Professional’s youngest female principal Emma Craig has taken the reins of well-established North Queensland real estate agency Professional Edge Hill in a recent acquisition.
Founded by Billy Gartner in 1988, Professionals Edge Hill is one of the region’s longest standing agencies, located in the inner north-west suburb of Cairns.
Ms Craig, 28, said she began her real estate career at the tender age of 16 and always dreamt of starting her own business in her hometown of Cairns.
“I always knew I wanted to run my own business one day, but I’d imagined building it from the ground up – that’s all I’d ever known having worked for independent agencies,” Ms Craig said.
“It wasn’t my intention to buy into a brand. But when the opportunity came up to purchase a business aligned with the Professionals, I couldn’t pass it up. The group’s recent business transformation and rebrand made it clear it was the right move at the right time.
“The fresh look, new ideas, renewed direction and focus on building relationship and marketing aligns with the way I operate.”
Professionals CEO Sean Hanneberry said Ms Craig embodied the characteristics of the new generation of real estate professionals.
“Emma’s motivation, innovative thinking and challenger mindset make her a perfect fit for Professionals,” Mr Hanneberry said.
“It’s an honour to have her as part of Professionals where her fresh and collaborative approach will contribute to the growth and success of the entire network.”
Ms Craig built her real estate career working across every facet of the industry and says she’s now applying that breadth of experience to grow Professionals Edge Hill.
“I’ve worked across reception, property management, business development and sales so I understand how a successful office needs to run from the back of house to the front,” she said.
“We currently have a team of 9, including three property managers managing 370 properties, a business development manager and a small sales team.
“My focus now is on growing the business – bringing new management clients, achieving strong sales results, expanding our team, and taking our marketing to the next level to make sure we continue to thrive.
“I’ve set an ambitious goal of personally adding 100 new management clients in the first twelve months to build a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
“The Cairns market is really strong right now, and we’re seeing a lot of demand, particularly for apartments.
“Houses are becoming increasingly out of reach for many buyers, so people are turning to apartments as a more affordable option.’’
Ms Craig said a mix of owner-occupiers and investors was active in the market and trying to secure a foothold in the area before prices rise further.
