Real Estate
3 December, 2024
Team work for business trio
TWO local real estate agents have teamed up to take a chance on starting their own business.
At the beginning of the year, friends Kristy Grant and Nicole Ritchie decided to go out on their own and opened a new real estate office in Port Douglas, under the Professionals banner.
Director/sales executive Nicole Ritchie has lived in Port Douglas for 20 years and has six years of experience in the industry.
Ms Ritchie said her co-principal Kristy Grant, a Port Douglas local of 16 years, had a background in science research, but had a long-standing passion for real estate plus renovation in North Queensland.
“Even though she only received her real estate licence in August 2022, Kristy has flipped 18 houses and it feels like she’s been living on building sites for the past 20 years,” said Ms Ritchie.
“She has turned a passion into a career – how many people are that lucky?
“Having worked together as sales agents at another agency in town, we knew we were a great team, with very different skills and strengths that complement each other.
“So we decided to start our own business in February 2024.”
Ms Ritchie said her team had the lowest fees in town “because we can”.
“We do everything from sales, rentals, commercial to holiday let. Our office is extremely pet-friendly,” she said.
“We have doggy treats ready to go and lots of locals know that they can drop their pooch into the office for cuddles.”
Ms Grant said they were “thrilled with the support from the community and the growth the business has experienced within the first six months”.
“We are both happy to go that extra mile for our clients – watering gardens for owners when they’re away, helping with moving and essentially being available for whatever our clients need,” she said
The two friends are also fortunate to be able to rely on the skills of their property manager Josephine Dubbert.
“We are so lucky to have her,” said Ms Ritchie.
“Josephine has five years’ experience in property management and during that time developed an exceptional reputation with owners and tenants,” she said.
“Having worked in every facet of property management, she is excited to share her knowledge and experience with the Professionals team. Josephine is passionate about people, property and providing a five-star customer experience.
“We started with nothing and thanks to Josephine, we now have a strong rent-roll which keeps her busy.”
Ms Ritchie said the business was now looking for a property manager assistant for next year’s start of season to support Ms Dubbert and were excited about what 2025 would bring.
Read More: Port Douglas
