How Tom Offermann built a luxury property legacy on the Sunshine Coast

When real estate agent Tom Offermann moved to Noosa from Brisbane in the mid-1980s, he did so with a motivational mantra in mind.

“I have always been spurred on by a famous saying from Thomas Jefferson: ‘If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done,’” he says.

The former US president’s words have propelled the principal of Tom Offermann Real Estate to the upper strata of the market.

Beyond the sparkling waterways, luxury homes and boutique shopping, Offermann was drawn by nature and the people.

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$8.5M

5/17 Little Cove Road, Noosa Heads QLD 4567

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“I’d kayak along the Noosa River and appreciated the sense of community and the diversity of people I could serve, from families to business leaders and high-profile buyers,” he says.

Since then, many others have discovered what makes Noosa so special.

Offermann started his career at an agency on sophisticated Hastings Street in 1986. His first sale was a $31,200 three-bedroom apartment. “Man, was I excited,” he recalls.

Thirteen real estate agencies operated on the same street, and the concept of exclusivity barely existed. However, Offermann found his point of difference and, six years later, unveiled his namesake agency in Quamby Place on Noosa Parade.

“I was now weaponised with a mobile phone with a pull-up aerial, but I used it as little as possible because it cost 65 cents per minute, and texts were 40 cents,” Offermann says.

$8.9M

48 The Peninsula, Noosa Waters QLD 4566

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“A competitor said I would never make it outside of Hastings Street and be broke in a year. Fortunately, I love a challenge, so he did me a favour.

“Many of my clients have worked with me now for one, two and three decades.”

Today, Offermann and his team are responsible for multiple records at a super-prime level.

His agency chalked up 22 of the 28 reported sales in excess of $10 million on the Sunshine Coast this year, from Noosa Heads to Noosa Sound, Little Cove, Sunshine Beach and Castaways Beach.

A recent deal, for $16.95 million on Noosa Parade, was the nation’s highest sale of the week.

These homes have every conceivable luxury, from saunas to ice baths and magnesium pools – indulgences a young Offermann may have scarcely believed.

Now his office is also luxurious. Updated by local designer Gavin Maddock in 2022, it now features a VIP lounge, curated artworks and a bespoke staircase crafted from daino reale marble from Sardinia.

$9.8M

17 Wyuna Drive, Noosaville QLD 4566

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The future of the Offermann name in Noosa is in good hands.

“It’s heartwarming to have my daughter Rebekah and son Adam working in the company, and who knows, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren might one day be walking these very steps in the business,” Offermann says.

He is committed to growing the region’s profile, and is a founding event partner of the Noosa Concours d’Elegance, an annual fine-car showcase on Hastings Street, which drew 20,000 visitors in July this year.

A serious motorbike and car lover, Offermann approached the venture with the same passion he brought to the street 30 years ago.

“It is more than a car show – it is a celebration of community spirit,” he says.