V8 Supercars star James Courtney is getting ready to swap a life of fast cars and burning rubber for selling homes.
The 20-year motorsports veteran has joined McGrath on the Gold Coast and will operating at the Paradise Point office under principal Ian Spurle.
Mr Courtney said he had always had a passion for real estate and it was a career he could continue with once he officially hangs up the keys to his V8.
“I’ve always had an interest in architecture and real estate and renovating with my own properties,” Mr Courtney said.
“I’ve always had that love of renovation and buying and selling and flipping and that whole process.”
Despite the change of career, Mr Courtney isn’t retiring from motorsports just yet.
His contract with the Blanchard racing team ends after the 2025 season, and that’s when he’ll move to a more full-time real estate role.
However, he still expects to be involved in motorsports while also doing some work in the media.
“The beauty of my situation at the moment, is that with the Supercars, the calendar is set a year in advance,” he said.
“So you can plan your listings and everything around those events.”
Mr Courtney said the people at McGrath were a big reason why he made the move.
“I have a great team and that’s a big part of why I ended up going with McGrath and Ian and the northern Gold Coast office,” he said.
“They have amazing support within that office and experience that I can draw on to learn.”
He said his sporting profile also helped him get an opportunity in real estate.
“I don’t know too many people that would have John McGrath call them and talk to them about coming and working with them as a new agent coming on,” he said.
“The profile that I have, it opens a lot of doors.”
Mr Courtney has already been part of a number of sales campaigns within the office and is set to focus on selling at the higher end of the market.
“We’re focused on Sanctuary Cove so it’s quite exclusive,” he said.
“We had a property the other day sell for $19 million, and the entry-level homes are in the early $2 millions.
“I’ve been here for the last 20 years, living in the area and having kids go through school, so you’re sort of in and around it and meeting everyone, so it’s been quite easy to come in so far.”
He said his racing career would stand him in good stead to make the move into real estate full-time.
“I’ve spent my whole racing career selling myself, whether it be to team owners for jobs or with sponsor networks,” he said.
“I’ve developed the skills subconsciously, with managing and talking with people and it just seemed like a natural fit when I was coming towards the end of my racing career and looking into the future.
“It’s something that interests me a lot and it’s skills that I’ve developed throughout my life that I can then transfer into the real estate world.”
