Beyond the Signboard with Amy Bennett
Welcome to Beyond the Signboard; where you get the opportunity to learn all there is to know about your real estate journey from professionals who are passionate about property.
Beyond the Signboard with Amy Bennett
Building and Pest Inspections with Darren Colquist from Jim's Building Inspections
Finding that sweet spot between passion and profession isn't always a walk in the park, but for Darren Colquist of Jim's Building Inspections, it's a reality woven with diversity and dedication. On Beyond the Signboard, we're thrilled to welcome Darren to discuss his astounding journey through a myriad of careers, landing him in the niche yet vital world of building inspections. As a former military man who transitioned into the bustling hospitality sector before anchoring himself in the real estate industry, Darren brings a refreshing perspective on chasing a harmonious work-life balance and how the lessons from his past have set the foundation for impeccable service and timely insights in his current role.
Have you ever considered what lies beneath the surface of a property sale? This episode peels back the layers, revealing how vendor building inspections can be a game-changer for sellers and buyers alike. Darren shares the ins and outs of joining a franchise like Jim's, where he found the guidance crucial for navigating the new terrain of timber and termite inspections. We delve into how tackling minor property issues preemptively can lead to smoother transactions and increased transparency, themes that resonate deeply for anyone in the real estate market. With Darren's anecdotes, you'll find yourself equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions whether you're looking to buy or sell.
As we wrap up our chat with Darren, the conversation naturally flows from the professional tips to the personal triumphs. We chat about the significance of regular property maintenance, the battle against the relentless coastal elements, and how to fortify your home against termite invasions—a must-hear for Queensland homeowners. But it's not all about the nuts and bolts; Darren opens up about his passion for home renovations and his dream to explore the Australian landscape. For those about to embark on a property journey or just curious about the importance of building and pest inspections, this episode is an indispensable resource filled with heartfelt advice and expert wisdom. Join us on Beyond the Signboard to hear Darren's story and gather invaluable insights into your own real estate adventures.
Welcome to Beyond the Signboard, where you get the opportunity to learn all there is to know about your real estate journey from professionals who are passionate about property. I'm Amy Bennett, your host, and I look forward to providing you with education, behind-the-scenes a a look at the world of real estate. Well, good morning and welcome to Beyond the Signboard with Amy Bennett. I am delighted this morning to be joined by Darren Colquist from Jim's Building Inspections here today. Welcome, Darren.
Darren Colquist:Thanks, Amy. Thanks for inviting me.
Amy Bennett:My pleasure. Normally we're found under a house (or you are), o n a roof, in a subfloor, with humidity and everything. So it's nice to be in a relaxing office and coffee and everything.
Darren Colquist:Very nice.
Amy Bennett:I'm delighted to have you here, Darren. Being a pest inspector is such a key component to a contract and it's something that you're passionate about and that's what I wanted to share with our audience today. But before we get into the termites and moisture and all of that fun stuff, can you share your career journey with the audience?
Darren Colquist:Yes, yes, I left school and joined the Army straight away and did an apprenticeship mechanic and enjoyed but it wasn't for me. So when I got out I went and worked at my father's hotel in the Adelaide Hills and learned about hospitality and bottle shops and then worked for vintage sellers for a while just in bottle shops, and ended up managing bottle shops here and then Caloundra Hotel and all Stewarts pubs here in the 80s and 90s and decided that wasn't really for me as well. And once I started working for a friend of mine, I started doing some building work and he did everything from the ground up. So we learned every skill there was and I enjoyed the finished projects and when you finished something you were satisfied and I really enjoyed that part of it, and I still do. If my body could handle working on the tools, still, yeah, and I think also I probably our humidity and the heat.
Amy Bennett:There's a few factors involved. So let's just step back a little bit to the bottle shops, and that was probably an interesting time here on the coast in the 90s. You said interesting characters. I'm sure you'd have a few yarns to tell.
Darren Colquist:Yes, and it used to be a different way back then. There was no security, so you had to after your own properties, and I was the assistant manager of pubs as well, so you had to take people out and they didn't like it. When you say there's no more drinks, yeah, so it used to be an old Caloundra Hotel, used to be a bikie/ druggie pub and it used to be Felly Fallon and then Wyd Band patrons from that one and then they go to the Kings Beach and then they'd ban them and come back to us.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, no safe night precincts back in the era?
Darren Colquist:No, it was totally different.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, amazing. So I mean I've been on the coast my whole life, sans a few years. So definitely remember the early 90s of Caloundra. You know we both love this part of the world, which is really special, and you're in Currimundi.
Darren Colquist:I'm at Karamundi and I met my wife at Mooloolaba Hotel before it got knocked down there. Now it's a Woolies there.
Amy Bennett:Okay, there we go.
Darren Colquist:So that's where I met when we were 17, 18.
Amy Bennett:Amazing what a credit! We'll get to your family, because there's a few of them, which is exciting, with a few guinea pigs and everything. But look, let's fast forward from your transition from building into your building inspector role. What was it that was that real catalyst to move into that position?
Darren Colquist:Well, in 2018, I rebuilt my home and spent a year with my son just rebuilding it from the ground up and realised I couldn't keep working on the tools it was hard work, from doing all the bricklaying and all the timber work and framework and everything and I was doing a few decks at the time for friends and for our other customers and realised my back can't handle this and I need to do something else that I enjoy and use your expertise and things you've learnt over all the years and I always thought I've been a building inspector before this, but when I looked at it I thought this could be something I could do into my 60s and still work at the pace. Work life balance I can do one inspection a day or, when I get a bit older, I can do two or three a day, but you just work what suits you and fit your lifestyle in more.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, amazing, and I think probably there's been a theme throughout your career has been being of service, but also being around people. I think that's very much. I mean, we always have a great time when we're at a property and, gosh, we've done quite a few together and we've had a few little challenges, but you know it's always great to work together. You're always on time or if not early, and you're always really amazing with your reports and getting those out. So it's really evident that you love what you do.
Darren Colquist:Yep, I do, and if you're not 15 minutes early, you're late.
Amy Bennett:I'm always late then, Darren, when we catch up. You are not. What I would love to ask is why Jim's, you know, really intrigued and I know you're going to explain to me a little bit about the differences with building inspections in other states, because obviously, we do have quite a few buyers and sellers that may not have had an experience here in Queensland. So let's delve a little bit into Jim's decision and then also some points of difference.
Darren Colquist:Every state varies in your licensing but Jim's their training's all done in Melbourne, except for (during) COVID where they have to do it on Zoom and a lot of other things. But it's the training's all equal and it's a benefit being with a big company where people trust with all the other areas that are out there now. Jim's has has got a good name. With the actual training part it's very thorough and that's what you want to have.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, absolutely. So uou mentioned some things about being licensed as well. Yeah, and it also helps yeah, with Jim's.
Darren Colquist:It helps you with your insurance because you're a big organisation as well and being part of a group instead of being out by yourself, which would be very hard to do straight away. You need that support. You need to fake it to you make it" really at the start because you're learning on the go and a lot of it is logbooking and learning and learning, especially the timber and termite and timber pest side. I think it's where I didn't have all that expertise. It was all in building you've got to learn and it takes a while to learn.
Darren Colquist:So you learn off other guys. You go out with these guys and also, when you're actually doing, you've got to have some time off. You can have guys you can trust to take over your area and to say, hey, look after my clients.
Amy Bennett:And you can step back in.
Darren Colquist:Yeah, so you've got that backup as well.
Amy Bennett:That's great, and also that mentorship as well, because we don't know everything and I think it's really important to be able to ask for help or support or get a second opinion we have team meetings every six weeks.
Darren Colquist:So, we all catch up. There's inspectors all over Queensland, but from our region we pick areas because we've got them in Harvey Bay down to Brisbane and all around. So we just have a meeting generally at the banana bender at the moment.
Amy Bennett:Good central spot -
Darren Colquist:Yes, so we have a meeting there or if not, we go to Harvey Bay or wherever, and that's where you look at other people's reports. We discuss things, problems we're having or things that have been good, and you learn off each other. So it's having that. It'd be lonely if you weren't part of the group.
Amy Bennett:I think that's a really important factor and I think you'd see commonalities, wouldn't you, with mass weather events. I know we've spoken, actually, quite at length recently with recent rain events and then, consequently, mould and everything like that water leaks yeah, awesome. So let's get into building and pest inspections. Who should get a building and pest inspection?
Darren Colquist:Well, anyone buying or selling really?
Amy Bennett:A trick question. So we're gonna delve down; there's two I guess, key components with the building and pest. We're gonna chat first about a vendor. So a pre-sale building and pest inspection. So it's something that we as agents get asked quite a bit. Is it something that the seller should do? I know it's something that you do quite a lot, so I just wanted you to sort of chat about why you would recommend that a vendor does it. Maybe give us a few examples of how that's been of benefit to clients.
Darren Colquist:Well, within the last couple of years I'm doing sometimes 70 or 80% of my work is vendor building and pest inspections lately. So you can go out and it's a good service. You're about to go out and meet the sellers and go through their properties, explain to them what condition it's in, where they can actually fix up before they sell minor things from silicon issues to grout or vegetation to clean the gutters just minor things. And if I find anything major, say no, that's structural, that needs to be fixed in a dress beforehand otherwise you're not gonna get top dollar. If you've got roofs that tiled roofs roofs that need repointing and sealing and need to be weather-proofed and waterproofed, leaks and showers, then you discuss and go through it. Then, when you have actually walked through and then send the report out, at least when the buyers, they can show people before they come, they know what condition the house is in and they don't need to negotiate anymore when whatever price they put in is gonna be the price because there's nothing hidden.
Darren Colquist:From the fencing if its major defects, and there's fencing that needs to be done. There's nothing hidden.
Amy Bennett:I think also, too, it probably goes off in two different streams there, Darren. So the first thing is really the rectification for the vendor. So you're giving hints and tips and suggestions where you're saying, for example, attend to the gutters. This could be may not be a make or break, but it's something that's gonna help with the presentation.
Amy Bennett:Get in your maintenance, yes, exactly, and then also it's gonna be something that presents in any building and pest inspection.
Amy Bennett:But the other element that you're giving as well, which you mentioned, which is great, is that the seller can actually provide that building and pest inspection to prospective buyers, which is wonderful because, as an agent as well, what it does is it allows us to be really transparent with the buyers and let them know. So, for example, we just recently worked on a property, didn't we? Where there was two or three things that we were able to identify that would be things that a buyer would need to probably to attend to as as soon as possible. As a result, we've then since gone, got quotes for those, so we have a really good understanding of what that price point's going to be. So if we hadn't undertaken that process and the buyer started that journey, they may think that the A the job's too hard. B it's gonna cost a lot of money. We still do have a little bit of fear of, you know, ability to get trades, so I love that component about it.
Darren Colquist:So because they could be subject to building a pest and some things if you're just not addressed and they can be simple.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, so that's a really great unique. I think it's a unique point of difference for you. Darren is. Darren and I on-site meet at a property. He will, yeah, get on the roof and whether it's sweaty or dirty and dusty, I'll always try and make sure there's a cold drink. He always comes prepared and then the buyers will actually meet us on site.
Darren Colquist:We always encourage that. And if they can't attend, especially when they're overseas or inter state, then even if they're in Brisbane or something they can't make it work commitments then I like to always spend time, always go through my findings and recommendations on the phone and always have the out the the same day.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, look, I think that's just an absolute. Well, that's why we work together. It's that really high level of care, but it's also about speaking to people as human beings. You know, there's nothing greater than listening to you explain.
Darren Colquist:You know things, a common sense and I think they don't understand building terms. A lot of people sometimes.
Amy Bennett:if they're tradies, then I can go through it, but when they're not, you put it in layman terms Sometimes I don't even understand, Darren we were talking sarking and pointing of roofs but I think also it instills confidence in them, because the reports can be a little bit scary, can't they? Yeah, so I think that's a really great key point of difference for you is that conversation being of service and being able to explain, but physically being on site as well?
Darren Colquist:It makes the report clear. As I say, even though you've got coloured photos and you've put an explanation, what it is, where it is, who can fix? It it's really good to walk someone through a property.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, and I think also too, one of the things I love with you on the back of your business card is your measuring for cracks as well, but physically showing that to the clients Also I was going to suggest. One of the things I really admire about you is also your ability to offer solutions so you very much can say look, that's going to be a plumber. I would anticipate this is what it would look like, and obviously I have a really great trusted professional network as well.
Darren Colquist:That I recommend. Yes, that's the best thing too. You've got a network of people that you like to use that. Over the years, you've got a relationship and it's a business relationship, but it also helps everyone out and it helps the buyers and the sellers out.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, so I think together we're always really united on that and making sure so from a buyer's. So we've spoken about the seller or vendor with the seller one and the vendor one also it's very important in a report to put positives.
Darren Colquist:So that's why I like to do a lot of green arrows. You know whirly birds, fitted insulation, property, the solar panels, and then I always love to put the moisture meter readings in bathrooms and showers and adjoining walls and skirting and show all the positives, show there's no moisture or there is, it's a red arrow, and that goes into a different part of the report but that's where you put positives in and that helps people be clear that oh, there was nothing there and it shows you just you didn't look at that.
Darren Colquist:You've looked at everything in the property.
Amy Bennett:Correct, you're not there just to pick it apart essentially. No, put the positives in, it's perfect, and so just circling back to that, ultimately, you know when we said about everybody should get a building and pest report. I want you just to really drill down on that. Can you just chat through what you? We mentioned before some of the things that you're looking for. Can you chat through that?
Darren Colquist:Well, you're looking at structural issues first. The major things are structural safety hazards in a building. So that's that can be balustrating stairs or you know, major structural elements where the safety of the house or the people that are going to be buying the home are going to be complimented because there's going to be. It's just going to deteriorate further. You've got your major defects. I like to do minor defects and maintenance issues, just minor things, just to let people know there's some minor things and this is what's going to be needed to maintain. You're probably just to give them handy hints, just from silicon and grout and moisture and stuff.
Amy Bennett:So what would be probably the most common things? You know, I know we speak about that often but what would you be seeing?
Darren Colquist:you know commonly here on the Sunshine commonly it's it's water leaks and where they haven't maintained the roof. So you know a tiled roof should be done every 15-20 years, should be repointed and sealed, and a lot of the homes don't have sarking underneath to redirect any moisture. So it's very important to waterproof and seal the roof, but not just relying on the actual sarking, but commonly. Lately I've found a lot of moisture in showers which can be just to do with they having that use tile or grout grout sealer and it's just got moisture and you're relying on a waterproofing membrane behind for water transfer and it's just high down the bottom, it's just sitting in behind the membrane. There's nothing going to the other side.
Darren Colquist:Or I've been getting plumbing leaks or inadequate or older homes without a membrane and you're getting that moisture going. So you're getting the wood rot, moisture in the walls and the other side in your frame and that can bring termites and that's where they come in, because they love moisture and love wood rot in buildings. So that's that's. They're the worst sort of ones, usually with balconies and decks and anything with timber structures where they haven't been maintained properly or were built properly with the right materials. Then you get wood rot and structural integrity and so, Darren, no, two days are the same.
Amy Bennett:No properties on the Sunshine Coast. You, I know, sometimes you're at $4 million dollar property and sometimes you're in an older style property.
Darren Colquist:That does keep it exciting, for us, though, does it does, and there's some properties on the Sunshine Coast that are over a hundred years old, so they're very exciting and you can see the difference between a property that's been maintained for 130 years to a property that's only three years old and hasn't been maintained, or five years old hasn't been maintained, and it's a bit different it just shows you what maintenance is just regular? Just regular maintenance on properties can do.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, I think it's something that you know time can slip away kind of and you know people are just um until a problem presents. I know one thing with the proximity to the water as well and the screws on the roof. You know, quite often I mean, most of us aren't up on our roofs frequently, so I know that's something that. Yeah, but like you said, you know, roof maintenance sounds like a good one to put in there to do with, especially on the coast here yeah, with your Color bond roofing you're going to have rusted garnering if you level debris in and moisture.
Darren Colquist:The roof screws that come at one. You just don't want to have holes in roof shsheeting ooting and that the roof screws it just means that they just need to be replaced.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, and they're usually the main stem in.
Darren Colquist:their main thread is in good conditions, just the head and the rubbers perish, so it is worth changing them when they do. A lot of the properties I find that are right on the beach have a lot of different maintenance requirements because Well, we are, yeah, we are very much exposed to the elements here, yeah, well, we've also seen a lot of UV damage as well.
Amy Bennett:I know we've we've sort of come across that in the past, where you know decks haven't been sealed and everything. What I'd love to ask, Darren, is what's one myth or misconception about your industry?
Darren Colquist:Well, the biggest thing I think I hear a lot is when they ring up oh, I've got a house that's only a couple years old or it's reasonably new. Even if it's brand new and they say, well, will there be perfect condition, there shouldn't be anything wrong. Well, and I don't require a building or pest inspection. So that's the myth I get, and you just got to explain, because I do a lot of new construction as well.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, so let's chat through that. So why would so if some? If if a property is, say, brand new or it's, you know, under two years and it's been through its certification and everything, why would they engage a building and pest inspector?
Darren Colquist:Well, it's still get up in the roof. In the roof always, you can still check if they're the foundations or the drainage. A lot of them don't have the drainage. I find a lot of them don't have adequate for away from a building on a property that's brand new. You can go to a brand new house and the poles are all drummy because they haven't prepped it properly. I did a house at Sunshine Cove a year or so ago that was brand new or one year old and that was 40mm difference and those homes are pretty thin at homes and there was 30 or 40mm difference from one side to the other wall on the other side yeah, wow 50mm from full the from toilet door to the back.
Darren Colquist:That's. That's. Some tiler tried to get away without leveling the floor and yeah, wow.
Amy Bennett:So new isn't always perfect, right no, no yeah, um, I want to really explore a little bit more about your passion, which is evident for our listeners and viewers, but let's chat about termites. So, obviously, the pest component we've spoken about building and I know that's a real passion of yours we do have a lot of. I mean, I personally work with a lot of interstate purchasers and they haven't had to go through this process. So can you just sort of chat about what you're looking for, what you'd recommend?
Darren Colquist:Yeah, because of the same thing.
Darren Colquist:When they're from the ACT, they don't know a lot about or Tasmania, but in Queensland it's very important to just keep conducive conditions away, which is just if any damaged down pipes or overflows and moisture, debris and gutters. Vegetation the worst thing we all inspect is fine is garden beds and mulch over weep holes where they can just come straight into your house. Even if you've got a termite management system in place. They can come straight into the home and eat any of the timber throughout the property and that's major, major costing overhanging branches.
Darren Colquist:Over hanging yeah, I'd always have to put that in that you know that causes damage and storms and that, as well as all the leaf matter building up moisture yeah it's just, it's very important to um, just get rid of all anything conducive that brings them to your area and that could be just stored timbers under the sub floors in buildings which you go in. And they just got timbers on the ground and a moist sort of area and they've, they've all eaten out yeah, um wood rot.
Darren Colquist:When things get wood rot in too, you've got to. Just you're better off replacing um those timbers. If they were treated and have wood right like a sleeper or a retaining wall, the termites still eat that.
Amy Bennett:They love it yeah, I always think of you. With the overhanging branches, it's like an express freeway, isn't it for the termites into the property?
Darren Colquist:yeah, it's more they have and um it's most properties that are built nowadays have a termite management system in place can be physical, chemical, um a lot, of, a lot of um older homes that post construction, um licensed pest controllers sort of push chemical injection or reticulated systems around so you have a chemical barrier around the property.
Darren Colquist:but you know just, there's a lot of companies out there that do monitoring systems. You don't need to do the chemicals, They'll come out every three months and do a monitoring. You can use bait stations or little sticks in the ground to see what is around your area. So regular monitoring so you can get a yearly subscription get them to come out for all your general pests. Perfect and then when you do monitoring, so you're not having all that cost outlay for a chemical barrier. But any system is better than none, or regular inspections.
Amy Bennett:And I think it does vary with the properties. I mean, we've certainly, on the inspections we've done together, we've had sort of anything and everything, sometimes none as well.
Darren Colquist:They're all individuals, so every property is different. So where you might want to termite management system, this one, this might just need a monitoring system. Yeah, so they all vary.
Amy Bennett:Correct. That's what keeps us entertained, doesn't it? So, speaking of, what do you love about your role?
Darren Colquist:Well, helping people. It's the biggest purchase in most people's life when because I mainly stick to just building and pest purchasing and pool safety inspections at the moment so I like to talk them through and it's a big investment and it's usually the biggest investment in most people's lives, so I like giving people the peace of mind that, hey, you're buying a property that is in good condition.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, amazing, and even if it is fair condition, yeah or what's needed to be done. Correct. I think that's always. You're always offering a solution.
Darren Colquist:There's always solutions, yeah.
Amy Bennett:So you just alluded to there about pool safety certifications. So that's a really great thing that it's always wonderful when we can provide our client with multiple options to be able to have one service provider do them all. So in Queensland we need to have a pool compliance safety certificate every two years. Is that correct?
Darren Colquist:It's when you're selling, and every two years if you're renting.
Amy Bennett:Perfect. Thanks, Darren, for clarifying. So Darren is phenomenal with that. So we do that as a pre-sale, so that is something that Darren will quite often meet me out on site. We'll get that all sorted so that we have the pool safety compliance certificate as part of the contract. Perfect, all right, you love your role, but if you weren't doing it, what would you be doing?
Darren Colquist:Probably what I was doing with my house renovating and flipping homes. That's what I'd be doing if I could still be in the tools. I love doing building. I was actually tiling yesterday and I can hardly move today, so it's a job I'd put off for a while myself, and sometimes you just got to pay the expert. Yeah, so I'd love to be doing that, but. I love doing what I'm doing and something I can keep doing and past my experience on to others.
Amy Bennett:Incredible. I just want to allow our audience to get to know you a little bit better. What would be your dream holiday destination?
Darren Colquist:Well, we've been a lot of places overseas, but my dream one at the moment is just caravan or go tripping around Australia to all the places that I haven't had the pleasure of visiting, and that's like Tasmania. I've never been to Tasmania. Or WA yeah, you know Broome and Margaret River yeah, you'd love to.
Amy Bennett:My mum lives down there and it's really great. RV-friendly very , so a lot of camping. What I love about you, Darren, is you do prioritise that time. You know, I know you enjoy your fishing and time long weekends with the families. That's something I admire about you and I think that's, like you said, the role. Now you can sort of control how many clients and building and pest inspections you do, although I do know you're a very busy man. So you probably have to put those dates in your diary and stick to it. You put it in and then you know you're doing that, so it's nice to have things to look forward to and having that work life balance.
Amy Bennett:Is that something that you've always done?
Darren Colquist:I've tried to, but sometimes it's out of control. Yeah, especially bringing up kids and jobs. We depended on where I can work around what I want to do now, and we've been visiting a lot of places where I can leave on a Friday and come back on a Monday, two hours or three hours from the coast here.
Amy Bennett:And even just Imbil or
Darren Colquist:Kenilworth, and places you haven't been before in little bit little sites or rivers or yeah, do you prefer inland or coastal? Everywhere we just go. We went to Ballina, you know we go anywhere.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, that's awesome.
Darren Colquist:Nice, just to get away.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, look it's I mean, we do live in paradise, we are really blessed, but there's something about being away from it all, isn't?
Darren Colquist:Yeah j ust to let the hair down, relax, have a little fish and a surf. Your favorite fish to catch? Well, lately it's flathead on soft plastics. That's what I've been doing at the moment.
Amy Bennett:Yes, I do know you're quite renowned for your fishing techniques and quite often get stopped and asked what you're using. And did you say to me once that you'd sold out of lures or something that the shop had sold out of.
Darren Colquist:Well, when I went to go and get some, I think I must have been telling too many people about this particular brand, but I've been using that on the freshwater dams as well, changing up techniques and I enjoy all that as well.
Amy Bennett:So I always I think I shared this story that I have never caught a fish. In fact, I went to a Barramundi farm and the owner put the Barramundi on the fishing line for me Must of been winter time. I think I'm too. I'm just too loud. I don't have the patience to see them before.
Darren Colquist:It wasn't the fishing one here, was it?
Amy Bennett:No, it was down in the Gold Coast Hinterland. I think he felt sorry for me after three or four hours of I mean literally, I was fishing in a pond with thousands of Barramundis. So anyway, Darren, we have spoken about your family and love, but I want to know what has been the most special day of your life.
Darren Colquist:Well, it would have to be days, because I've got four children and every day since, and we've got grandkids, children now.
Amy Bennett:So I've got two three year old twins grandkids yeah amazing fairly full on. And the kids ages. What's the span of the ages of your kids?
Darren Colquist:Well, one's 33, 1994 so thats 30 this year? And then I've got a son that was just 24 and a daughter that's 22.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, amazing. And you said you mentioned you met your wife when you were 17.
Darren Colquist:Yeah, I met her here. She's a nurse Amazing A nurse ever since.
Amy Bennett:Secret, secret to. It's obviously not a relationship podcast, but secret to a happy marriage.
Darren Colquist:Oh, would they say, happy wife. No, it's just we do our own thing. We're totally different. We're not clingy to each other. We never have been, yeah she does her thing, I do my thing. We do a lot of things together.
Amy Bennett:And.
Darren Colquist:It's a matter of just being happy.
Amy Bennett:Amazing. Well, your kids are absolutely your world. I absolutely know that it's not just the kids, though I believe there's some animals that come with the kids as well.
Darren Colquist:Well, between all my kids there's nine dogs. I've got one of them nine dogs and two guinea pigs and we just recently had my daughter move up from the Gold Coast seller property to buy a property here. So they were with us for a few months more than a few months, I think with the grandkids, and we had six dogs and two guinea pigs.
Amy Bennett:And I think Christmas time at your place is always a house as as well, yeah. So I mean, that's what I really love about you know, we've worked together for a couple of years now and it's been really nice to get to know each other, you know, and really that's the magic of the Sunshine Coast, it is. Yeah, let's get a little bit more insight into you favorite meals and drinks. I always love to know what.
Darren Colquist:Oh, I love steak and seafood, but I always loved Chinese is my favorite. So when it's birthday time, when they say we are, can we have Chinese?
Amy Bennett:and what, what dish? I always love asking people with Chinese.
Darren Colquist:Well, my all time favorite dish I've had since I was about 20 is steamed duck combination with seafood which has scallops and everything, and they do really mean one down the main street here and they've been here for a long time. They're Chinese village one.
Amy Bennett:Most places 30 plus years.
Darren Colquist:I think they have the most places to do a good one, and the honey prawns or anything, anything. I like all the Chinese, but a good steak and seafood as well.
Amy Bennett:Yeah, well, look we. We are very fortunate to have that. Both of those are plenty here, and I always love to finish with your favorite quote or saying Well, my favorite quote is "be yourself.
Darren Colquist:everyone else is taken" I sure. Be yourself Everyone else is already taken.
Amy Bennett:It's a. It's a. That's an awesome quote. I think it's so true, you know, and I think authenticity shines through. Like you said, all we can do is be ourselves. So, darren, that is our podcast coming to a close. I would like to hand on heart Thank you so much for being brave and courageous to step in front of the mic and the camera. For those that are watching, it's an absolute pleasure to have you here. I hope that your knowledge has really helped people in their purchasing journey. Obviously, the building and pest condition is one of the key components of a contract. So key, key facts is everybody should engage in getting a building and pest inspector either whilst they're in the sales process, beforehand, and certainly through their buyer's journey. So what we'll do is we'll make sure that everybody has access to your contact details, and thanks again for being a part of the podcast.
Darren Colquist:Thanks, Amy, and thanks for inviting me, and it's always a pleasure working with you.
Amy Bennett:You're the best.
Darren Colquist:Thank you.
Amy Bennett:Thank you for listening to this episode of Beyond the Signboard. We trust you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed making it for you. If there are any topics you want covered in the future, make sure you reach out and let us know. Also, feedback and suggestions are appreciated almost as much as like shares and downloads.