A 22yo who left home at 16 and bought a two bedroom home alone is pinching himself over his glowup, urging others not to give up.
Harleigh Harris worked for free to get work experience as a teenager, then became a receptionist to now be responsible for over $48m worth of residential property sales in a single year.
“My most inspiring moment has been the realisation that even without a university degree you can still do great things and build a career for yourself at a young age.”
NEWS:
Ranked: Qld’s top 50 real estate agents under 35
Reserve Bank’s shock roast of interest rate ’false prophets’
Harleigh Harris’ belief in persistence and hard work is beginning to pay dividends.
Harris bought this two bedroom property on his own.
He left home in Bunbury, Western Australia while still a teenager, working in Perth before moving to Brisbane at 16 years of age. “I didn’t know a soul,” he said. “It was a big leap”.
“The hardest moments have been self doubt over the years because of my age which I now embrace rather then try to hide.”
His advice is to “trust in the process, my journey has not been an overnight success but a combination of hard work and the willingness to learn with some luck as well”.
Mr Harris said for him “the largest shift has been in the last 18 months”.
He was the youngest person named in Queensland’s Top 50 Young Guns of Real Estate 2024.
“It’s a very surreal feeling,” he said. “Just being on the list is amazing. There are so many talented and hardworking agents out there.”
Harleigh Harris, 22, moved to Queensland when he was 16.
His work covers Nundah which is 11km from Brisbane CBD.
In September last year, Mr Harris had another milestone moment, buying his first home in Clayfield in Brisbane’s north – an amazing gift to himself at 21.
“I bought it last year and have done a full renovation on it myself as a hobby to flip. I am currently in the market trying to buy another property at present and have a goal to start building a portfolio.”
His grind in the early years is now paying off. “Now I have started to develop profile in my area and have meaningful relationships within the marketplace.”
He said a mentor is very important. “Narelle Lorensen (his boss at Belle Property Nundah) has been the largest support and mentor who I give credit for the fast career progression and opportunities I have been given at such a young age.”
One of his life defining moments was the first time he was asked pitch for a home listing on his own.
Harleigh Harris, 22, of Belle Property Nundah credits his professional boost to having a great mentor, in his case Narelle Lorensen.
“I started from the ground up – from doing work experience for free to my first full-time job as a receptionist. I am a driven and determined person and only lasted five months as a receptionist before becoming a sales associate.”
“It was a great experience and I am glad I did that because I now understand the sales process from start to finish. I was an associate for 12 months at Place New Farm before moving to Place Nundah where I started working alongside Narelle Lorensen who was the director and principal before our recent move to Belle Property Nundah in February.”
See the latest PropTrack Home Price Index
Mr Harris said listing numbers have been down for residential properties “making it very competitive in the market place this year”.
“My biggest goal has been consistency and building a stable business. Last month was a good listing month with 12 new listings so I feel like the consistency is starting to show. There are many strange/ interesting/ funny moments every day being a real estate (agent) and that is truly what makes me love coming to work. Everyday is a different ‘adventure’ sometimes good and bad.”
English (US) · 