SEVEN high-end sales across Newcastle in Merewether, The Junction, Bar Beach and The Hill have all topped the $5 million mark this year.
The two agents behind Newcastle's biggest sales of 2023 are Lyndall Allan, from Salt Property, and Presence Real Estate listing agent Natalie Tonks who, collectively, have sold just over $187 million in property since January with their sales teams.
It's big money and shows how far Newcastle's real estate landscape has shifted since property prices hit an all-time high after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Luxury homes in sought-after locations across Newcastle are increasingly transacting for significant prices that were once only reserved for properties in capital cities.
"Newcastle changed dramatically with the pandemic," Ms Allan said.
"I think a big reason for that was the huge influx we saw from Sydney, from Canberra and from Melbourne.
"People wanted the lifestyle that Newcastle offers without the crazy hustle and bustle of places like Sydney and more affordability as well.
"Having the hospital and the airport and the university really puts Newcastle on the map and if you combine that with the most incredible beaches and our food culture, it's got everything that everyone would want."
Since launching her real estate business last year, Lyndall Allan has achieved two suburb record sales in The Junction and Merewether.
Three of her listings have secured $5 million-plus sales, including a luxury beach house overlooking Dixon Park at 8 Berner Street that sold for $11,050,000 in July.
It not only became the most expensive home in Merewether but also broke the Newcastle region's record for a residential sale.
Last month, Ms Allan's listing of an ultra-modern home at 87 Bruce Street in The Junction smashed the suburb record by more than $1 million.
The property, which had a teppanyaki bar and more than $100,000 worth of Gaggenau kitchen appliances, sold ahead of its scheduled auction for a recording-breaking $5.77 million.
She scored another $5 million-plus sale last month when 9 Janet Street in Merewether sold for $6.11 million.
The run of high-end sales has taken Salt Property's combined sales to $110 million since January.
After starting her career in real estate in Sydney at 19, she moved to Newcastle in 2006 after being drawn to the lifestyle and affordability the city offered.
She spent 16 years with Robinson Property before taking the plunge in 2022 to build her own business, Salt Property.
Her current listings include a historic home on 2223 square metres overlooking Merewether at 21 Hillcrest Road which is listed with a guide of $8.9 million to $9.7 million.
Salt Property is also set to take a beachside home at 18 Wrightson Avenue in Bar Beach to auction with a $4.6 million guide.
She said the success since establishing her own real estate company had "certainly blown any expectations out of the water" and the record sales were her proudest achievements.
"Selling the home at Berner Street broke the record not only in the region but it was also the highest sale in Australia that week, so to break the record under a brand I created and in a new business was something that I was incredibly grateful for," she said.
"To then be notified that it was the highest sale in the country that week was definitely a career highlight."
Real estate is a long-held passion for Ms Allan who has raised three kids while building her career.
"I love that every day is different, I love meeting new people and I never get tired of looking at properties and being part of people's journey," she said.
"It is a huge privilege to represent people on the sale of their property and also trying to find new homes for people.
"It's something that, all these years later, I still get a buzz out of. I really love doing it."
Presence Real Estate's Natalie Tonks has no shortage of top sales under her belt, including 21 street records.
Since jumping from hairdressing to selling property five years ago, she has sold some of the most prestigious homes in the Newcastle area.
Working alongside Paula Ashcroft in her team, Ms Tonks' total property sales this year sit at just over $77 million.
Her biggest result this year was the sale of a luxury property at 3 Berner Street in Merewether that sold within its guide of $8 million.
Other big sales so far this year include 17 Livingstone Street in Merewether and 19 Curry Street which each sold for more than $5 million.
She also sold 38 The Terrace at The Hill for more than $5 million in March and secured a $4.375 million sale for a historic home at 112 Bear Beach Avenue at The Junction in September.
This week, she listed an art deco home facing Bar Beach that is also expected to top the $5 million mark.
Her move into selling homes came after 26 years in the hairdressing industry during which time she owned and operated businesses in Hamilton.
"I started hairdressing so young, I was 15, but I had always had an interest in property," Ms Tonks said.
"I had two salons and then I got married and had two children, so when my son finished the HSC I decided that I wanted to sell the business.
"One night I said to my husband, 'Right, I really want to give this real estate thing a crack' and he said 'Well, you've got my blessing'.
Her first big sale came two years into her career when she sold the Art Deco Spanish home 'Stella Maris' at 68 Memorial Drive for $5.22 million.
She believes her success in the property industry partly stemmed from the relationships she has formed in the Newcastle community over the years.
"My husband and I both have a big cross-section of friends and I have been born and bred in Newcastle, so it's a lot of connections and word of mouth," she said.
"I also love helping people and that side of it is so rewarding."
She officially started her own sales team two years ago and hopes that her success encourages more women to consider a career in real estate.
"I hope that I can appeal to girls who want to get into property," she said.
"I've only had my team for two years as a stand-alone agent and I am really proud of how well I've gone in such a short amount of time.
"I started my career change later in life and we have had 21 street records in the last two years, so that is an achievement in itself."
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