PHOTO: Richardson & Wrench North Sydney agent Louise Barton
After reaching the top of her game as an agent in her home country of Scotland, Louise Barton and her partner packed their bags and relocated to Australia four years ago. The now Sydney-based Richardson & Wrench agent tells Kylie Dulhunty why she believes change is good for the soul.
When Louise Barton bid farewell to her flourishing real estate career in her home city of Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands, she was at the top of her game.
Working for a boutique agency, Louise was the go-to agent in town who specialised in selling grand Victorian homes.
But Louise isn’t one to take the path of least resistance. She loves a challenge.
So with that in mind, Louise and her partner Bruce decided to pick up their lives, fly across the other side of the world and start from scratch in Sydney.
“I was at an appraisal recently, and a gentleman asked me, ‘Why would you have left somewhere where you were top of your game? You didn’t have any competition, you were at the top and you were comfortable’,” Louise recalls.
“I’ve never taken the easy route. I don’t like comfortable.
“I think if you’re comfortable, then something is wrong. If you’re uncomfortable, then good things are happening; you’re pushing yourself out there.”
AN ACCIDENTAL AGENT
A qualified dental nurse, Louise says she fell into real estate by accident back in Scotland after taking on an administration role at a new real estate agency while she finished her health degree.
“My boss phoned me one night to say she couldn’t get to a showing and could I grab the keys, open the door and let her know what the buyer thought,” Louise says.
“I ended up selling the house and they said, ‘Right, we need to get you into sales’.”
Louise bypassed the usual route of going through property management and says sales came naturally, as she was able to use her warm, genuine people skills to good effect.
As she climbed her career ladder, Louise realised there was limited opportunity for growth at her existing agency, and she needed a change.
“Change is good for the soul,” she says.
“It was about the challenge of a new market.
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