EPM
-
REIV launches online petition to give landlords a voice
The REIV has launched an online petition calling on the Andrews’ Government to amend proposed changes to Victoria’s rental laws. The ‘Rentfair is Unfair’ petition will highlight the level of concern in the marketplace with reform of the Residential Tenancies Act set to remove important landlord rights, including the ability to consent to pets and to minor property modifications. Landlords…
Read More » -
Documents and Details: Debbie Palmer
Selling a rent roll can happen for a number of reasons, and can be due to unforeseen circumstances that take people by surprise. When this happens, tidying things up – if they have not been looked after – is often not a quick process. Not only that, for a potential buyer who is in a position to choose, viewing your…
Read More » -
How Self-Driving Cars Will Change Property Management
I’ve just taken off from Sydney on the way to see our teams in Melbourne. Aeroplane time is always good to get through a backlog or just have some clear headspace. It’s an overcast, windy day in Sydney and take-off is bumpy as we pass through a layer of cloud. I reflect on our own journey from client-server business systems…
Read More » -
Parliament passes new legislation on depreciation; could cause loss in investor deductions
Changes to depreciation legislation announced in the May 2017 Federal Budget and detailed in Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Tax Integrity) Bill 2017, have been passed by the Parliament of Australia. The new legislation means owners of second-hand residential properties (where contracts are exchanged after 7:30pm on the 9th of May 2017) will be ineligible to claim depreciation on certain assets. BMT…
Read More » -
The Magic of Numbers: Fiona Blayney
Abracadabra alakazam! Now you see it, now you don’t. Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! The magic of the magician was embedded into our minds as young children. More recently, I was reminded of this as B1 and B2 (our favourite Bananas in Pyjamas) turned professional magicians and made a friend disappear from their magical box. Just…
Read More » -
Sarah Dawson joins Real+ as Head of Growth
Sarah Dawson has joined Real+ as Head of Growth bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from her 20 years in the real estate industry. Sarah will be working in a senior capacity alongside Real+ CEO Fiona Blayney and General Manager Lauren Kirk and is responsible for the recruitment and outsourcing team and growing the business across the…
Read More » -
CVS2BVS: A New Operating System for Your Brain
Nobody likes being ‘wrong’ due to the negative feelings we tend to associate with it. But doesn’t need to be that way – if only your brain could see things differently and move you toward a more positive scenario – would it make you more productive? Do you remember the sting of embarrassment, shame, or anger the day you were…
Read More » -
Great Expectations
Technology can help you to create the best possible experience for your clients. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on the right technology to elevate the client experience and effectively position your business for the future. 1. DOES IT MAKE INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE? You don’t need to control every bit of information that flows to your clients.…
Read More » -
Casual business or business casual?
WE LIVE IN A WORLD that is now more relaxed than it used to be about the way we conduct ourselves in business and at work. But even though we behave less formally in these environments, how we present ourselves for an interview, or when negotiating a management, is critically important. Sandra Larkin explains. YOUR CLIENTS ARE judging you in…
Read More » -
10 Productivity Apps Leading Agents Use Every Day
New generation agents are mobile agents. With fewer physical hours in the office, collaboration with their colleagues is still critical to success – as is their desire to nurture more relationships with prospective clients. You might be wondering: how do these uber-agents keep all their plates spinning? How can they be fast, accurate, connected and productive whilst being outside of…
Read More » -
Rent.com.au snapshot of the market and Australia’s most expensive and cheapest places to rent
Key points Sydney’s house prices show no sign of falling; prices increased 3.33% to a median of $620/week – still the highest prices in the country by far. Rent.com.au’s October property data indicates the national median remained stable month-on-month; median prices unchanged for apartments, houses and price-per-room (rental affordability). After a downturn in apartment prices in September for Sydney, median…
Read More » -
Growth: Just a Phone Call Away
The future growth of your rent roll is a simple phone call away – but just picking up the phone and ‘chatting’ is not going to do it, as Tara Bradbury explains. The old saying ‘time is money’ is very true when you are working at keeping the relationship strong with your client. If you don’t follow up at least…
Read More » -
Meet the (New) Office Genius
If there were a tool that could give you back two and a half out of the four weeks a year you would normally spend on manual invoice entry, would you make whatever change was necessary to get that time back and spend it doing something more meaningful? You don’t need to be Einstein to answer that question; the benefit…
Read More » -
Are the riches in the niches?
Our industry’s past was all about the big-brand dominance of real estate generalists – those one-stop-shops that offered everything from commercial property management to private sales, owners corporation management to holiday letting. The future of real estate is about developing a reputation for excellence in a specific niche. Your property management department may already have begun the process of specialisation,…
Read More » -
Is technology leaving your team behind?
The return on investment on technology for an agency owner is generally high; the monthly subscription cost of most apps pay for themselves by decreasing the workload and increasing the number of properties that can be managed by their staff. Isn’t that what technology is supposed to do: enhance our life by offering us greater flexibility, so we can accomplish…
Read More » -
Paperless Property Management: Bianca Birnbauer
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Noel Jones. I have been with Noel Jones now for just over four years. My position within the property management department involves numerous jobs, but my main role is Senior Business Development plus overseeing the day-to-day management of the department. I also manage a small portfolio. What motivated you to…
Read More » -
The Third Dimension: Cushla Symons & Justin Miller
For Cushla Symons and her team, technology has enabled greater levels of operational efficiency, enhanced customer service and given a competitive edge over those who have not yet embraced it. The implementation of technology has been a deliberate course of action geared towards achieving these outcomes, combined with a healthy dose of restraint against implementing technology for technology’s sake. The…
Read More » -
Safety Tips for Property Managers with Fiona Blayney: Part 3
TRANSCRIPT Welcome back to Episode 3 of our safety and risk management in the workplace. Today we’re going to speak about technology and the importance of having, at a base minimum, one tracking system to ensure that we physically know where you are at any one time in the office. Now I know it can feel all Big Brother-ish, and…
Read More » -
Victorians respond positively to Andrews’ government announcement to improve tenant rights: Rent.com.au survey
A Rent.com.au survey has found that the Victorian government’s proposed changes to improve tenant rights are welcomed, but 85 per cent of renters still think landlords are ‘too powerful’. The Rent.com.au Changes to Victorian Tenancy Law Survey drew responses from Victorian-based renters and revealed that 81 per cent of renters feel the changes are ‘positive and long overdue’. The survey focused on…
Read More » -
Safety Tips for Property Managers with Fiona Blayney: Part 2
TRANSCRIPT Welcome back to our second episode around safety in the workplace. I’m going to speak with you about what to do when you’re actually on site and that gut instinct, that fight or flight mode really kicks in. At the risk of creating havoc in your office with Fiona Blayney telling the world that if you don’t feel safe,…
Read More » -
Safety Tips for Property Managers with Fiona Blayney: Part 1
TRANSCRIPT Hi. I’m Fiona Blayney, the CEO and Founder of Real+. Today, I’m here to talk with you over the next three sessions about that all important yet sometimes avoided topic of safety. There’s been heightened awareness around safety in the workplace by some very unfortunate circumstances of our colleagues in New Zealand in recent weeks. It’s important not to…
Read More » -
Console Partner with EziDebit for Rent Payments
According to Console research, around 30 per cent of property owners have reported issues with receiving rent on time – something Console Pay is able to remedy with ‘set and forget’ functionality for rental payments, either directly from a bank account or credit card, which is only possible through an integrated direct payment system. Real estate consumers compare their agency…
Read More » -
Spotlight on Rent Bidding: Sarah Bell
Rental bidding apps have been on our radar for a little while now: think Rentberry, Liveoffer and Rentwolf. In theory, I love what this tech is attempting: A free and open system, rewarding those who compete and are bold. Many welcome the move to a freer economy between landlords and tenants, and while I’m just as big of a fan…
Read More » -
Andrews Government in Victoria promises to make renting ‘fairer’ for tenants
In a media release yesterday, the Andrews Labor Government has promised to make renting “fair” with “an unprecedented package of tenancy reforms” in response to a review of the State’s Residential Tenancies Act. Right now, more than one in four Victorians rent their home and that number is increasing as it becomes more difficult for Victorians to break into the…
Read More » -
REINSW recognises top performers for 2017
Real estate’s outstanding performers have been recognised at the 2017 Real Estate Institute of New South Wales Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner. REINSW President John Cunningham said in its 20th year the award winners highlight the professional standards that the real estate industry is striving for. “The winners across 20 categories are paving the way as our commitment to professionalism…
Read More » -
Is it time to sell your property management business: John Rigby
You might there’s really only one way to sell a business: the buyer makes an offer, the seller accepts the offer and the deal is done. Easy, but incorrect; there’s a little bit more to it than that. The first question you need to answer is what are you selling – the asset, or the shares?
Read More » -
Daily Grind or Career Defined?
Do you go to work and do the necessary to take home a regular paycheck at the end of the week? Or are you goal-oriented, performance-based and passion-driven? When you are passionate about a career as a BDM, it shows as you build long-lasting relationships that will take you far beyond what others consider the daily grind. I believe a…
Read More » -
How persuasive is your listing presentation?
At the beginning of the year I joined Toastmasters. With the growth of Rent360 I am having to present to advisory boards, investors and so on; I wanted to be able to think faster on my feet and be comfortable getting up and speaking clearly and convincingly, whether it be in front of one or 500 people. Recently I had to…
Read More » -
Losing It: Perspective and the Property Manager
Times of stress and demand, such as the start of each new year and the close of each financial year, can take their toll, both psychologically and physically, on even the most experienced of property managers. Choosing to power on without time for recuperation can quickly lead to serious illness and depression – all of which take you out of…
Read More » -
Rebecca Freeman, LJ Hooker Residential Perth
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at LJ Hooker Residential, Perth. I’m 37 and have been working with LJ Hooker for 18 years. I moved to Perth and joined the team here seven years ago, and I absolutely love it. Having grown up in southeast Queensland on the beaches then lived in Sydney for six years, I…
Read More » -
Why Tech Is No Threat to Property Managers: Alister Maple-Brown
Since its explosion in the 90s, technology has become central to everything we do in property management, and in business today. Completely changing the game was the iPhone, invented 10 years ago, which gave us access to the world in our back pockets. But will technology ever completely replace property managers? Absolutely not. The rate of change when it comes…
Read More » -
Top 5 Takeaways from ALPPPS 2017
1 PINNACLE OF SUCCESS To reach the pinnacle of success, you must be prepared for the climb. Start by getting a ‘prognosis’ done on your property management business to assess its current state and determine how you can improve its overall health. Next, you must map your course – identify where you want your business to go in the next…
Read More » -
Tennis or Paintball?
COMMUNICATION WITH clients is key to succeeding in our industry, as we have all heard. However, many workshops and seminars fail to give us critical information on what to say within the conversation to achieve the goal, or how to get our message across effectively. Rebecca Fogarty explains how to serve up a great dialogue. WE HAVE BEEN told to…
Read More » -
Behind Closed Doors
Sitting here in a café in Melbourne, grabbing a quick breakfast before I head to training for the day, I am surrounded by people doing the same. Same same but different. My lady friend to my left (yes, you’d be right to imagine me being that person who strikes up a conversation with anyone) has been patiently waiting for her…
Read More » -
Snug.com launches BondCover to free up rental bonds
Rental community platform startup Snug.com is launching its first feature, BondCover, a surety bond designed to transform the rental market by freeing up $4 billion worth of rental bonds. “With 2.5 million renters across Australia, it’s time to recognise good renting,” says Justin Butterworth, Founder of Snug. “The current cash bond system is completely outdated, and the resulting liquidity and…
Read More »