Sam Lewis leads Ray White’s growth into the Vanuatu market
Ray White is expanding to the tropical paradise of Vanuatu, with local agent Sam Lewis launching a new office.
Joining the ranks of Ray White’s international agencies, including those in Hong Kong and Indonesia, Mr Lewis’s Port Vila office will serve the Vanuatu property market while positioning the business to expand into other South Pacific areas in the future.
With an extensive background in marketing and sales, Mr Lewis is a seasoned professional with significant experience in the Vanuatu property market, having lived 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 noted that 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, meaning agents tell vendors they’ll list the property at any price they want.
“That’s unfortunate because there are a lot of mispriced homes, and they stay on the market for a long time.”
He added that in Vanuatu, 80 per cent of high-end buyers are from Australia, so he focuses heavily on marketing to Australians.
According to Mr Lewis, properties sold to Australian buyers are typically priced in the millions and are generally waterfront on large blocks of land.
His goal is to continue expanding his footprint.
“Vanuatu has 83 inhabited islands, and there’s a market on another two islands,” he said.
“We’re also looking at Fiji and other places around the Pacific, which was one of the main 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.
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