CBRE’s Rem Rafter voted as the most influential real estate agent on the Sunshine Coast

A veteran real estate agent voted as the most influential on the Coast says the region will need an “injection of infrastructure” to reach its full potential.

Rem Rafter of CBRE Sunshine Coast was voted by the Daily’s readers as the most influential real estate agent in the region.

A veteran real estate agent voted as the most influential on the Sunshine Coast says the region will need an "injection of infrastructure" to reach its full potential.

From industry veterans to the new guns changing the game, the Sunshine Coast Daily last week named the top 42 real estate agents in residential and commercial property.

PART 1: Coast's most influential real estate agents ranked

PART 2: Coast's most influential real estate agents ranked

It was then the public's turn to decide who had the most impact on the region.

With a whopping 46 per cent of the votes, CBRE Sunshine Coast's Rem Rafter was victorious in the people's poll out of 41 other agents in the running.

CBRE's Rem Rafter at Sippy Downs.

The well-connected agent said it was "very much a surprise" to be voted the most influential.

"Some well-known and highly capable real estate professionals were nominated and I find it quite overwhelming that I should have received the most votes," he said.

"I must have my own fan club out there."

Having been involved in the industry for 40 years, Mr Rafter said his passion for getting the best possible outcome for all parties was what gave him an extra edge.

"To me it's not just about selling a property," he said.

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"I keep up to date with local, state and federal developments affecting property and study them with great detail.

"Forty years' experience provides you with some influence, I suppose, even if just for the fact you've experienced and navigated your way through, almost everything that can possibly happen."

Mr Rafter said his recent focus on site sales compared to investment sales was rewarding, particularly the sale of the Pelican Waters golf course and the Seahaven development in Hastings Street.

"More recently I have been involved in the sale of several manufactured home estate sites and also I have just signed up unconditional contracts for two large broad acre parcels at the southern end of the coast," he said.

"In the last 18 months, I estimate I've been involved in property sales to the value of over $100 million."

Traffic returning from the Sunshine Coast on the Bruce Highway through Beerwah. Picture: Richard Walker

Although Mr Rafter said he believed the Coast's future was "more blue sky" than almost anywhere in the country, there was more work to be done in the region.

He said the anticipated population boom would likely lead to an acute shortage of property.

"The new town plan, in three to four years time, will become particularly important to our region, as it tries to accommodate future population growth balanced with the need to preserve the lifestyle that attracted all of us to this region in the first place," he said.

Mr Rafter also stressed the importance of greater infrastructure to sustain the growth.

Coast suburbs rated and slated: See the full list here

"The road between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast is disgraceful - it's a nightmare during peak times and if there's an accident, as seems to be the case all too often, it becomes a car park," he said.

"If we secure the 2032 Olympics, there is a real opportunity for a light or heavy rail service on the Coast.

"A regular reliable fast train to Brisbane might also be an answer and somehow we've got to find a way to convince people to leave their car at home and use public transport."

Originally published as CBRE’s Rem Rafter voted as the most influential real estate agent on the Sunshine Coast