Looking back on his first year with the Agents’Agency, Adelaide auctioneer and sales agent Nigel Christie only has one regret – he wishes he’d done it 10 years ago.
This time last year, Nigel launched Urban & Rural Partners, tapping into his long-established reputation in the South Australian real estate market.
He notes the past year has been one of his best yet, with the Agents’Agency handling all the back-of-house business tasks while Nigel has focused solely on listing and selling property.
Nigel explains he first discovered Agents’Agency through award-winning West Australian agent Peter Clements.
“Peter is a proud Agents’Agency member, and I asked him what it was all about,” Nigel recalls.
“He explained they do all the business administration, while you focus on the activities of real estate. I spoke to Agents’Agency founders Manos and Maria Findikakis, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Within four weeks of signing a contract with the national network, Nigel was ready to launch his own brand.
Agents’Agency took care of the branding, including his business logo, website and marketing assets, and rolled out systems to support Nigel with his business operations, including trust accounting, and technology.
“The speed at which they created the design, logo, look and feel was incredible,” he says.
“The onboarding was excellent and from signing the contract to opening the doors, I was ready and set-up within a month.”
Nigel says one of the most satisfying elements of the transition was that he was able to leave his previous position on a Friday and open the doors to his own business the following Monday, which allowed him to maintain his momentum and hit the ground running.
“Because of what Agents’Agency offers, I didn’t have to worry about the business side,” he says.
“I was allowed to do the things I needed to do immediately to focus on cashflow, which made it a very smooth transition.”
And Nigel knows the complexities of running a real estate business better than most.
He started his career almost 30 years ago in his father’s agency, Hale Real Estate.
“I joined Dad’s business in 1994. He’d bought the business in 1979 but had been in the industry since the 1960s,” Nigel explains.
“We lost Dad to cancer in 2009 and I kept the business going but the administration and business duties took their toll, so we joined a franchise in 2016. If I’d known about the Agents’Agency model then I’d never have gone to a franchise.
Nigel notes the best thing about working with Agents’Agency is that you have all the support that you would receive working in a major real estate office but retain more of your income.
“You have so many people helping you and supporting you that are highly proficient at their task, rather than someone fresh out of school who is ok at many things, then at the end of the day you get to take home a bigger pay packet.
“I take home 90 per cent of my commission rather than 60, and it makes such a big difference.
“I could only afford a part-time, average assistant for the small sum I pay Agents’Agency.”
In the process, Nigel has the ability to build his own name and brand within his local marketplace.
“I’m marketing myself, not someone else’s business,” he says.
Other than the typical fluctuations of the real estate market, Nigel says his first year under his own brand name has been incredibly smooth, allowing him to sell $19 million of property in the past 12 months.
“I’ve been busy from day one, it really was outstanding, and I’ve done really well,” he notes.
“My next step is to take on a sales assistant to help manage sales and buyers to take my business to the next level.”
As for his advice to others considering whether they should launch their own brand in partnership with the Agents’Agency? Nigel says: “Don’t delay”.
“Don’t think, just do it. It’s just so simple.”
For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, please visit agentsagency.com.au or email [email protected]
