Find Your Freedom

With Kath Barker From Compass Realty

Sometimes less really is more, and this is the case with Kath Barker from Compass Realty Whitsundays, an independent one-woman agency that believes in taking on less clients to deliver an even more personalised service. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest and most personally significant decisions you will ever make in your life and Kath understands the value of providing a meaningful experience to all her clients.

A returning resident of the Whitsundays, Kath spent her youth in the region with her father who brought a sailing yacht from New Zealand to Australia in the early 1980’s. As a teenager, she spent many happy years living with her dad on the boat, offering sailing tours and hosting visitors for adventures around the islands.

Eager to travel and pursue a more corporate career Kath eventually moved to Sydney where she had her two children, before moving to the Gold Coast to be closer to family. It is here that she embarked on her career in the housing industry, only initially it was in the construction sector where she operated a construction business alongside her husband for the past 20 years. During this time, the pair oversaw countless commercial projects including Jupiter’s Casino and the Gold Coast Light Rail. They employed a workforce of 40 and Kath’s role was largely in Business Development.

With her own experience in buying, selling, developing and investing, Kath knows how stressful the process can be, and supports her clients every step of the way.

“Having 20 years in building and construction comes in very handy in real estate,” commented Kath.

“Particularly when buyers are doing their Building and Pest Inspections and I can assure them not to panic, I also have an in-depth understanding of the building process which is a great foundation.”

With all this industry experience coupled with a vibrant, warm and engaging personality, friends often commented that she would be a natural real estate agent, but it took several years for Kath to follow this path. One friend in particular offered her a job and when Kath arrived in the office one day and informed her that she now had her real estate licence and was ready to start, “she nearly fell off her chair!”.

That was five years ago, and Kath has never looked back, as passionate about her career as when she first started, only these days she is doing it with the flexibility and freedom of working in her own business. Eternally grateful for the mentorship of her friend when she first started in real estate and the experience a larger agency gave her, Kath is now proud to have her own business, Compass Realty, which works within the @realty umbrella and provides all the backend services such as compliance and legislation.

This transition to independence came hand in hand with a bigger move, one that saw Kath and her husband return to the Whitsundays. The couple visited the region to celebrate a milestone birthday, and quickly realised they were destined to leave the fast-paced, high-pressure environment of the Gold Coast behind to pursue a sea change which took them back to a place where Kath has always felt at home.

These two decisions allowed Kath to finally become the person and the real estate agent she has always wanted to be.

“My focus now is to take on a lot less clients and deliver a high-end customer experience - I love supporting people through the property process whether they are buying or selling,” expressed Kath.

“I love seeing the joy on people’s faces when they’ve got that sale price or are holding the keys to the first, or even their 10th house, in their hands.”

When she steps away from the desk, Kath can be found out on the water sailing with her husband or, more recently, exploring the country in their new caravan.

@realty.com.au

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