the reserve price. The seller was overwhelmed and moved to tears, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
“The buyer’s story was also remarkable. He had viewed the property during the open inspection and initially submitted an offer $110,000 below the final sale price, stating he had no interest in competing at auction. However, witnessing the strong competition on auction day, he changed his mind and ended up bidding $110,000 more than his original offer.
“This result set a record price for the area, significantly outperforming similar homes in the pocket, which had only achieved up to $650,000 via private treaty. Both seller and buyer stories made this campaign a 2024/25 highlight for me, demonstrating the power of auction in the right circumstances.”
In Perth, top agent Vivien Yap of Ray White Dalkeith Claremont conducted a whopping 34 auctions in 2024/25.
She has booked 138 properties at auction so far in her incredible career. Her favourite auction of the year was 45 View Terrace, East Fremantle.
“The majority of offers were around $3.5 – 4.5million, and emotions ran high on auction day. The two sellers had differing views and were initially sceptical about the auction process. As viewings for the property were limited, marketing the property required a more tailored and strategic approach. Midway through the auction, a new bidder entered the competition, adding to the intensity of the event, and the property sold for $5,337,000,” Ms Yap said.
In Adelaide, Justin Irving of Ray White Salisbury conducted a whopping 117 auctions in the year, and a career to date of 260 auctions.
His auction day clearance rate is an enviable 89 per cent, and his favourite auction of the year was the home at 35 The Walk, Mawson Lakes.
“The home was a deceased estate. One executor was a local lady that was a close friend of the deceased and the sister that resided in Ireland. We appraised the home at $1.8 million and the vendors set a reserve at $2 million. We ran a 3 week campaign and had over 110 groups attend the open homes leading up to the auction day.
“On the day of the auction we had 21 registered bidders, stormy weather was forecast and we had a heavy downpour of rain during the auction call. We had a crowd of over 300 standing in the rain observing and the opening bid was $1.8 million and the final result was $2.3 million.”
John Yatman, principal at Ray White Punchbowl, conducted 63 auctions last year to round out his career to date at more than 400. His personal clearance was 87.1 per cent last year.
His favourite auction last year was 7 Victoria Road, Punchbowl sold for $1,902,000.
“My seller was on the market with another agency for six months, trying to achieve $1.7 million. We took it to the market with a vendor who was very hesitant and scared,” he said.
“Her husband had passed away quite a few years ago and it was their family home for 50 years, they built it together.
“The buyer is upgrading from a smaller property in Riverwood and wanted to capitalise on the metro line and a bigger home.”
