Post | @ Real Estate

What Sets a Great Real Estate Agent Apart on the Capricorn Coast?

Natalie Gesler Posted on 26 Aug 2026

Choosing a real estate agent is not just about who has the biggest signboard, the most listings or the highest profile.

The real question is:

Who can create the strongest result for you — and who will genuinely care about getting it?

Because selling a home is rarely just a transaction.

It may represent years of hard work. Your family home. Your biggest financial asset. Your retirement plan. The beginning of your next chapter.

At @ Real Estate, we take that responsibility seriously.

We continually study our results, analyse the market, invest in training and look at what the best agents both locally and nationally are doing.

We sometimes call it “sharpening the axe.”

Because the market changes. Buyers change. Marketing changes. Negotiation changes.

And we never want to stop getting better at our job.

The reason is simple:

Our sellers deserve the very best chance of achieving the highest possible price the market will pay.

Results matter — so we measure them

We have recently been analysing our sales results alongside some of the strongest-performing agents across the Capricorn Coast.

It has been an interesting exercise.

Different agents have different strengths. Some achieve exceptional volume. Some sell particularly quickly. Some specialise in premium property.

One area that has stood out strongly in our own recent results is negotiation.

Some recent Team Natalie campaigns include:

Property	Advertised Position	Sale Price	Difference	Days to Contract
19–21 Antarctic Street, Yeppoon	Offers Over $799,000	$830,100	+$31,100	14 days
4 The Peak, Zilzie	Offers Over $749,000	$776,700	+$27,700	12 days
3 Hideaway Road, Zilzie	Offers Over $779,000	$801,000	+$22,000	20 days
9 Hideaway Road, Zilzie	Offers Over $775,000	$780,000	+$5,000	28 days

Across these four recent examples, the average result was approximately $21,450 above the advertised Offers Over position, with a buyer secured in an average of 18.5 days.

That does not mean every property will sell above asking.

No professional agent can promise that.

What it does demonstrate is that how an agent positions, markets and negotiates a property can make a meaningful difference.

We believe in negotiating up, not down

An offer coming in is not the end of an agent's job.

In many ways, that is when some of the most important work begins.

The easiest call an agent can make is:

“We have an offer of $X. Will you accept it?”

We believe our role is bigger than that.

We want to understand:

How motivated is this buyer?
What do they really love about the property?
Are there other buyers we can bring into the conversation?
Is there an opportunity to create competition?
What is happening with competing properties?
What does the seller need in addition to price?
Is there another $5,000, $10,000, $20,000 or more available if we negotiate properly?

Sometimes the right advice is to accept.

Sometimes the right advice is to hold firm.

Sometimes the market gives us evidence that we need to adjust.

But our intention is always the same:

Protect our seller's position and negotiate every dollar we reasonably can.

Because it isn't our money.

It is yours.

Great agents keep sharpening the axe

Experience matters.

But experience without continued learning can quickly become “this is how we've always done it.”

We don't want to operate that way.

Our team regularly invests time and money into training, coaching, conferences, market research, technology and studying what high-performing agents around Australia and internationally are doing.

Not because every new idea should be adopted.

But because every new idea should at least make us ask:

Could we do this better?

Could we improve the way we launch a property?

Could our photography be better?

Could we tell the story more powerfully?

Could we reach another group of buyers?

Could we manage a negotiation differently?

Could we communicate more clearly with our seller?

Could we recognise a changing market sooner?

There is always another level.

And when someone entrusts us with an asset worth hundreds of thousands — or millions — of dollars, we believe we owe it to them to keep looking for it.

Different agents. Different superpowers.

One thing we love about @ Real Estate is that our salespeople are not carbon copies of each other.

Each brings different strengths to the table.

Team Natalie — marketing, buyer connection, negotiation and teamwork

Team Natalie combines property presentation, lifestyle-focused marketing, buyer management, seller communication and negotiation.

Rather than one agent trying to do every part of the campaign alone, there is a team working around the property.

Our recent results particularly demonstrate strength in positioning property, creating buyer competition and negotiating above the advertised Offers Over position.

Jodi Schofield — relationships, trust and Controlled Selling

Jodi's superpower is people.

She builds relationships naturally, earns trust and understands how to have the conversations that move buyers and sellers forward.

One recent example was 97 Rockhampton Road, Yeppoon.

Advertised at Offers Over $699,000, the property sold for $730,000 — $31,000 above the advertised position — with a buyer secured in just seven days.

Her combination of relationships, speed and negotiation is a powerful advantage for sellers.

Damien Thwaite — southern Capricorn Coast knowledge and premium results

Damien has extensive experience and genuine local knowledge across Emu Park, Zilzie, Keppel Sands and the southern Capricorn Coast.

His results include the $1.46 million sale of 142 Schofield Parade, Keppel Sands, demonstrating his ability to achieve significant outcomes at the premium end of the market.

When you are selling in a particular pocket, having an agent who knows the area, the buyers, the lifestyle and the history of that market can be incredibly valuable.

Caring isn't a marketing strategy. It is part of the job.

We talk a lot about statistics, marketing and negotiation.

But there is another part of selling property that is much harder to put into a spreadsheet.

Caring.

We genuinely care about the people who trust us to sell their homes.

We know sellers lie awake thinking about whether they made the right decision.

We know $10,000 can matter.

We know communication matters.

We know a seller shouldn't have to wonder what their agent is doing.

And we know that behind every property is usually a much bigger story.

That is why we put so much emphasis on communication, feedback and helping sellers understand what the market is actually telling us.

Sometimes those conversations are exciting.

Sometimes they are difficult.

Our job is to tell the truth, provide the evidence and help our sellers make decisions with confidence.

Don't just take our word for it

[INSERT GENUINE SELLER REVIEW HERE]

Ideally use a review mentioning the team's care, communication, marketing, negotiation or achieving a strong result.

That kind of feedback means a great deal to us.

Because while sale prices and statistics matter, we also want our sellers to reach the end of the process feeling:

“They had our back.”

Marketing matters more when buyers have choice

When properties are scarce and buyers are competing heavily, almost anything can attract attention.

When buyers have more choice, marketing becomes even more important.

Buyers compare photography.

They compare floor plans.

They compare locations.

They compare value.

And they decide very quickly whether a property deserves a closer look.

That is why great real estate marketing cannot simply be:

3 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. 2 cars.

People don't fall in love with specifications.

They fall in love with what their life could look like there.

Sunday mornings on the deck.

Walking to the beach.

Space for the boat.

Grandchildren sleeping over.

A quieter lifestyle.

A fresh beginning.

Our job is to help buyers feel the possibility.

We don't believe in “list and hope”

Putting a property onto realestate.com.au is the beginning of a campaign — not the strategy.

Once a property launches, we are looking at:

buyer enquiry
views and views per day
saves
inspections
buyer feedback
competing properties
new listings
recent sales
social media response
database engagement
and whether that activity is turning into offers

Then we communicate that evidence to our seller.

And if something isn't working?

We adapt.

Our philosophy is simple:

Create. Promote. Measure. Compare. Communicate. Adapt.

Because hoping isn't a strategy.

How should you choose your real estate agent?

Don't be afraid to ask for evidence.

Ask:

How do your sale prices compare with your advertised prices?

How long does it usually take you to secure a buyer?

How will you create competition for my property?

What happens after my property goes live?

How often will I hear from you?

What will you do if the campaign isn't getting the response we expected?

How do you negotiate when the first offer arrives?

And perhaps:

What are you doing today to become a better agent than you were 12 months ago?

Because selling your property deserves more than a listing presentation and a promise.

It deserves an agent who cares deeply, keeps learning, understands the evidence and will work to protect the value of what you have built.

At @ Real Estate, we are proud of our results.

But we are never finished improving them.

Ready when you are.