Leading Central Coast agent shines at national awards
August 31 2010
Leading Central Coast agent shines at national awards
Raine & Horne Charmhaven's Andrew Sorensen has beaten some of the stars of Australian real estate by grabbing a major gong at the Raine & Horne National Awards, held recently at the exclusive Sanctuary Cove on the Queensland Gold Coast.
The energetic Sorensen scored a top four finish in the hotly contested Top Salesperson – Number of Sales category. This is the second year in a row the Charmhaven sales ace has scored a top four finish in this category, and represents a stunning rise from his 38th placing in the same awards in 2005.
Mr Sorensen attributes his success to the support of the team at Raine & Horne Charmhaven and its consistent approach to customer relations.
“We take the view that everyone who walks through the door of our office is a client, whether it’s now or in three years time,” Mr Sorensen said.
“This approach has enabled us to build large stock levels, which has come in handy given that Charmhaven has been a popular first home buyer location.
Interestingly Mr Sorensen said the region’s housing affordability was attracting more entry level investors.
“Around 70% of investors are from outside the region, with many from Sydney," he said.
“With more Sydney investors in the market, we have more buyers who are familiar with the auction process.
Concurrently, the time taken to sell a home (also called ‘days-on-market’) by private treaty has blown out to as many as 150 days.
“One way to keep days-on-market down is by using auctions because it compels buyers and investors to make a decision immediately.
“As a result, we're averaging 20.5 days-on-market for those vendors who choose to auction their homes through Raine & Horne Charmhaven," Mr Sorensen said.
While the auction process is playing a role, the region’s housing affordability is another major factor underpinning Raine & Horne Charmhaven’s success.
Investors can pay between $250,000 and $300,000 for an entry level three bedroom, brick and tile home. Generally built on blocks between 450sqm and 550sqm, these homes generally come with a single lock up garage and bathroom.
At the same time, entry-level Charmhaven homes are generating gross yields of about 5%, while a shortage of rental homes is beginning to force up rents.
“It is mostly younger people and families who are underpinning demand for rental homes in the $250 - $300 a week range,” Mr Sorensen said.
He was also quick to point out that suburbs such as Woongarrah and Hamlyn Terrace offered value for money for second and third time home buyers.
“Established buyers tend to dominate the Woongarrah and Hamlyn Terrace markets, where four bedroom, two bathroom homes with double lock up garages on larger blocks of 550 sqm start from $400,000.”
Looking ahead, Mr Sorensen said many buyers and investors were patiently waiting for a resolution to the Federal election stand-off.
“Once we have some electoral certainty, we expect a good turnover of homes for the remainder of 2010.
Raine & Horne CEO Angus Raine congratulated Andrew Sorensen and Raine & Horne Charmhaven, which this year celebrates 10 years of service with the leading Australian property group.
“These awards recognise the exceptional contribution to the real estate industry on the Central Coast made by Andrew and business partner Geoff Bushnell and the team from Raine & Horne Charmhaven," Mr Raine said.
“The award also demonstrates how the team is willing to go that extra mile to maximise outcomes for buyers and sellers across all property classes.
“Raine & Horne Charmhaven has also made a strong commitment to the local community and is involved at the board level with the burgeoning Blue Haven Raiders."
The Raine & Horne Charmhaven team can help you realise your residential sales and management goals. Call (02) 4393 1990.
Raine & Horne is an iconic Australian property firm, with more than 400 offices worldwide. Also an established Superbrand along with the likes of Qantas, Vegemite, Woolworths and Myer, the company has four distinct property service brands including Raine & Horne Residential, Raine & Horne Commercial, Raine & Horne Financial Services and Raine & Horne Rural.
For media information contact Andrew Sorensen at Raine & Horne Charmhaven on 0410 563 146, or Raine & Horne Marketing at pr@rh.com.au or 1800 065 872.
