Elite Salespeople

Greg Clyde-Smith

Director and ELITE Auctioneer

With an inner-drive to always do better, a great ability to learn and adapt quickly, along with a passion for technology, Greg is a great leader. 

 

With over 40 years in the industry, Greg has collected a huge wealth of experience and knowledge in real estate.

After 3 years in Residential Sales in Moree, NSW, Greg changed career paths slightly and transferred to Parkes, NSW, to gain some valuable experience in livestock buying as a stock and station agent.  He then transferred to Orange and started working in finance and hire/purchase/leasing.  This position transferred him to Dubbo where he continued in the role for a further 3 years.

Settling his young family in Dubbo, he joined LPC Real Estate, before going on to build his own agency. In 1988 he moved his family to the Gold Coast and joined Knight Frank (previously Ballieu Knight Frank).  This role transferred him to Cairns in 1989 where he continued with Knight Frank as a Director, at the peak of the pilot strike - a very difficult period for Cairns.

In 1991, he developed Cairns Property Group, which still exists and worked on various commercial and project marketing successes. In 2002, he expanded to open an Edge Hill branch, which he then went on to own and manage solely in 2003.  2005 saw our expansion to Trinity Park, after the hugely successful Bluewater Harbour development.

His 'hands on' approach to leadership and training helps our team to always remain 'one step ahead'.

 

 

Karl Latham

Associate Director Sales

Over the years, Karl has developed a unique, personal and very successful style.

Karl first came to Australia after travelling around the world over 10 years ago, he quickly fell in love with Cairns and has lived here ever since. When Karl decided to try his hand in Real Estate in early 2008, he was advised by many people that with the down turn in the market after the Global Financial Crisis that it may not be a wise decision. Not one to turn down a challenge Karl decided to focus on success and instantly engulfed himself in 'all things Real Estate' and quickly proved to be a fast learner.

Karl's knowledge and skills progressed so rapidly, he is now the top salesperson in the Elite Sales Team and was ranked number 3 Salesperson Australia wide (whilst under the PRDnationwide brand). To balance this rapid professional growth, Karl now leads a strong support team who assist him in providing his unique service to his clients, consistently achieving exceptional results.

Choosing to focus his energy in Mooroobool and Kanimbla, you can still find Karl doing the hard yards door knocking the neighbourhood every week, chatting to the residents and keeping everybody up to speed with the market. When asked, Karl says 'Getting into real estate was the best decision I ever made, it’s very much a people business and my down to earth friendly nature allows me to interact easily with everyone I meet. My favorite part of the business is watching the thrill on my clients face when you exceed their expectations'

From the initial meeting, we were totally impressed by the preparation and professionalism of Karl and his team.  We felt like we were supported in a collaboratively developing and effective marketing plan with clear and realistic goals which meant we entered the market with confidence.  Communication with Karl and the team was consistently excellent - we knew our property was being monitored and managed at every step and given top priority by every member of the ELITE team.  To get a solid offer on our property after only a week and a half of marketing and so close to our listed price is a testament to the skill and experience that Karl brings to each stage of selling your property.  We could not have had a more hard working, honest and professional team of people working genuinely on our behalf with such an outstanding result.  Many thanks again guys!  Janelle Williams.

Trust is such a big deal in any relationship.... I can honestly say I trust Karl Latham and recommend him completely. Kristina; Fuscia Ct, Mooroobool

Leona Bonsey

Residential Sales

Leona’s enthusiasm is evident to all who meet her, her drive and commitment is second to none.

 

 

Simply, she loves her job, and the thrill of succeeding is only surpassed by the thrill of happy outcomes for her clients.

Being a third generation local, Leona has the benefit of local knowledge – lifestyle options, its various schools, sporting facilities, cultural activities and shopping precincts.

Her extensive knowledge is a wonderful advantage when negotiating a sale. Her knowledge instils confidence in the buyer and often results in a sale which may otherwise not happen.

Leona’s delightful personality and determination to leave an excellent impression with her clients is testament to the many clients who are now firm friends.

Recognising that selling is not always easy, she will ease you through the process.

Leona is committed to a high level of contact with clients, at no stage will you be left wondering what is going on. Her empathy with both buyers and sellers is outstanding.

You will love her friendly down to earth approach – and also her diligence towards you her “client”.

Leona’s greatest reward is the delight expressed by her clients upon a successful sale, and the buyers’ excitement when they receive the keys to their new home. This is the buzz for Leona, providing the drive to succeed and the joy of working in the property industry.

 “it’s all about assisting clients achieve their dreams and goals…”

Andrew Thornton

Sales Consultant

Get set to take off with Andrew as he hits the ground running as our newest member of the Elite Sales Team.

After 7 years of flying both domestically and internationally with one of Australia’s leading airlines, Andrew has landed at Elite Cairns and is available to help get your property SOLD!

 Andrew’s Dad, Jim Thornton, has been in the building industry in Cairns for over 30 years. A keen interest in property began at a young and has driven his passion for Real Estate.

 Growing up in Cairns Andrew has enjoyed everything the region has to offer and can give advice on everything from schools, shopping centres, tourist attractions, cultural attractions and more.

 Buying or selling property can be a daunting experience; Andrew delivers when it comes to guiding you through the sales process. He is always accessible and is in constant communication to keep you informed and answer any question you might have.

 Being in contact with hundreds of people on a daily basis whilst flying, Andrew has a fine tuned ability to handle any situation with ease. A cool calm attitude during negotiations gives Andrew’s clients an advantage.

 ‘Not every property is the same and every client has their own reasons for selling and with my hard work and dedication we can work together and achieve the best possible result. Know that I will always call you back, return your emails and be in constant contact to ensure a smooth sale process’. ANDREW THORNTON

Sue Clyde-Smith

Senior Sales Associate

Sue has an uncanny ability to help you feel at ease during what can sometimes be an overwhelming decision. Her success is testament to her honesty and integrity.

 

With a background in Teaching, Centre Management and Marketing, Sue found herself falling into real estate quite by accident.  Many years ago, she was in the office helping Greg, when a client came in looking to buy a property. Being the only person in the office at the time, she decided to ‘wing it’. After years of being married to a real estate agent, she found it came quite naturally, selling him a home that afternoon.  From that point on, she has been hooked!

Very quickly, Sue became a leader in Cairns residential real estate and is well known and respected in all sectors of the community. She is a consistent winner of Platinum and Gold Sales awards. With the backing of the dedicated and highly professional staff in the Edge Hill office combined with a well researched and maintained database, Sue has the means and the contacts to ensure her clientele the very best service this industry has to offer.

In addition to maintaining her position as our most experienced and successful Sales Consultant, Sue is heavily involved in training our ‘Rookies’, helping them acquire and learn all the skills and knowledge they need in order succeed in real estate.

She endeavours to maintain an honest, friendly, open relationship with her clients and colleagues, many of whom have grown from work associates to firm friends over the years.

Hailey Latham

Sales Consultant for Karl Latham

With her wide range of experience and absolute dedication, Hailey was the natural choice when Karl realised he needed to add to his team to ensure clientcare stayed at a premium.

 

Hailey's career in real estate started at the age of 17 in the position of receptionist and she realised quickly that she needed to gain exposure to other areas of the industry in order to achieve her career goals.  She has since worked in all aspects of the industry, including property management as well as many years as a Sales Support Officer. This experience provided the backbone for Haileys career, giving her an extensive understanding of all facets of the industry, which has been instrumental to her success.  With over 9 years of real estate experience under her belt, Hailey has an extensive and well rounded knowledge of the industry.

Working with both Vendors and Purchasers, Hailey’s role is to ensure maximum exposure of our properties using all marketing strategies including matching buyers to properties through our extensive buyer database. In addition to this, she works closely with buyers to gain an understanding of exactly what features they are looking for in a property to assist in finding their new home.


Further to our telephone conversation, I should like to acknowledge Hailey's professionalism in her dealings with me in connection with the purchase of our property.  Hailey was well informed, helpful and flexible without being pushy and overbearing.  She was on time for appointments and promptly returned my telephone calls.  As a consequence I was very pleased with the service I received from Elite and would not hesitate to use your organisation again or to recommend it to others.  

Ken Higgins

Your Queenslander Specialist

When selling or buying Queenslanders, there are many factors to be considered that are not normally a consideration when selling a modern home.


With his significant skills and experience restoring Victorian and Federation period homes, combined with 20 years real estate experience, Ken expertise enables him to identify and enhance your Queenslanders’ individual marketing needs, ensuring the highest standard of service and results.

The huge variety of Queenslanders alone can be overwhelming and with many of them having been renovated or added to a few times over, you might find yourself looking at a Federation period home, when all this time it was in fact, originally built in Victorian times!  Kens background allows him to assist his clients on every aspect of their home – from establishing the age and period of your home, to advising on traditional colour schemes, timbers and materials used.

Joining Greg & Sues team back in 1999, Ken quickly established himself in the market, with a solid reputation for results.   His strong belief in providing clients with premium, personalised service.  His honesty is refreshing, he is unafraid of the ‘tough conversations’ and his negotiation skills are comparable to few.

Kens unique qualifications provide his clients with invaluable guidance and expertise throughout the entire sales process.  His clients can enjoy the best of both worlds; the luxury of old fashioned customer service combined with progressive thinking, negotiation and marketing skills. 

Mike Sweeney

Sales Consultant

Mike believes that providing outstanding customer service and hard work in real estate ensures that the sales happen.

 

Honest feedback, frequent communication, skilled negotiation, unique marketing strategies and detailed research are all part of the process.

He will ensure that all possible effort is made to find the premium purchaser for your property

 

Mike has over 30 years experience in Australia and overseas in Tourism, Hospitality, Construction, Property Development and Real Estate,

He has a high level of experience and expertise in relationship building, customer service, sales and marketing. 

Over the last 10 years he has developed a detailed knowledge of the residential property market in the region.
He is a long term resident of the Cairns Beaches.

Mike specialises in the sale of all property – land, apartments, houses and can advise on commercial property
.