Recognising the best

Streamed to hundreds of people, REIWA’s 2020 Awards for Excellence allowed for virtual celebrations and recognised the work done within the Western Australian real estate industry.

REIWA CEO Neville Pozzi said the awards were more important than ever, showcasing the high quality of work that had been achieved during a difficult and evolutionary year within the industry.

“The Awards for Excellence are the highest accolade the institute can bestow, and are a unique opportunity to acknowledge those WA real estate professionals who demonstrate best practice and have a positive impact on clients, the industry and the community at large,” he said.

“On behalf of the institute, I’d like to congratulate the 2020 nominees and winners on their achievements and the outstanding value they continue to provide the WA community in the face of what remains a challenging economy.

“In addition, I would like to congratulate Peter Clements from Mint Real Estate who was inducted into REIWA’s Hall of Fame this year for winning the Residential Salesperson of the Year for three consecutive years from 2017-2019.”

Realmark Urban Licensed Real Estate Agent Nathan Tonich took home the Residential Sales Team of the Year accolade and said it was an honour to receive the award.

“I really believe WA has some of the best real estate agents in the country, so to be considered by REIWA for the award is flattering,” he said.

“Consistency is king. Constant actions and constantly improving what you do is just so important.”

Mr Tonich said over his time working with various agencies, the common trend he had seen was an amazing culture.

“A collaborative team environment – which can be hard to find in real estate – is key to a long career,” he said. “Waking up in the morning, often seven days a week, and knowing you are walking into an office full of friends and team mates, not competitors, is the holy grail for real estate agents.”

In addition to Realmark Urban’s wins, the Smith Team received the Residential Sales Team of the Year award.

Mont Property received the Small Residential Agency of the Year award and Principal Matthew Podesta said it was an honour, and not only a win for his team but also for their clients.

Mr Podesta said Mont Property’s heavy investment in innovation and technology and enthusiastic team paid off during the pandemic.

“We’re an adaptable and collaborative team that is highly engaged and, because of the technology and systems we use, we didn’t miss a beat during the social restriction period – especially in the property management department,” he said.

According to Mr Podesta, Mont Property’s approach is to be property-centric.

“Our goal is to work with our community, so we reflect what the local area is looking for in a real estate agent,” he said.

“We want people to feel that when they use Mont, they’re putting a label on their property that reflects who they are too. We want to be a company that is not only synonymous with quality, but one people want to deal with.”

Taking home three awards, dethridgeGROVES Real Estate Principal Hayden Groves said he was thrilled and it was a pleasant surprise.

“We are particularly chuffed with the Large Residential Agency of the Year award because we only made it into that category by one employee, otherwise we could have been in the medium agency category,” he said.

“We were competing against much larger agencies, so that was particularly gratifying.”

The dethridgeGROVES team also won the Marketing and Communications Award and a personal award for one of its staff.

“Marketer of the Year Award, which was an inaugural award category, was awarded to Lauri Curtain who is an exceptional marketer,” Mr Groves said. “She was a much-deserved winner of that particular personal award.”

The Real Estate Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Excellence will be held next year, where the REIWA winners will represent WA.

2020 REIWA Awards for Excellence winners

Achievement Award: Brittany Clack, HERE Property

Business Broker of the Year Award: Graham O’Hehir, Goodwin Mitchell O’Hehir & Associates

Business Development Manager: Liliana Talemaitoga, Caporn Young Estate Agents

Buyer’s Agent of the Year: Elizabeth Sterzel, Property Wizards

Commercial Agency of the Year: Realmark Commercial

Commercial Property Manager of the Year Award: Tony Morgan, CBRE

Commercial Salesperson of the Year: Anthony Del Borrello, CBRE

Community Service Award: Realmark

Innovation Award: CBRE

Large Residential Agency of the Year: dethridgeGROVES Real Estate

Marketer of the Year Award: Lauri Curtain, dethridgeGROVES Real Estate

Marketing and Communications Award: dethridgeGROVES Real Estate

Medium Residential Agency of the Year: Duet Property Group

Operational Leadership Award: Michelle Rigg, Rentwest

Operational Support Award: Brianna Merendino, Rentwest

Residential Property Manager Team of the Year: Everyday Hero Team, Empire Estate Agents

Residential Property Manager of the Year: Kathryn Massey, Michael Johnson & Co

Residential Sales Team of the Year: Smith Team, Realmark Urban

Residential Salesperson of the Year: Nathan Tonich, Realmark Urban

Small Residential Agency of the Year: Mont Property