By his own admission, Barry Plant Wallan and Kilmore director Simon Best has a hard time condensing 25 years in the real estate industry into a single story.
For him, there are too many highlights.
Mr Best celebrated a quarter of a century selling real estate in Mitchell Shire last month, but said it was never something he expected when he first got into the industry.
“I was only 23 at the time, so I was just happy to have a job to be honest,” he said.
“I got started through an ad in the local paper looking for a real-estate agent. I rang up about it and they said they were looking for someone with experience, but a couple of months later they rang me back and said there was an opening for a junior.
“It sort of just clicked for me. It seemed like a natural fit.
“Everyone tells me I was born to do real estate, and it’s a bit tongue in cheek, but from the word go I enjoyed it. It was something different each day and you got to deal with different people all the time.”
Mr Best said there had been ‘a lot of highlights along the way’.
“We won numerous awards with Barry Plant for things like number of sales. I was auctioneer of the year for Barry Plant a few years ago,” he said,
“More than half my staff have been with me for 10 years or more. Seeing staff get married and have children is special. They might have started with me when they were 18 and now they’re in their 30s and married with kids.
“I don’t just get to see the success they’ve had in real estate, I’ve gotten to see how their lives have evolved outside of it.”
Mr Best has also been integral in Barry Plant sponsoring many community and sporting organisations – providing much-needed funds to grateful organisations.
His sponsorship of Kilmore Football Club has also spanned 25 years.
