A born salesman, Bruce has been bringing buyers and sellers together by any means necessary since 1996, including making yearly pilgrimages to the UK to promote local properties on the global stage.

What does that mean for his clients you ask? Bottom line is that he is in a unique position to obtain premium prices for his vendors – which he believes is the core principle of being a Real Estate agent. The search to uncover motivated and cashed-up buyers continues unrelentingly.

He points out that simply having a property for sale on the internet is not global thinking – that is simply an electronic version of a signboard or newspaper advertisement.

Technology is great for sure, but if that was sufficient on its own, I would be out of a job! The best agents in this business realise that technology is simply a time-saving tool, a part of that job. A successful agent still has to be able to talk to people – face to face or on the phone - to uncover objections, answer questions, and ultimately to put a deal in place.

If there’s one thing that symbolises Bruce’s work ethos, and helps fuel his passion for the job, it is setting records. Since the early 2000’s, he has time and again set new sale price records in Richmond, Stoke and Nelson.

Early on, Bruce realised he was better placed out in the field, doing what he is good at, rather than stuck behind his desk. He makes maximum used of the excellent Bayleys administration team so he can focus on the four key roles he is so good at – property appraisal, marketing/open homes, vendor communication, and most important of all – negotiation.

Negotiation so often requires innovation – seeing the barriers that are being put in place and finding new and diverse solutions for them so that both buyer and seller are the winners on the day. He recalls an example – I managed to complete a sale between a British buyer and a local seller, where the entire transaction was completed in UK Pounds Sterling. It was an unconventional arrangement that suited both parties and increased the buyer’s comfort in paying a little more