PETER WILLIAMS, RAINE & HORNE
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS, NSW
After 35 years in television, Peter Williams switched careers and now works as Sales Executive with Raine & Horne Southern Highlands, NSW. Specialising in the over-55s market, he primarily sells residential, retirement living and development opportunities. According to Peter, it’s never too late to change – if you can make it through challenge of the first two years.
How many years have you been in real estate?
I’ve been in real estate for three and a half years. I had a major change in my work life after 35 years in television. We moved to Bowral and when I decided to have a crack at real estate for myself, I managed to join Raine & Horne, who had sold us our home.
What motivated you to get into real estate?
We had a terrible real estate agent when selling our home in Sydney, and I thought to myself I could do much better than this guy and his poor service. We ended up sacking that agent and had two wonderful women then sell our home fast and for a great price. That stayed in my mind for a few years.
What is the market like in your area right now?
Our market is very strong right now due to the close proximity to Sydney and the amount of people leaving the city for a tree change, or retirement.
This last year has seen some significant price growth, with an inundation of people looking for land, townhouses, developments, houses
and farms. If you’re thinking of being an agent down here, just remember there are 150 agents in a very small area, so competition is fierce. So maybe stay where you are!
Who or what inspires you?
My inspiration comes from a few sources. I was lucky enough to get two great personal coaches, Julie Davis and Neil Williams from Agent Dynamics, who profiled me, coached me and set me straight on my real estate journey. They’re always
“We had a terrible agent when selling our home in Sydney, and I thought to myself I could do much better than this guy and his poor service.”
available to call and check in with me regularly. I’m also a member of Josh Phegan’s website; it’s great to drive and listen to his interviews and updated inspirational dialogue. Horne offices in the Southern Highlands,
Our director and principal of three Raine & Horne offices in the Southern Highlands,
Matthew Anstee, is full of knowledge and advice, and allows great flexibility to everyone in the Raine & Horne team. All our offices congratulate each agent on a sale or a listing and are a true team.
Lastly, my beautiful wife, Vicki Williams, is a psychologist and has great insight in how to treat certain people on my real estate journey!
In your ‘briefcase’ right now is…
My iPhone, iPad, notebook, multi-vitamins and a few lollies – and, believe it or not, I always carry the latest Elite Agent Magazine, in case I have a spare five minutes here and there waiting for a client.
Something (or someone) you couldn’t live without?
My wife and my iMac.
What do you enjoy most about Elite Agent Magazine?
The diversity of information, coaching tips, dialogue, marketing, success stories: there’s always something to glean from each magazine, and also the website is an excellent resource.
Any words to live by?
I do like this quote from Zig Ziglar: “F.E.A.R. has two meanings – Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise.”
What advice would you give to someone starting out in real estate?
Get a coach as soon as you can. We all function differently, so you need to get personality profiling done to see what type of person you are and what will work for you. I wish I’d seen my coaches as soon as I started in real estate.
Keep training; don’t stop because you think you know enough. Try and get out on the road with a great listener, learn their dialogue and turn it into yours.
Keep track of your sales, listings, presentations and monitor how you are performing. The first two years are very hard – just keep going and work the hours, meet the people and stand out from the crowd with service.
Everyone you meet may be a future client. Before you know it, your quality of life will start to change. I started in my late 40’s, so it is never too late to have a go.