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Real estate’s original leading lady - Myf Porter

At her cosy home in suburban Brisbane on a Tuesday afternoon, Myf Porter offers us a cuppa and welcomes us in.

The 92-year-old is sharp as a tack, living independently and chatting about the recent interest rate hold. She is a grandmother to eight and a great grandmother to 11.

She started her real estate career at 50 years, proof that age is no barrier for a formidable career, though this is a woman with very few barriers. She initially started in sales as an agent but cemented her place in Ray White's history as a trainer. Now, there's an annual award named after her that embodies her spirit.

Myf is being interviewed by chief agency officer of Ray White Queensland Sally Patch, another stalwart of the group and a full circle moment for both of them, having worked together in the Ray White head office 25 years ago.

As we get started, Myf tells her Alexa device to stop the music.

Myf’s first career was in pharmacy and the newsagency business, which she did in between raising four wonderful daughters. “After 20 years of marital happiness, my husband became ill and it became necessary to sell our business. We then had two very precious years, just fishing, gardening and being together.

“It was not financially possible for us to exist any longer without any income so, of necessity, I became the breadwinner. Everyone expected me to go back to pharmacy but I'd always been fascinated by real estate. It was time to learn new skills and turn this interest into income.”

“When I was entering into real estate I started as an agent, and declared that I was going to ‘earn more than the top agent’. Put simply, being an agent is satisfying both sides, the vendor and buyer, and I found it incredibly fulfilling,” Myf said.

“During the time of my husband passing away, everyone in the office grouped together and helped to sell my listings. That is what Ray White all about, it is a big family and you all help each other.

It’s all just family. It’s as simple as that.

(L-R) Paul White, Ben White, Myf Porter, Brian White, Sam White, Dan White - Myf had won the Curiosity award at the 2007 Chairman's Cup

Sally said that there wouldn't be many people in our group who are as respected and revered as Myf; “You are such a phenomenal real estate trainer and you brought so much personality and energy to it. My first memories of you were always being fought over by the states, and you were always on a plane!”

Myf said that she loves learning, no matter what it is, and that she still does. Encouraging other people to learn has always pleased her.

“One of my greatest beliefs is if we are not in a continual state of change, we will be left behind. It is so true that “when you're green you grow and when you're ripe you rot”. Much of my life has been spent in a determination not to rot!”

“Rosemary White (Brian White’s wife) was the one who convinced me to move into a training role. She sat with me for a whole afternoon at my home and persuaded me to do it,” Myf said.

It wasn’t long after taking up that training role before Myf became a force to be reckoned with.

Tony Fountain and Myf Porter

One of her toughest times in the job was moving to Victoria to run the company in the early 90s, and she said she faced discrimination not for being a woman, but for being a Queenslander!

“People in the industry would tell me; ‘I know you! You're the company from the Gold Coast with the yellow signs!’ Whenever I would meet a potential recruit, I would not leave without giving them some key takeaway tips about working in real estate.

Myf recounts travelling in rural Western Australia where she had to get a tiny propeller plane, and she swiftly wrote to Paul and Brian and titled her office visit report: Which one of you thinks I am only worth one engine?

Brian White AO, Chairman of the Ray White Group fondly recalled when he met the force to be reckoned with that was Myf Porter.

“At the time, it was rare for a woman to be in real estate. It was seen to be a man’s business. But Myf had that certain sort of confidence and keen interest in trying to find answers that were right for people. It didn’t take long for Myf to become one of the most successful real estate practitioners we’ve ever had,” Brian said.

“She had that confidence to introduce herself to people who had interest in buying and selling property. She really understood the whole principle of marketing property with the concept of open homes, and an appropriate marketing budget.

“She was and still is, inspirational. She always took a strong interest in everyone she met, always keen to provide assistance where she could. Every time you spoke to Myf you would walk away thinking deeply about what she said.

Never allow Myf Porter to pass your way without seeking to meet her and getting to know her, Brian said.

She was the original leading lady; facilitating a group of 10 women in New Zealand real estate to join a focus group. “I still hear from most of these ladies. What we built as a group was really special, exchanging ideas and advice to have success and having trips together to the Gold Coast.”

Myf’s advice to modern working women is to outsource the things that take up too much of your time.

There is no such thing as time management, there are 24 hours in a day and you can’t do a damn thing about it. All you can manage is yourself and how you spend that time.

Her best advice to agents is to be polite. “I don't believe the training content is fundamentally different to what I trained 30 years ago. The ways we communicate are different now with technology. It is simple; getting to know people, offering a service, being honest and staying true to your word.”

Her impact on the New Zealand business can still be felt as strong as it was back then, Ray White New Zealand Chairman, Carey Smith recollects.

“She joined us in NZ (South Island) to help our group through a significant transition phase - this time was invaluable.

“The life skills Myf has taught me are endless. Her patience in understanding different situations. Her storytelling. Her ability to build rapport and understanding that if it is not in your lane - get out of the way and let someone better do it because there is always someone willing to help if you show courtesy and respect - and know what you want.

Myf is still known as one of Ray White’s best presenters and was influential in developing those around her to follow in her footsteps.

Mark McLeod, chief strategy officer (real estate) at Ray White and one of Australia’s most prolific real estate trainers, said that he has fond memories of her as a young agent, being captivated by her training style and her larger than life character.

“She was really influential on my career, the way I thought, the way I viewed things. The stockboard mentality was taught to me by Myf. The concept of vendor management came from Myf,” said Mark Mcleod.

“I remember going to Western Australia with Myf when Brian bought a business there; it was like walking into a lion’s den. Myf was so good at building relationships with key franchisees. She was fearless. She wasn’t phased by hostile meetings.”

“She was funny and loved a laugh. She used to tell stories ; half of them BS. She was a great storyteller,” Mark said.

Myf Porter at the Alan White Club visit Crows Nest 1984

Paul White, Chairman of Ray White Rural and Livestock fondly remembered “Myfy was a wonderful trainer, in fact she would have trained everyone within the company at some point.”

“Everyone admired her so much, she was such an integral part of our group. Operating without her would be unthinkable,” Paul said.

“She is such a wonderful person and she was so important in helping with my career personally.”

Stephen Nell, current CEO of Ray White Rural and Livestock said that Myf has always had unbelievable energy.

“Myf had such a strong personality so she never gave you the opportunity to question the right for her to be there. She was so passionate about what she did. She travelled so much, there was an acceptance that she knew so much, because she was so exposed to so many things.”

“She had a significant influence on my career here, particularly when I went to New Zealand, she was like a taste of home because she was there a lot. To us young blokes (referring to himself, Mark McLeod and Carey Smith when they started out), we didn’t want Myf to rouse us, she kept us in line.”

“Myf had a great knack of getting in people’s lives, it wasn’t just work. She used to come to my house and cook dinner. Once, Myf was reading a book to my daughter Lucy, and Lucy stopped her and asked if she was her Nanna, to which Myf replied ‘of course darling If thats what you'd like’.

“The way she approached training was her signature. She went to a lot of trouble with the details; name plates at training so you could call on them by name in training but never embarrass anyone in front of the group. Role playing was really important to ensure people were comfortable in front of their peers.”

Myf and the White family presenting the 'Myf Porter Award' at the Annual Chairman's Cup, Crows Nest Conference 2018 at the original Ray White Shed in Crows Nest, Queensland.

Mark Whiteman, current CEO of Ray White Western Australia, said that Myf has always focused on what’s important.

“One of the great gifts is that Myf has the ability to tell a story and articulate. What we knew to be logical and what we knew to be sensible - she had a knack of convincing us,” Mark said.

“She had a wonderful skill of disarming those objecting to her; you just couldn’t say no to her, she would just gracefully bat away the objections. She had this way of telling a story that got you thinking so broadly.

“People underestimated her a lot; they didn’t expect her to be so strong and so knowledgeable. She surprised a lot of people. She was always immaculately dressed, but would kick her heels off at the start of a training session and walk around in her stockings,” Mark said.

Shaun Doyle accepting the Myf Porter Award at the annual Crows Nest Conference in 2024.

At the annual Ray White franchisor conference, Crows Nest, there is an award dedicated to skills development of the group; the Myf Porter award. Brian White said that Myf’s lasting legacy on the Ray White group is more than just a name on a trophy.

“Myf defined the foundations of real estate training, not just for Ray White, but for the industry,” Brian White said.

“Awards became important to us when we’d achieved a certain size in the company. When we were organising awards, I was keen to make sure that our awards meant something.

“Myf porter was so unique and such a special personality in our company, that naming an award after her for skills development and dedication, seemed incredibly appropriate.

“Having her there in person at all our annual awards night to present the award herself, makes an extra special difference to the gratuitous recipients,” Brian said.

Myf is beyond chuffed by the recounting of stories and memories from many members of the current Ray White leadership team.

“I had four girls and no sons, so perhaps I looked at them as sons. Mark McLeod sat on this very verandah and convinced me for hours about why he was best for a training role in the group. The determination I saw in him was wonderful,” Myf said.

And as for the comments about her stories containing a sprinkling of BS?

“My stories are always based on truth, sometimes you just need to add a little icing, to make it more interesting!”

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