Meet a Zango agent - Ben Faulks, Ray White Canberra

When Ben Faulks opened real estate agency Ray White Belconnen, he'd never actually sold a house before.

Born and raised in Belconnen, Ben is a third generation Canberran, with his grandparents being amongst the first few residents of Belconnen back in the late 1960s. After finishing school, he initially wanted to become a physiotherapist, but missed out on the required entry score by 0.1 - although he did end up marrying a physio. Instead he initially studied IT and business before transferring to law.

Ben briefly moved to Sydney where he worked for Macquarie Bank and had clients in the real estate industry, and when he relocated back to Canberra, he saw an opportunity to get into the industry himself. He worked in the corporate office for Ray White Canberra for 12 months before opening Ray White Belconnen in March 2010 with his brother Sam Faulks and business partner Scott Jackson.

“Scott was very important because neither Sam nor I had ever sold a house before,” laughs Ben.

“I've always had more of a business leaning, rather than sales. Most real estate businesses are owned by sales people, whereas I came in as a business owner and then learnt how to sell. It was certainly a path less trodden.”

Incorporating what he’d learned from his business background, Ben and his partners were focussed on doing business through building relationships rather than just transactions.

“We had clarity on our values and who we wanted to be. It's about looking after people and providing value. And something we focus all our efforts on is providing a great place and culture for people to work in,” says Ben.

“That values-based approach in leadership has underpinned everything we've done, and has led to us having a business we're very proud of.”

Ben vividly remembers his very first sale - a property in Flynn, which he says was, “probably the worst house in Belconnen at the time”, and he quickly developed a real knack for negotiating and selling.

“I love selling. Listing and selling real estate are probably the most dopamine-driven experiences I've ever had. It's competitive, it's upbeat, it's all positive. You're either helping somebody move or you're celebrating the fact that you've got them that price,” says Ben.

“I'd had some sales experience previously, and I think coupled with that approach of customer first, trying to do the right thing by the client, it came fairly naturally.”

About five years ago, Ben stepped back from selling, and these days is CEO of Ray White Canberra, overseeing the offices in Belconnen, Woden and Gungahlin.

“I now spend most of my time developing leaders and helping sales people grow their businesses, and I’m passionate about helping young people develop their careers in the real estate industry,” says Ben.

Your three home must-haves?

Natural light, a good floor plan or flow, and for me because I've got young kids and a big dog, a bit of a backyard.

What do you love about Canberra?

Canberra is home for me - I was born and bred here. I like the fact that it’s an easy place to live and I can raise a young family - I’ve got two kids, three and five. I’ve experienced other major cities where we can’t offer them the same opportunities that we can in Canberra. It’s also got benefits of the big city but also the feel of a county town. Overall Canberra has become a really cool place to live.