OPINION
-
2015: Are you Ready?
PAUL MYLOTT, GENERAL MANAGER of Century 21 Australia, shares five resolutions all real estate professionals should make for 2015. SELLING REAL ESTATE can make for a hugely rewarding career. It’s a dynamic and exciting profession for many, which can often involve setting your own work hours and determining your own income to a large degree. How many other office jobs…
Read More » -
Compliments of the Season
ANGUS RAINE, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND CEO of Raine & Horne has a couple of things on this year’s Christmas list. IT’S BEEN A FANTASTIC year for real estate markets across Australia and for the Raine & Horne network. Plenty of homeowners and investors have enjoyed excellent growth, while Raine & Horne has increased its reach with 25 new offices joining…
Read More » -
View From the Top
ANTONIA MERCORELLA, THE NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE of the REIQ, discusses her priorities for real estate in Queensland and her vision for her new role. REAL ESTATE IS a fast-moving game and modern agents need to devote considerable time and energy to keeping pace with the changes taking place in our profession. Technology is constantly on the march, performance measures are…
Read More » -
Beyond Property: What Value do You Really Provide?
IT IS MY VIEW that being genuinely assured that you ‘really know your stuff’ is vital to waking up every day truly believing you are worth your money. The alternative is being an imposter who simply tricks their clients into engaging them and taking fees they haven’t really earned. I know which mindset I would rather start out with each…
Read More » -
Stop Calling People on Fridays
HIGH-PERFORMING AGENTS can usually reel off the key numbers associated with their business: appraisals per week, appraisal to listing ratio, average sale price, average commission and listing conversion rate. Do you know which activities work best at what times? Chris Chapman of Fletchers Real Estate says it’s about working smarter, not harder. ONE OF THE first things I was told…
Read More » -
5 classic ‘fails’ of many business this year
Ross Elliott has some good advice for all small business owners this year; very relevant to maintenance of CRM systems and marketing for Real Estate Businesses. A new year awaits and prospects for economic improvement look good. Some businesses will grow, others will tread water, and some will fail. But more and more as I am involved with building business prospects…
Read More » -
A Step in The Right Direction
The announcement last week by the WA State Government that it’s investing in 1,000 new and affordable rental homes is definitely a step in the right direction for a housing sector that’s under pressure on several fronts. The varying housing issues and trends in Perth are well-documented: high property prices, fluctuating rental demand and vacancy rates, plus local residential construction…
Read More » -
Follow the Leader
In the most recent leadership spill Kevin Rudd managed to regain his title on his terms. Jason Hellyer draws some parallels between the recent political leadership spill and how agents should demonstrate a similar resolve with vendors. People seek leadership. Throughout history this has always been the case and I doubt it will ever change. Just last week I sought some…
Read More » -
The Core of your Business is Connection
Dave Eller takes a look at what makes people really want to do business with you. Would you say that your business is listing and selling properties? What is going to make people want to do business with you? Generally, people do business with the people they know, like and trust. We call this the friendship factor and it is…
Read More » -
Under the Hammer
There has been a lot of talk lately about the tendency for many agents to offer their clients a briefcase full of ‘no price’ marketing options. But an ‘easy fit’ is not always an easy sale. Haesley Cush gives his opinion. There has been a lot of talk about the recent focus of many Australian agents to offer their clients…
Read More » -
Young Talent Time
Stacey Sheehan, Principal of Collins Real Estate in Tasmania, has set up strategic partnerships to provide a mentoring program for young agents. The goal: to provide them with similar opportunities working for a small agency, as they would have working for a large corporate. In my previous life working in property for Lend Lease and AMP, the main attraction for…
Read More » -
Women – Know your Place!
Sadhana Smiles took her place in the boardroom as CEO of Harcourts NSW in October 2011. Now, as CEO of Harcourts Victoria, she still remains one of the few female CEOs in the Real Estate Industry. Based on recent events in the media, she believes it is very difficult for men in corporate Australia to understand some of the issues…
Read More » -
Why VPA is A Positive Point of Difference
Tristan Rowland of Place Estate Agents explains why effective marketing will not only help you sell your current listings, but attract new ones. In recent times, Vendor Paid Advertising (VPA) has gone from being a tool that helps both an owner and an agent achieve a superior result, to what now seems for many weaker agents a point of difference…
Read More » -
The Blame Game: Daniel Hayes
Daniel Hayes from Hayeswinckle Agent takes a lighter look at what happens to agents when they take their eye off what is really important to success. You wake up each morning, stand in front of the mirror in your Anthony Robbins ‘motivator’ boxer shorts, look yourself in the eye and scream at the top of your lungs, ‘I am a…
Read More » -
Achieving Cut Through in A New Area
Opening an office in a new suburb can be challenging, especially in the current market. hockingstuart Director Julian Conte shares his experiences in making his office stand out. Having recently opened my second office in Melton, I’ve been reminded of the hard yards that have to be put in by agents new to an area. As agents, we’re trained to…
Read More » -
Is 6 Out of 10 OK?
Meatloaf once said, “Two out of three ain’t bad”. Your teacher hands back your test results and you’ve been given six out of 10. Are you satisfied with that result? After all, six out of 10, or 60 per cent, is a pass mark. Shouldn’t you be striving for full marks? A current client(buyer or vendor) is discussing their real…
Read More » -
The Future of The Shopfront
In what appears to be an era where agents are reconsidering the traditional shopfront, Stacey Sheehan discusses why it remains of utmost importance. In 2002 a new CEO was appointed to AMP, Australia’s largest superannuation fund manager, to navigate it through a corporate crisis that some viewed as terminal. He was noted to say at the time of embarking on…
Read More » -
Auctions Don’t Work Here, Our Market is Different!
Jason Hellyer from Landmark Harcourts explains why regional and rural operators should consider having a conversation with vendors that covers both auctions and private treaty sales. In one sense, it is true that real estate markets can and do differ significantly from region to region, state to state, but generally only from a legislative, economic and landscape perspective. In my…
Read More » -
The Butterfly Effect
For every action, there is a reaction. Douglas Driscoll, CEO of Starr Partners asks the question, “As real estate agents, do our actions lead to the desired reactions from our customers?” It is said that it can take a lifetime to create a great reputation, whereas it can take just a second to shatter it. One small misdemeanor is often…
Read More » -
Just Walk Away
Knowing when not to take on a listing is as important a skill as any other in this game. The question is how is that decision made? Tony Rowe gives his opinion. There has been lots of talk recently about agents lowering their fees to secure listings, sometimes to ridiculous levels. Yes, it’s competitive out there. Yes, getting the maximum…
Read More » -
Time to Step up to The Plate
Demand perfection from yourself, constantly evolve and display the passion and desire to compete with the absolute best in the industry, or start thinking about a new career. It is time for agents to “step up to the plate”, says award winning director Matthew Hayson. Like any industry, we as real estate agents need to ask ourselves if we are…
Read More » -
Focus on Growth
“Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.” Anton Kardash, the newly appointed CEO of the REIQ, says that this aptly describes the thinking of the REIQ board in moving the Institute forward in what have been difficult times. This REIQ’s commitment to improvement has led to my appointment here, and while I am new to Real…
Read More » -
Thriving in a tough market
Chris Gilmour lists and sells a property every 26 hours in what everyone considers “a tough market”, how does he do it? In this market, we really are seeing the best and worst of our industry. It’s like this market is taking the square root of everything about us and expanding it. If we have skill with people, marketing prowess…
Read More »