Northern beaches top performing real estate agents revealed
It’s been a tough year to sell real estate on the northern beaches but these elite agents have been excelling nonetheless.
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It’s been a tough year to sell real estate on the northern beaches.
The region was the top performing area during the pandemic-era housing boom in 2021, but prices began to quickly fall when interest rates began to rise in mid-2022 and it soon became Sydney’s weakest housing market.
Despite the challenging conditions for sellers, real estate agents, an elite group of agents in the area have manage to achieve huge sale prices, with realestate.com.au figures showing some had average sale prices of over $5 million.
The realestate.com.au data was based on publicly declared sales up until March and excluded private sales or cases where the settlement date was unknown.
The data revealed the top five agents with the highest average sale prices in the region were:
1. DAVID EDWARDS
Agency: LJ Hooker Palm Beach
Average sale price: $8.8m
When David Edwards, a former high school teacher, had his house valued back in the 1980s he thought to himself “I can do better than that”.
Soon after he started his career as an agent and it took three years for him to become the number one selling agent in the country.
The licensee of LJ Hooker Palm Beach said he loved selling property in “God’s country”.
“My office is the prettiest in the world, if that doesn’t motivate you, nothing will,” he said.
Mr Edwards’ highest sale price over the last 12 months was $40m in Palm Beach.
2. BJ EDWARDS
Agency: LJ Hooker Palm Beach
Average sale price: $7.9m
Former professional rugby player BJ Edwards likened the competitive nature of rugby to real estate. The LJ Hooker Palm Beach agent, who played professional rugby for the Waratahs as well as overseas in the UK, hung up his boots to join the family business.
“I decided to throw my hat in the ring, real estate is more competitive than professional sport,” he said.
Mr Edwards said he enjoyed every day being different, the emotion involved in sales and the satisfaction from a good, successful negotiation.
RELATED: The best agents in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs revealed
3. NOEL NICHOLSON
Agency: Ray White Prestige | Palm Beach
Average sale price: $5.8m
Noel Nicholson was recognised in 2019/20 with Ray White’s Chairman Elite Award in recognition of him being in the top 1 per cent of sales agents across the company’s worldwide network. He was awarded this again in 2021 and 2022.
He was previously a Qantas customer line manager before moving to real estate sales in 2007.
His recent sales included a $12.6 million property on Palm Beach Rd in Palm Beach and $6.6 million property in nearby Bayswater.
4. MICHAEL CLARKE
Agency: Clarke and Humel
Average sale price: $5.68m
Clarke and Humel founder Michael Clarke started his career in advertising but was encouraged to pursue real estate on the advice of his wife Cherie Humel.
The agent has since established one of the most successful real estate agencies on the northern beaches, with most of his sales in Manly and the surrounding suburbs.
He currently holds the record for highest prices secured in numerous suburbs in the area, including Seaforth, Balgowlah and Balgowlah Heights.
Mr Clarke grew up a child of six in Orange and told The Daily Telegraph last year that his family was “poor even by Orange standards” and this propelled him to work extra hard.
“I decided early on that no one will out work me,” he said.
5. BRENDAN POMPONIO
Agency: Belle Property Dee Why | Mona Vale | Terrey Hills
Average sale price: $5.41m
Brendan Pomponio, 37, is the principal of Belle Property Mona Vale and has been selling real estate for close to 20 years.
He explained to media ahead of a conference for agents back in 2018 that he initially got into the business hoping to drive a nice car and make a lot of money, but his priorities soon changed and helping clients became a passion.
His agency has been named the number one office in the Belle Property franchise over a number of years.
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