The real estate agents sellers seek out in Cairns
Seasoned Far North real estate veterans, innovative entrepreneurs and some up-and-comers whose performance is eye-catching make our list of the top 20 agents you’ll want selling your house.
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The Covid pandemic resulted in southerners exhausted by lockdowns looking north and finding plenty to like, with the median house price for Cairns local government area increasing by 35.6 per cent over three years and 9.7 per cent in the 12 months to August 2023 — and real estate agents have never been busier.
There are more than 300 agents in Cairns — here’s our pick of the best.
Have we missed someone? Email bronwyn.farr@news.com.au
Ray Murphy, broker/owner, RE/MAX Cairns
Ray Murphy has led the team at RE/MAX Cairns to a swag of RE/MAX awards in the past two years, expanding the sizeable Whitfield office with more than 25 on the team to include a swish new workplace at Palm Cove and leading the auction scene with brother David Murphy.
He’s sold 107 properties in the past 12 months, tends to sell mid-priced properties and the average days advertised is 30 days – and sold.
Mr Murphy started in the industry aged 18 as a property manager and attributes his accolades to a never-give-up attitude, obsessive focus and a natural propensity to connect with people.
RE/MAX Cairns has rapidly grown under his helm to be the biggest agency in Cairns and has won some stellar national awards.
Mr Murphy is calm under pressure and, according to his clients, a genuinely nice guy.
Udo Jattke, premier agent, New Level Real Estate
Building industry and real estate veteran Udo Jattke launched New Level Real Estate earlier this year and business is brisk.
With Glenwood homes, he built and sold more than 3750 homes and 1120 units.
He provides accurate and up-to-date advice on property values and prides himself on effective marketing strategies.
Udo is the selling agent for the JAC company’s giant Sugarworld residential development at Edmonton and The Greens at City Edge among many projects.
Udo has a five star rating with clients saying he instilled confidence in the sale process, had in-depth knowledge of the market, and outstanding communication, keeping clients informed every step of the way.
Nicholas Slatyer, principal, Belle Property
Nicholas Slatyer and wife Renae are a formidable team at Belle Property, which specialises in lifestyle and premium property – a market sector Mr Slatyer said had strengthened in recent years in the Far North.
He said properties on or near the beachfront were especially sought after with some areas having increased in price by more than 30 per cent in the past 24 months.
Mr Slatyer said some properties that traded in a frenzied environment during Covid lockdowns were on the market again, but the sellers weren’t leaving Cairns, and these properties were finding buyers again at increased prices.
He said the effects of interest rate rises was not prompting sales because many owners were either mortgage free or very lowly geared.
A recent achievement was selling the high quality redevelopment Pinnacle at Smithfield, which had been student accommodation, with 34 apartments sold and sales of more than $10m in six months.
Mr Slatyer markets properties of the ilk of Villa Be at 8 Explorers Dr in the exclusive gated community Luggers Bay, which was snapped up by part-owner of the Cotton On retail clothing group, Ash Hardwick, and his wife, Samantha, for a cool $8m, easily the highest priced property sold in FNQ in 2021.
More recent sales include a sub-penthouse in the Jack and Newell building for $2.13m, a stunning home at Onyx St in Clifton Beach for $1.9m and an ultra-modern home at Muller St in Palm Cove for $1.77m.
Mr Slatyer sold the palatial property at 18 Stream Ave, Kewarra Beach, for an undisclosed sum that would have been well beyond $3m.
Karl Latham, agent, Twomey Schriber Property Group
Karl Latham, in his 15th year selling real estate, is a quiet achiever who continues to amass rave reviews as professional through being helpful and friendly. He’s sold 92 properties in the past 12 months at a median of $630,000 with just 26 days median advertised.
He was rated No. 34 on the Queensland residential agent list – from 10,550 contenders, making No. 53 in 2021 and No. 36 in 2020.
In 2022 he was a finalist for top residential agent Queensland.
Vendors say he gives great advice on staging properties and puts in a lot of time and effort to get the best result.
He says helping families achieve their goals is satisfying.
Regularly among FNQ’s highest selling agent and number one on gross, Karl consistently has five star ratings on realestate.com.au.
He said there was strong demand for mid to high range properties and if a home was presented immaculately, was modern and ready to move in, there were multiple offers.
Mr Latham believes the opportunity is ripe for investors, with a shortage of investment properties and unprecedented rental demand.
He said despite rising interest rates, it was often a better proposition to buy than to rent.
Mr Latham is involved in the community as a sports sponsor and with several frontline charity organisations.
Sean Thorpe, boutique agent, RE/MAX Cairns
Mr Thorpe, who is based at the RE/MAX Palm Cove office, won the 2023 Chairman’s Club award with a staggering total sales volume of $33m, an average sale price of $983,817, an average 35 days on the market, and 52 per cent of his sales were street records.
He won the award in 2021 and 2022 as well.
He has a five star rating with buyers saying he was thorough, professional and available at all times.
Recent sales include $1.2m for an Oak Beach property and $930,000 for a Parramatta Park home.
Mr Thorpe said his focus was on exceeding people’s expectations.
Therese Plath, principal, Ray White Cairns South
An Edmonton resident for more than 30 years, Mrs Plath knows the southern suburbs like no other.
She has won multiple sales and marketing awards, is regularly among the top five sales principals in Queensland.
Career highlights include being the first real estate salesperson to be inducted into the Cairns Real Estate Institute Hall of Fame, having won salesperson of excellence three times.
Named Cairns businesswoman of the year, Mrs Plath is known for her honest, caring and friendly approach.
So far this year, she has sold 84 properties at a median of $500,000 and an average of just 33 days on the market.
Nicole Bragg, Explore Property
Starting in the industry in 2003, the dynamic Ms Bragg has been a national top 100 agent for four consecutive years, from a pool of 45,000 agents, and has been in the top 10 Queensland agents twice, regional top five agent for six years, and was awarded being in the top one per cent for transactions in 2021 and 2022.
She has won the Everest award – won by less than one per cent of agents, was named Best of the Best in 2021-22 and has represented regional Queensland as a speaker.
Ms Bragg said meticulous attention to detail and the ability to negotiate the sales process smoothly were key.
Nadine Edwards, director, LJ Hooker Edge Hill
An integral part of a sleek tight-knit team, Ms Edwards holds degrees in both law and accountancy and practised as a solicitor with national law firms in Brisbane and Melbourne before joining the family business in 2004.
She is a life member of the exclusive LJ Hooker Captains Club Diamond multimillion-dollar chapter which recognises the top 2.5 per cent of income producers within the LJ Hooker network.
In 2022 she was awarded for being in the top one per cent in the network.
A formidable Ironman triathlete, Ms Edwards has unmatched energy, having sold 51 properties this year at a median of $597,000.
LJ Hooker Edge Hill is a sponsor of several sporting organisations.
Nathan Shingles, principal, FNQ Hot Property
Mr Shingles’ name is synonymous with Bluewater Harbour, where sale price records continue to be broken for canal front property in the most prestigious enclave of Cairns.
Mr Shingles said serving in the Royal Australian Navy from the 1990s to 2003 provided him with valuable qualities such as discipline, ethics and a focused perspective.
Mr Shingles, who established FNQ Hot Property in 2008 with wife Jenna, predominantly services the northern beaches and has sold 23 properties at a median of $802,000 so far in 2023.
Mr Shingles said being an active investor himself underscored his extensive knowledge and desire to closely study local areas and factors affecting investments.
He is known for his energy and enthusiasm.
A recent highlight was selling 3 Ragamuffin Quay, Trinity Park, for $4.25m – a new Bluewater record.
Mr Shingles sold 22-24 Brindabella Quay for $2.65m among a host of sales at the blue ribbon address.
Michelle Champion, director/adviser, Champions In Real Estate
Michelle clocked up more than 80 property sales for more than $41m in 2022 and has not slowed her momentum in 2023, with 71 homes sold so far.
Ms Champion said the property market wasn’t slowing, with a surplus of buyers and a shortage of properties on the market.
She won a Young Entrepreneur award and is involved in the community as an Access Community Housing board member.
Ms Champion has a five star review with clients describing her as professional, a great communicator and very genuine.
She said she believed in paying attention to detail and “pushing the boundaries on what can be done, not what has always been done”.
Gisele George, RE/MAX Cairns
Ms George lives and breathes real estate, having bought her first home in her early 20s and having bought, renovated and sold many properties of her own over the years.
She is highly regarded in the buyer, seller and tenant markets.
Ms George said recognising there was significant emotions involved in property transactions was important.
Joan Robb, premier sales agent, RE/MAX Cairns
Named top RE/MAX salesperson of the year, Ms Robb said with more than 20 years’ experience she had in depth knowledge of practically every street in the region, often having sold the same property on two or three occasions.
She said networking with conveyancers, financiers, building, pest and pool inspectors, photographers and tradesmen was key, ensuring a smooth experience for vendors.
Ms Robb said she prided herself on “ultimate honesty” and a sincere manner.
She has tended to specialise in the Whitfield, Edge Hill, Freshwater and Stratford areas.
Matthew Pearce, sales and marketing consultant, Ray White Cairns Beaches
Mr Pearce has achieved elite premier status in the Ray White Group in the past four consecutive years – in the top 10 per cent of agents, and said his “outside the box” thinking, attention to detail and strong negotiation skills were key.
Clients have said he was knowledgeable, professional and transparent.
Alli Paterson, principal, Home Realty
Alli Paterson, who launched Home Realty Cairns not so long ago, consistently ranks among the top agents.
She has sold 40 properties in 2023 at a median of $778,000 – and a median of just seven days on the market.
Ms Paterson has more than 20 years in the industry and prides herself on fierce negotiating skills, and a keen eye on how to maximise the value of a property with effective renovation, presentation and staging strategy.
Ben August, sales associate, @Realty
In 2023, Mr August has sold 32 properties at a median of $661,000 and a median seven days advertised.
He has won multiple All Star agent and Rate My Agent awards and has five star reviews with vendors saying he provided thorough information including the best time to go to market, presenting the property, likely buyer behaviour, fair value of the property and managing expectations.
Natiesha Olufson, principal/sales professional, Explore Property
Ms Olufson has more than 16 years in the industry and has worked with agents in the office to achieve record sales.
She said her approach centred on three key things: exceptional marketing and presentation, transparency and frequent communication, and getting the highest possible price.
Mrs Olufson and husband Kyle marked a decade in their own business when Explore Property moved to Edge Hill, having begun in a modest office at Bayview Heights.
She prides herself on exceptional presentation.
Robyn Hawley-Whitton, Cairns Property Office
Mrs Hawley-Whitton is ultra-consistent, having sold 44 properties so far this year for a median of $461,000 with 44 median days advertised.
Mrs Hawley-Whitton is the number one performing sales agent for acreage properties in Far North Queensland over a one and two year period, has made ‘the A list’ – the top 100 agents in Queensland, and was the top performing Cairns Property Office agent for the last quarter.
She recently sold 93-99 Dempsey Street, Gordonvale for a reported $1,405,000.
Mrs Hawley-Whitton, principal of the south side Cairns Property Office since, 2017, specialises in Cairns’ southern suburbs including Gordonvale, through to Babinda on the Cassowary Coast.
She has 40 years sales and marketing experience, 20 years business management expertise and is passionate about helping her clients with up-to-date information, renovating and styling, and project management for clients who live away from Cairns.
Clients say she has a caring, professional and honest approach, and gets quick results with optimum prices.
Renee Straguszi, Cairns Property Office
Ms Straguszi has taken a giant step into development with the Cutters Rise residential development and Casa Mia retirement village along with her father Ross Straguszi.
She firmly believes Gordonvale is poised to be the new growth hub for the Far North, and stage two of Cutters Rise recently launched.
The development is on a whopping 42.5ha and will have more than 400 lots.
The land has been held by the family since 1935 and the existing home has been semi-converted into a sales office for Ms Straguszi.
The development launched in late 2021 and 41 lots in stage one have sold.
The project has two key points of difference – the lot sizes are very generous, and infrastructure is being built in to Cutters Rise.
It has development approval for a medical precinct, child care centre and the up-market Casa Mia retirement project, comprising 150 villas.
Stage two comprises some 70 lots with prices starting from $189,900.
And this year, Ms Straguszi has sold 63 properties at a median price of $212,000 and median of 30 days advertised.
Sonia Poole, Ray White Cairns Beaches
Ms Poole is often the name behind top sales in the Kuranda region, with a focus on lifestyle and acreage properties as well as sales on the northern beaches and across Cairns.
She has sold 31 properties this year at a median of $650,000 with 62 days median advertised.
Ms Poole recently sold a home at 30 Gregory Terrace, Kuranda, for $850,000.
She has been listed in the top one per cent of Queensland agents.
Clients say Ms Poole demonstrates empathy and minimises the upheaval and stress of selling a precious commodity, guiding clients through every step of the process.
Shane Trimby, agent, Cairns Property Office
Mr Trimby is based at Cairns Property Office’s Redlynch base and has sold 17 properties this year at a median of $570,000 with just 10 days median advertised.
His focus is on Redlynch and Brinsmead but Mr Trimby has sold properties from Gordonvale to Palm Cove.
He has more than 18 years’ experience in the industry and has benefited from working with world-renowned mentors.
Mr Trimby is deeply embedded in his local community and clients say that is an advantage when buying.
This down-to-earth agent has humour in spades, an infectious energy and positive outlook and is truly genuine.
Natasha Whalley-Thompson, RE/MAX Cairns
Ms Whalley-Thompson began her career in real estate in 2013 and has a proactive and energetic approach and is results-driven.
She is genuinely passionate about property.
This year, she has sold 63 properties for a median of $286,000 and 26 median days advertised, specialising in units and apartments throughout Cairns.
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