Andy Howell of NAI Harcourts in Launceston has been awarded the ‘Commercial Sales Person of the Year’ at the REIT Excellence Awards in Hobart, Tasmania. This is the second consecutive year Andy has won the award and he was “quite taken back to win it again for the second year in a row” he said.

CEO of NAI Harcourts Australasia, Richard Laery says “this is a very well-deserved win for Andy who gives 100% to his job and focuses on his clients and assists in thinking outside the square when it comes to putting deals together. Andy represents everything we are about here at NAI Harcourts. This award proves that Andy is a solid performer and his business continues to shine in Tasmania as does his focus on putting clients first and foremost”.

Since 2007, the REIT has presented the Awards for Excellence in line with the National Awards for Excellence conducted by the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) to highlight the achievements of Tasmania’s real estate leaders. The Awards are an opportunity for the profession to celebrate its achievements and recognise the most outstanding practitioners at a state and national level.

Off the back of last year’s win Howell experienced a noticeable increase in business activity, particularly in the following months where the business resulted in winning stronger listings in the market. “There was an increase in opportunities resulting in two sales each over $3million, the first of this size since the business conception” says Howell.

Howell was drawn to commercial real estate from a ten-year career in business banking. He had an established client base, he understood how business worked and he preferred working with numbers which made commercial property an attractive career change.

The biggest lesson Howell has learnt is “always get things in writing” which he learnt early on in his career. According to Howell the keys to becoming a successful commercial property broker are listening to people, building strong relationships, being honest and fully transparent.