By Tina Liptai
For Michael Burke, specialising in rural property sales has always been more than a job. It’s a way of life that’s been part of his family for generations and it’s a legacy that he’s proud to carry forward. Here he shares his family history of success and what it takes to be a trusted rural sales agent.
Growing up in Tamworth on a rural property, from an early age Michael Burke saw the ups and downs faced by people living and working in rural New South Wales.
“Country life was a great way to grow up,” the McGrath Upper Hunter agent said. “It was a pretty ‘free-range’ lifestyle, with motorbikes, horses and cattle a normal part of everyday life.
“My family has a long history of involvement in the stock and station industry. My grandfather, Patrick, was a well-known agent and a sheep trader in the North West of New South Wales and my father, Terry, was the Principal of his own real estate business, Burke & Smyth in Tamworth.
“From a young age, I remember that the conversations at home and across my extended family quite often revolved around the real estate industry and what was happening in the market. Even though I was young, it was clear to me that real estate was more than just a rewarding career – it was a great way of life.”
“In 2019, instead of lush fields and healthy livestock, we were trying to sell properties with dry dams and dead cattle. I hope that’s the worst we’ll ever see it, but if you can learn to sell when no one wants your product, then you can thrive when times are good.”
After finishing high school, Michael completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Agribusiness. He then backpacked through South America and Europe before working for two years in Sydney after landing a job in recruiting. It was then that Michael decided to return to rural New South Wales after he received a work opportunity that was too good to pass up.
“My real estate career began in 2003, when the offer to join the partnership of MacCallum & Company – then a stock and station agency – in Scone arose,” Michael explained. “Scone and the Upper Hunter Valley has always been an area that I’ve had an affiliation with through my family’s involvement with the thoroughbred industry and, given my deep roots in the stock and station industry, I knew that circling back to the bush was a good move for me and a natural progression in my professional capacity.”
MacCallum & Company merged with William Inglis in November 2004 and began operating as MacCallum Inglis. Then, in December 2020, Michael joined with partners Angus Patterson and Stuart Sheldrake to purchase the stock and station part of the business and began operating as McGrath Upper Hunter.
Today, Michael is the Managing Principal and Rural Property and Commercial Sales Manager at the agency with a team of 10 staff. He specialises in the sale of premium quality farming, and grazing country and equine properties and was the winner of the Rural Marketer category at the 2022 REINSW Awards for Excellence.
Seasonal challenges
“In the same way agents in the city know about a suburb’s profile, I can talk about grain prices, water levels and stock diseases with an authenticity that clients trust.”
Like all agents in the real estate industry, Michael’s work is impacted by a range of seasonal and market challenges, albeit with distinctly rural influences.
“Without a doubt, dry seasonal conditions are our biggest challenge in a stock and station agency,” Michael explained. “Only 20 months ago, we were at the tail end of a three-year drought and the strain that had been placed on our clients and staff was immense. At the same time, livestock and property prices were sliding. It was challenging, to say the least, to sell the upside of rural property at this time.
“In my career, I’ve worked through two ‘once in 100 years droughts’. The first was from 2003 to 2007 and the second was from 2017 to 2019. During these times, we had to adapt and learn how to best service our clients and sell when no one wanted to buy.
“In 2019, instead of lush fields and healthy livestock, we were trying to sell properties with dry dams and dead cattle. I hope that’s the worst we’ll ever see it, but if you can learn to sell when no one wants your product, then you can thrive when times are good.
“No doubt, there will be challenging times again, but I know how to get through it and my experience means I can provide excellent advice to clients on how different areas perform in drought conditions.
“The lessons that I learned through these tough times will carry through my career.”
Family values
Although you don’t necessarily need to be born and raised in the country to become a rural agent, Michael knows his upbringing has helped with his professional success.
“Having the experience of living and working in the country makes it much easier for me to build rapport with clients, because that experience is a shared experience,” he said. “In the same way agents in the city know about a suburb’s profile, I can talk about grain prices, water levels and stock diseases with an authenticity that clients trust.
“Living in the country provides my family and I with a great quality of life – but it’s probably not the ‘quiet’ life most people imagine. To be honest, life is pretty full-on.
“My wife is a full-time doctor, and we have four children, aged six to 13, who are all very active and sporty, so a big portion of our spare time is spent watching or coaching junior sport.
“As a family, spending time outdoors is important to us. We love skiing – water and snow – and staying fit is an important part of my week. I’m also very involved with the community and I’m on the Scone Race Club Board, which is quite time consuming at the moment as we’re undertaking a $20 million redevelopment.”
“Delivering a strong outcome for my clients brings me great satisfaction and I want to repeat that success in the next campaign and the campaign after that.”
Adding value
Throughout his career, Michael has always been driven to provide honest expert advice to his clients and provide service that exceeds expectations. This extends to how he works with his team and the culture he’s helped to build at the agency.
“My approach has always been to maintain honesty and integrity through all of my dealings and maintain long-lasting relationships with clients and staff,” Michael said. “Couple this with doing my best to add value and professionalism to each of my transactions and the rest follows. If you give people every reason to want to work with you, then you can’t go wrong in your professional life.”
Michael said that his team’s enthusiasm is a constant source of motivation as he continues to build the business.
“The management team and other agents from within the McGrath network motivate me on a number of levels,” he said. “Their success and systems of working are infectious.
“For me, personally, building financial and social value for my partners, staff and family is a strong driving force for me each day, as is growing our position in the market. Delivering a strong outcome for my clients brings me great satisfaction and I want to repeat that success in the next campaign and the campaign after that.
“We’re looking to expand our business footprint in the Upper Hunter Valley and offer our services with more offices. On a personal professional basis, I look forward to taking the McGrath Rural brand further into other marketplaces and selling premium properties in an expanded target area.”
Why I love real rural estate
For Michael, being able to draw on his years of experience in often challenging rural conditions to be a trusted advisor for his clients is what he loves about working in the rural real estate industry.
“The decision to buy or sell rural property is significant by anyone’s standards, and being able to be a valued part of the conversation and have a positive influence on the outcome is a privilege and honour of which I am very proud,” he said.
“The best piece of advice I would give anyone wanting to enjoy success in the real estate industry is to be informed, and add value to the conversation and process for your clients and colleagues. Give your clients a reason to seek out your counsel and trust your advice.
“Being able to further develop a positive and productive workplace culture within our tightknit team at McGrath Upper Hunter and delivering the best possible outcomes for my clients at sale time in an efficient, stress-free and effective manner is what I enjoy most about my role.”
Career tips
1. Strive for excellence
Develop and maintain your own high standards that work for you within your market.
2. Keep learning
Stay well informed about government policy, export conditions and how they impact your market.
3. Protect your reputation
Maintain your honesty and integrity, as your reputation and self-worth are your most valuable assets.
4. Work with tech
Adopt and utilise all the technology available that will give your clients the best outcome and you the edge over your competitors.
Rural marketing wisdom
Although the basic framework of property marketing can be very similar, Michael said there are a number of different drivers to consider when marketing a rural property.
“Seasonal conditions and commodity prices have to be taken into account when choosing to go to market, because they can influence the success of a marketing campaign,” he said. “Also, the amount and quality of information that the market now expects is extensive and this has to be carefully prepared and presented. The adoption of best price digital presentation has now flowed into the rural space, with leading agents adopting this into their marketing campaigns.”
As with all property marketing, Michael said that the foundation for success is reach and then delivery.
“The development of an up-to-date database is an integral part of a successful campaign and business – and this is especially true in rural sales,” he said. “From this base, a comprehensive and well-produced strategy and campaign has to be implemented, which is rounded off with strong negotiation and contract execution. Off the back end of this, ensuring you then market the successful result is a great way of offering your services to the market and securing further business.”
While it’s a consideration for residential sales, the season and weather conditions can play a huge part in the successful sale of a rural asset.
“Depending on the type of rural property, Autumn or Spring were historically the preferred selling seasons in order to showcase the country in its peak condition,” Michael explained. “However, vendors will now often chase the rain, rather than the season.
“It’s a good idea to engage experts to help ready the property for sale, which can include landscaping, fertilisation, new fencing and even weed removal. This will ensure the growth is strong over the property and the land is presented in the best possible light.”