November 15th, 2023
Mr Short had a Parramatta client wishing to sell a commercial property in Turkey. He engaged a local agency there, RE/MAX Lot, to handle the sale. With a sale agreement in place, the physical title deed needed to be taken to Turkey to finalise the transaction.
"This all began around three years ago,” Mr Short explained, "when the seller's daughter walked into our Paramatta office and asked whether we were the same RE/MAX that sells in Turkey.”
For one reason or another, mostly relating to pandemic restrictions, nothing progressed back then.
"In June this year, she returned to our office with her elderly mother, and I got things underway with RE/MAX Lot. In less than eight weeks a sale price had been agreed on and all the paperwork was in order… all except the fact that the original title has to be sighted by the Title Office in Turkey.”
With neither of the ladies in the position to be able to travel with the document, they asked Mr Short could he do so on their behalf.
"It was then straight to the Turkish Consulate in Woollahra, I was given Power of Attorney, and left for Ankara on Saturday 16th September after a morning of open inspections,” he said.
"Monday the 18th was a whirlwind of meetings - with the tax department, with the Notaries Office , with a government authorised passport translator and other offices and officials. By Tuesday lunch time it was done. I flew back to Australia on Thursday 21st.”
Mr Short said it was a huge team effort from the seven of them involved in the transaction.
"The language barrier was significant but fortunately one of the RE/MAX Lot agents spoke excellent English as did the Broker/Owner's wife.
"RE/MAX Lot also has a compliance officer on its team and that person resides in the Titles Office and effectively walks through the transfer of title with each agent who brings their seller and buyer to him.
"Once the original title was sighted in the Titles Office, I signed some paperwork and a new title was handed to the buyer. We organised the transfer of monies to the seller in Parramatta.”
The empty office space sold for around $190k AUD.
Mr Short wasn't doing it for the commission.
"It is all about people and what you can do to help them. Though flying from one side of the world to another isn't insignificant - and I did ask myself about 12 hours into the first leg of around 18.5 hours total flight time just what was I thinking of! It really is 'little' things that mean the most!”
The unusual sale proceeding has given Mr Short a personal experience of the power of the global RE/MAX network.
"It is hard to put into words what it felt like walking into RE/MAX Lot, in a completely different country, but feeling like you still had your own team around you,” he said.
If you had a private jet and flew in the fastest possible straight line, the flight distance between Sydney and Ankara is 9,070 miles or 14,596 kilometres. You might say Morris Short went more than the extra mile for his client!
Looking to buy, sell or rent property overseas? RE/MAX is the world's largest real estate business, operating in 118+ countries and territories so chances are we can assist in your transaction anywhere in the world.
