The independent realtor’s group Real Estate Results Network will hold the Areras in Sydney and Griffith Real Estate are finalists in a record 10 categories.

Principal Tony Santolin said the awards night, to be held in Sydney, was a chance for independent realtors to celebrate greatness in their industry.

“The great thing about being independent is we can be ourselves, we don’t have to hide behind a franchise,” Mr Santolin said.

“Independents have to evolve, we’ve got the ‘Richard Branson’ mindset and as a result some of the biggest agencies in the cities are independents.”

In 2015, Griffith Real Estate was a finalist in seven categories and won in three. This year, they have been recognised in more categories than any other agency ever.

“We’re riding a sense of growth,” Mr Santolin said.

“It reflects out local economy, our clients and the community are doing better.

“In the past we were up against mining towns and our success is reflective of the tenacity and determination of the Griffith market.”

However, it wasn’t a one-man show, Mr Santolin was quick to point out.

“Brian Bertolin, my business partner, is a major part of what we do and he actually put all of the submissions together,” Mr Santolin said.

“Our culture of excellence has everything to do with our success.

“No office is perfect, but we share common values and at the core of that is care for our customers.”

Mr Santolin said the rapid rise of ride-sharing service Uber was indicative of the importance of good customer service in the changing economy.

One of the finalists was Luke Santolin, who in the past year had increased his sales from nine houses to 43. The property management team was taking care of 900 properties. 

The 2016 Arera Awards will be held in Sydney on February 1.