Ray White is headed to the tropical paradise of Vanuatu, with local agent Sam Lewis opening a new office.
Joining the ranks of Ray White’s international agencies, including in Hong Kong and Indonesia, Mr Lewis’s Port Vila based office will service the Vanuatu property market while positioning the business as a base to expand into other areas in the South Pacific in the future.
With an extensive background in marketing and sales, Mr Lewis is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in the Vanuatu property market after living on the island for six years.
“I am thrilled to spearhead Ray White’s presence in Vanuatu, a market with immense potential,” Mr Lewis said.
“Our focus is on connecting with both local residents and international buyers seeking idyllic holiday homes in Vanuatu.”
Mr Lewis said the local market was ripe for disruption, with most properties taking up to two years to sell.
“A lot of agents have been here for 20 years and none of them market overseas except for myself,” he said.
“There’s previously never been exclusive agreements, so everyone is doing open agreements, so agents tell vendors they’ll list the property at any price they want.
“That’s unfortunate because there’s a lot of mispriced homes and they stay on the market for a long time.”
He said that in Vanuatu, 80 per cent of the buyers at the high end of the market were from Australia, so he puts a lot of focus on marketing to people back home.
According to Mr Lewis, properties being sold to Australian buyers are typically in priced in the millions and are generally waterfront on large blocks of land.
He said his goal is to keep expanding his footprint.
“Vanuatu has 83 inhabited islands as there’s a market on another two islands,” he said.
“We’re looking at Fiji and other places around the Pacific and that was one of the big reasons I joined Ray White.
“Ninety per cent of the people coming here already know the Ray White brand.”
Leveraging Ray White’s extensive network, Mr Lewis is eager to collaborate with the large network of fellow business owners in the group.
“Ray White provides unparalleled support and resources, enabling us to deliver exceptional service to our clients,” he said.
“The global network facilitates seamless connections, creating unique opportunities for property transactions.”
Mr Lewis will work closely with the Ray White NSW/ACT network, and Chief Executive Officer Tim Snell said the move was an exciting exposition into a key market place.
“Joining Ray White will give Sam and his team the ability to more effectively connect with both local and overseas buyers,” Mr Snell said.
“Our focus will be on supporting the leadership of Sam and his ambitions to grow a market-leading business.
“We are excited to grow into the potential of this market place and to combine the resources of an international brand with Sam’s local expertise.”
