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One of Ray White’s oldest offices is being transformed by some the of the youngest principals in the Ray White network.
Rory Somerville, Brent Mason and Brett Thompson took over the management of Ray White Bendigo in September 2014.
“Brent and I are 26 and Brett is 27 and although we’re younger than many agents in the area, age doesn’t concern us,” Rory explains.
“We take a fresh approach to real estate and believe we have an advantage with our knowledge of new media.
“Video and digital marketing are our point of difference in the market and we’re really proud of that fact.”
Winning the Real Estate Institute of Victoria’s young agent award, Rory says it was a huge honour to represent the regional areas of Australia.
“To be the only agent to win the award who has come from a regional town was a great honour. I was so proud to stand up on the stage and show that the smaller towns of Australia can compete with big city real estate,” he said.
With the announcement that the Victorian government would be injecting over $600million into the Bendigo Hospital Precinct, with the project expected to exceed $1billion upon completion, Rory believes the local property market will see substantial benefits.
“We’re already starting to see huge amounts of outside investment. People from Melbourne, Sydney and as far as Darwin are investing in Bendigo real estate.
“It’s an affordable option with the median house price around $355,000. We’re only an hour and a half from Melbourne so people can commute quite easily if they’re looking for a country lifestyle but still work in the city.”
Born and bred Bendigo locals, Rory says the partners have been lifelong friends.
“We all went to school together and have been friends for many years. A lot of people say you shouldn’t mix business with friendships, but we think there’s nothing better than sharing a passion with your mates and turning it into a career,” he said.
“We knew Ray White was the right fit for us because of their innovation with video and digital systems and the support they give - it really feel like you’re in one big family here.”
As business owners, Rory, Brent and Brett have a clear ambition: to be the best.
“We’re young, energetic and driven. Whilst we’ll begin with a sales focus, we do have plans to grow a property management portfolio organically.
“We’re very proud of our town and we’re looking forward to representing our community,” Rory concludes.
