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sally elliott PRINCIPAL | SMITH AND ELLIOTT REAL ESTATE
A well-known face in the Townsville real estate scene, it’s hard to imagine Smith and Elliott principal Sally Elliott as ever having done anything else. So, you may be surprised to discover she was once a jillaroo. Charters Towers, Yaraka, Hay (New South Wales), Booligal and Deniliquin are a long way from where she is now. When Sally first came to Townsville in 1989, after living on a property near Longreach, she couldn’t get a job and didn’t know what she wanted to do. “No-one wanted fences built, lambs marked or cattle mustered,” Sally says, “so someone sent me to Jane Ross to talk about rentals and she taught me all the good habits I know about working in the real estate industry. The bad habits are all mine!” In July of 2002 Sally opened the doors of Smith and Elliott Real Estate in Denham Street. In November last year, the business moved to the Chifley Plaza on Stanley Street. At 61 years of age, Sally says she’s still as passionate now about real estate as ever. “Every day when I get out of bed I ask myself what a 61-year-old body is doing wrapped around a 35-year-old brain,” Sally jokes. Since opening the doors 13 years ago, and now with two offices (Townsville and Magnetic Island), Sally specialises in putting people in properties, whether it’s homes for sale, rentals, self-contained accommodation or holiday letting. “I grew up in a non-digitalised age where everything was face-to-face and you really got involved with people and their properties,” Sally says. “I think sometimes, in this modern age, that gets missed.” That’s not to say Sally doesn’t make the most of what the digital age has to offer. Professional property videos are now part of the package she offers and the owners often like to feature in these to tell the story of their homes. Smith and Elliott Real Estate Chifley Plaza 115 Stanley Street Townsville 4758 5555 4/5 Bright Avenue Arcadia Magnetic Island 4778 5570 0409 550 454 sally@smithandelliott.com.au www.smithandelliott.com.au
32 DUO MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2015 duomagazine.com.au
“We like to get our owners involved in the sale rather than push them away,” Sally says. “They know their property best and the history of a property is often quite fascinating. I’ve always had a passion for people and their story and realise that property is not just property but someone’s home.” At Smith and Elliott, every client is considered equal.“Whether you’re a landlord or a tenant or a seller or a buyer, everyone is treated with the same level of respect,” Sally says. “I think, these days, that gets a bit lost because it’s all about the fast dollars and the discount but that’s not how we do things.”