RE/MAX Australia announced its top performers for 2017 at a gala event also celebrating 21 years since the first RE/MAX office opened in Australia.
More than 550 attended the annual awards held at the Royal ICC in Brisbane on February 15th.
Keeping with tradition, the network’s ultimate individual honour, The Eagle Award, was the final announcement for the evening.
RE/MAX Australia named Katie Knight, broker-owner of RE/MAX Success, as the 2017 recipient.
Seven past Eagle Award recipients – Murray Carter, Christina Penrose, Brad Neilson, Tony Williamson, Scott Mackay, Simon Salm and Narelle Gill – welcomed Ms Knight to the stage, where she was quick to pay tribute to her team at RE/MAX Success, to RE/MAX Australia and to her colleagues.
The Toowoomba real estate business collected a swag of office and individual awards including Property Management Team of the Year, Special Achievement in Marketing and Most Productive Office. Three sales associates, Daniel Burrett, Melita Bell and Jacqui Walker entered the RE/MAX International Hall of Fame. Daniel Burrett won Special Achievement in Marketing by an individual.
RE/MAX Managing Director Michael Davoren bestowed the highest business performance accolade, the Pinnacle Enterprise Award, on RE/MAX Bayside Properties.
Broker owner Brad Neilson’s offices in Cleveland and Alexandra Hills in Brisbane continued the winning spree taking a staggering 29 awards. For the first time in RE/MAX Australia history, celebratory 21-year pins were given out. Three of the four went to RE/MAX Bayside Properties’ Simon Salm, Glen Tregea and Erica Erakare. Deborah Evans from RE/MAX Results, Morningside, was the fourth recipient.
RE/MAX Bayside Properties’ other awards included Personal Assistant of the Year for Libby Williams, Simon Salm won the highest international career acclaim with Circle of Legends induction, and Dave Neilson got a Diamond Award, the highest award for sales performance in RE/MAX Australia.
Further key awards went to RE/MAX Regency, which was top sales office, Cushla Symons was Property Manager of the Year, Stuart Legg was top agent for commissions and Nicole Carter was given an international Lifetime Achievement Award. Greg Parker was recognised Auctioneer of the Year.
For the third year, the RE/MAX Australia annual awards gala featured a very special and unique Make-A-Wish Australia fundraiser, a wish auction, a chance to help make a real wish come true. In Greg Parker’s skillful hands, the spirited bidding raised $14,750.
Ray Murphy from RE/MAX Real Estate Services in Cairns was Young Sales Associate of the Year and took the Auction Award for an individual sales associate.
Gizelle Powell from RE/MAX Lifestyle Properties in Penrith was named Rookie of the Year, Ellie Hood from RE/MAX Hinterland, Maleny, was named Office Support Person of the Year and RE/MAX Results’ Hayley Van de Ven won the Sales Growth Award for a franchisee.
RE/MAX Victory, Caboolture won both Property Management Growth for number of managements, while RE/MAX Connected, North Lakes, won it for percentage growth.
Robert Zander’s RE/MAX Central Partners won both top recruiting awards, based on net and percentage growth, with the office growing its sales team significantly through 2017.
Pivotal Financial award recipients were finance specialists Anish Prasad (Broker of the Year and Top Market Share); Paul Habib (Top Performer), and Tim Denton (Rising Star).
The global RE/MAX network, now in more than 100 countries and territories, began in 1973 in Denver, Colorado. Australia’s first RE/MAX office opened in the Brisbane suburb of Kenmore in January 1997 and was aptly called RE/MAX 1st. Offices in New South Wales and Western Australia followed a few years later. Offices in South Australia opened in 2004 and offices in Victoria opened in 2005.
Mr Davoren said the past five years had been some of the most productive for growth, both within the network and within offices themselves.
“Last year was massive, plus we hosted the RE/MAX Asia Pacific Convention, touted the most successful yet.
“I also visited every office in the Australian and the New Zealand networks, which was incredibly enlightening, rewarding and exciting, and helped create a perfect platform from which to launch this year’s new technology, new initiatives and focused strategies for growth at every level of our business, including recruitment, property management and the quality of our agents
“As our network continues to grow, it is important to celebrate our point-of-difference,” he said, “and give every customer a truly stand-out real estate experience.”
The theme for the awards event and the RE/MAX Australia Rally that had preceded it was a ‘Celebration of Success.’
“As much as we were celebrating the achievements of our network, our offices and our individuals, it was a celebration of what is at the very core of RE/MAX: the fact that this is truly the franchise for independently-minded agents,” said Mr Davoren
