On getting into real estate
I had no job after a career-ending back injury (previously a carpenter for 13 years) and after 16 months of mental and physical rehabilitation, my insurance company stopped paying me a wage. I was beyond broke. I had applied for dozens of jobs without success – even Bunnings wouldn’t give me a start – so I went to a careers day for Coronis, scored an interview and a three-month trial. I passed and was a nominee for Rookie of the Year not long after. I now sit around the top 10 per cent for fees written in the company.
The happiest moment in my career
Taking out our Rev-Up competition in Dec 2018 for the highest fee written in a quarter with no assistant. I had the choice of a new car or a $15k cheque (I didn’t need a car as much as I needed $15k!)
The most memorable moment
Of all things, it was actually an average little house in Tingalpa. The gentleman had been laid off work because he was terminally ill and the bank was chasing him. He didn’t want to leave the money problems for anyone else, so approached me to sell. We ended up leaving him with $200k-plus in the bank for his family. He passed away shortly after, but would have been pleased to not have left a burden.
Best advice he’s received
If you think real estate is hard, you’ll struggle forever. Start telling yourself it’s easy and watch it change. So apply this as a written affirmation every day: “Real estate is easy, listings come easily and frequently. Real estate is easy, listings come easily and frequently.”
Biggest challenge
Creating and maintaining trust with the public and in particular, remaining as the crucial human element within the property transaction. We need to continue to demonstrate that we can bring understanding and empathy to those buying and selling to not only achieve greater results, but also to make what can be a stressful process easier. An online bidding platform, for example, cannot leverage buyer emotion to elevate the result or understand a seller’s individual circumstance to help them make the most informed decisions.
Change for good?
As agents, instead of taking shots at each other, we need to do the morally right thing when no one’s watching, respect each other and, more importantly, our clients. We need to stop giving the public reasons to think we’re all dodgy salesman that are only in it purely for our own financial gain.
‘Elite’ agent means
Someone who is passionate, process-driven, genuinely wants to be the best version of themselves and improve other people’s lives along the way.
#WeAreRealEstate is a series of short interviews with 140 agents all over Australia exploring the industry’s hopes, concerns, future challenges, and what it really means to be an Elite Agent.
