Property king seals his last contract
HE been the humble king of property transactions who most people probably recognise but are not quite sure what he does.
That’s because much of the work Mark Spiegelhauer has done has been in the background checking titles and preparing documents.
Now that vital, often life-changing, work is over.
Mr Speigelhauer, conveyancer at Purcell Taylor Lawyers, has retired after 44 years in the industry.
Purcell Taylor Lawyers director Melody Cornish said they wanted to thank Mark for his service to the firm over the past 11 years.
A new-look team would uphold his legacy of excellent service, she said.
“Our future clients will benefit from the knowledge and experience Mark has passed on to our new team,” Ms Cornish said.
“Congratulations on a wonderful career Mark, we’re proud to have been part of it.”
Mr Spiegelhauer is believed to have been the longest-serving conveyancer in Queensland.
He has done an estimated 30,000 conveyances which included, in the early days, subdivisional work with long forgotten firms such as Kern Corporation but which have pretty much mostly involved average mum and dad clients buying or selling their homes.
Mr Spiegelhauer said he was proud of the legacy he was leaving behind.
“I’m most proud of the mateship, the friendships and the respect I’ve achieved over the years with all sorts of people — my peers, my clients and financiers,” Mr Spiegelhauer said.
“They respect my advice and I’m proud to say I don’t think I’ve ever let them down.”
He said bringing a personal touch and being committed to doing whatever it took to get the job done enabled him to help tens of thousands of Townsville home buyers to achieve one of their most significant life milestones. “I have some clients who have stuck with me from the start and I’m now acting for grandchildren of cli
ents from 30 years ago,” Mr Spie- gelhauer said. “It makes you proud d to have made an impression on n somebody so many years ago and they remember it, so it must have been a good experience.
“Everybody is amazed that I stuck k it out for so long because many people who’ve done the job, never want to do it again. The pressure is high, the turnarounds are fast and often the hours are long.”
Mr Spiegelhauer said conveyancing had changed significantly over the years, shifting from a process that involved personal interactions to one that would shortly move to a fully electronic system.
“I loved the thrill of the chase, I still do. But I’m glad to be getting out now,
I think my use by date recently passed and I have other things on my mind.”
He originally wanted to be a physical education teacher.
He said meeting Mandy, his highschool sweetheart and now wife of 41 years, in year 12 led him to stay in Townsville and walk the conveyancing path instead.
After raising two daughters, both happily married for some years, Mark and Mandy plan to do some fishing, travelling, host barbecues for family and friends and generally “kick “ki k back” together.
“I’m just looking forward to winding back,” he said, though it looks like there will be plenty to do with grandchildren on the scene, help needed on home improvements for his children and his love of fishing.
It just so happens one of daughters lives in the Cardwell area where the fishing is excellent.
No one would begrudge the conveyancer another fine catch.