Peter Turner
PERSON OF INTEREST
14
Flying high on the Gold Coast By Grantlee Kieza, Industry Reporter
Peter Turner is a senior management rights broker at the Gold Coast office of RAAS Property Group, and owning management rights has been part of his interesting journey through life. “I’m originally from the south west of England near Exeter,” Peter told Resort News. “I joined the military after graduating high school and spent eight years in the Royal Air Force. I specialised as an air traffic controller and was based at various places around the UK as well as in Cyprus, and what was then called West Germany. “After leaving the air force, I went to university on the beautiful south coast of England and graduated with a law degree. Then I qualified as a solicitor in London and worked mainly in real estate and construction law.” After a few years in London the law firm he worked for posted Peter to their Hong Kong office. He intended to stay in Hong Kong for only two years, but ended up staying for 18, during which he witnessed the British handover of Hong Kong back to China in 1997. While his time in Hong Kong was fascinating, the siren call to the Gold Coast ultimately proved irresistible. “I had travelled back and forth to Australia on holiday many times, to visit Australian friends. I really liked the place, especially the Gold Coast, and decided to give living here a try.”
The future for management rights looks very strong Peter came to know about the management rights industry through Australian friends while still in Hong Kong. He said: “The parents of one of my friends ran a holiday complex on the Gold Coast and I spent a couple of days with them to see how their business operated. It was prett y clear to me that management rights was a safe, stable and secure business. So, while still living in Hong Kong, I did a management rights course during one of my visits to Australia. “I didn’t pursue management rights when I initially moved to Australia. I wanted to keep my options open and thought that after qualifying for my permanent residency, I might return to Hong Kong and continue practicing law for a couple more years. But I quickly realised how much I enjoyed living on the Gold Coast and that I wanted to work at something other than law,” he said. “I had been in Australia for a few months when I thought I'd get a job in real estate sales and marketing.” “I’d always had a fascination with real estate and also thought it would be a good way to meet new people. I joined one
INDUSTRY
of Australia’s largest real estate agencies in their new projects division. My main sale focus was on developing relationships with Asian investor buyers; especially those from Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Although I’d come to live on the God Coast, I found myself travelling around Asia quite a lot, marketing different Gold Coast and Brisbane projects. “I really enjoyed selling real estate and in particular working through the financial details with investors to show them how and why a particular property would work well for them as an investment.” The agency Peter worked for even recognised him as one of their ‘Top 10 Performers’. At the same time as being involved in real estate sales, Peter was also continuing to look for a suitable management rights business. He told us: “I’d been working in property investment sales for a few years when a permanent management rights complex here on the Gold Coast came up for sale. It was just what I’d been looking for with around 100 smallish units and in a strong rental demand area. So, I bought it. ResortNews | July 2022
