Local knowledge key to Bourke’s enduring success

WORDS: Suzanne Simonot PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Usher - www.usherusher.com plus Supplied

Results speak for themselves. Which is why Jamie Bourke’s exceptional customer service and eagerness to achieve the best possible result for his clients for more than 35 years has earned him an ever-growing roster of repeat and referral business in commercial and residential property.

ONCE the Gold Coast’s youngest fully licensed real estate agent, Jamie Bourke is now one of its most experienced and highly regarded operators across all property segments, particularly commercial and development. A multi-award-winning agent, Jamie started his career in 1986, aged just 16, when he began selling real estate on the southern Gold Coast.

It was back in the days when work attire was a Hawaiian shirt, dress shorts and a pair of thongs and mobile phones were yet to land. Too young to drive, Jamie would ride his push bike or catch the bus to his appointments and inspections until he was old enough to get his driver’s licence and buy a car

‘Being 16, I didn’t have a car or a driver’s licence, so I would have to ride my push bike to have real estate inspections or if the property was along the main road, I could catch the bus. My favourite was if a young family would turn up and they had a baby because it gave me the opportunity to say ‘oh we’ll have to go in your car – I don’t have a baby seat’. So then I’d get a lift.” Jamie now drives either his Mercedes, Range Rover or new Lamborghini and none of these have a baby seat either.

I still recall my first sale, Jamie said. “It was for $37,000 for a two-bedroom fibro cottage at the end of the airport runway in Tugun,” he says. “It was for a dear old lady who was like everyone’s grandma. The house was right under the airport flight path and probably doesn’t exist now. Those houses are now selling now for over $1 million.  In those days we were selling beachfront units for $50,000 to people from Sydney and Melbourne who couldn’t believe how cheap they were. Now those same old units are $800,000 to $1 million.”

When the opportunity to cross the road and, eventually, buy the Ray White Tugun business presented itself, Jamie, then 23, jumped at the chance. “I bought Ray White Tugun in October 1993. At the time, I was told I was the youngest principal Ray White had,” he says.

After a successful four years helming the Tugun franchise, Jamie was on the move again – this time north to Surfers Paradise to become special projects manager at CBRE. He went on to acquire the LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise and Main Beach offices, where he oversaw a staff of 70, in 1999.

After First National Real Estate convinced him to re-brand his group in 2002, Jamie spent the next 18 years owning and operating the group’s Main Beach, Southport, Sorrento, Bundall, Benowa and Gold Coast Commercial offices. During his time with First National, Jamie’s office won the group’s International Office of the Year nine times and Commercial Office of the Year every year, while Jamie was named Number One International Salesperson 11 times. Jamie also holds First Nationals highest sale record ($76 million) with the Chevron Renaissance Coles Shopping Centre.

The Gold  Coast-born agent and now developer has spent the past 35 years helping buyers and sellers realise their dreams, clocking up a string of accolades along the way.

With a massive database and a wealth of experience built over many decades, Jamie, his wife, Jodi-Lee Bourke and eldest daughter Charlize, rebranded and launched Bourke Real Estate in March 2021. The agency recently consolidated its operations and bought and rebuilt a new state-of-art waterfront office in the heart of the Gold Coast at 91 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise.

Bourke is comprised of three defined business models designed to assist the property sector: Bourke Prestige Agents, which markets and sells residential homes and apartments; Bourke Commercial, which sells, leases and manages commercial, retail, office, industrial and development sites; and Bourke New Homes, which assists developers and also buyers to purchase new homes and apartments.

The dynamic family business continues to grow and raise the bar in real estate excellence, with a committed and connected team of more than 20 professionals spanning the Gold Coast – from the Sovereign Islands to Coolangatta – and over the border in NSW, from Tweed Heads to Murwillumbah and Byron Bay.

“We’re proud to serve the Gold Coast with our full-service real estate agency,” Jodi-Lee says. “Culture is an important element in our success, which is why many of the Bourke team are long-standing staff members. It’s something we’re all part of and so proud of.“

Jodi-Lee says clients can be confident our Bourke brand and network will attract the largest group of potential buyers and tenants to achieve the best possible market result.

In particular, the Bourke Commercial brand incorporates a range of areas within the commercial sphere, including marketing, selling and managing retail shopping centres of all sizes, professional office buildings, development land of all sizes, childcare centres, taverns and strata title shops. In fact, our daughter Charlize has learnt the trade and is heading up our commercial management sector, said Mr Bourke.

“Property comes in all shapes, sizes and price point, but one thing is fluent and that is it is always something special,” Jamie says.

The Bourke Residential category markets and sells all price points including prestige property. Jamie said ‘We have recruited some very elite performers in this sector from admin to sales and they are from all different business backgrounds, not just real estate.  This team is led by our sales manager Mark Rowe, who was previously the head of property at the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Tying the residential team and developers together, is the dedicated Projects & New Homes business which works with developers at a high level to assist in design briefs and the needs to sell the product in an ever-changing property market, through to off the plan sales for those developers to buyers. This business is headed up by Paul Arnell, formally of Gold Coasts First National prestige homes.

Being well versed in all aspects of agency and highly regarded in elite property circles throughout Queensland and northern NSW, Jamie says the majority of his business are repeat and direct referrals from past and current clients. They include local and State Government, superannuation funds, public trusts, administrators and liquidators, major and private financial banking sector clients and small to high-net-worth individuals.

“With billions of dollars of sales volume under my belt and over 35 years of hands-on experience on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, the Bourke Real Estate Group will be able to assist with your real estate requirements – ethically, honestly and with responsibility,” Jamie says.

Visit www.bourkeqld.com.au for more