Category Archives: Real Estate

One Agency Group Blog Advantages Diversity Your Real Estate Business Banner

The advantages of diversity in your real estate business

The term ‘diversity’, when applied to the workplace, refers to what makes us different. And a recent report by Property NSW has described how diversity of background is a driver for success in the property sector. So how does a focus on diversifying your staff help with growth for your real estate business?

Not only does diversity improve decision-making processes within an organisation (due to a result of different experiences and backgrounds) but also, it helps the business to reach a broader customer base, relating to diverse tastes and preferences.

With Australia’s population being one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse in the world (more than 67% of respondents to the 2011 census identified with an ancestry other than Australian), it has never been more critical to ensure your agency is able to serve the needs of a broad client base.

One Agency Group Blog Planning Your First Year Real Estate Business Banner

Planning your first year in your real estate business

Starting a business can be scary but with forward planning and the right tools in place you will look back on your first year and feel amazed at how far you’ve come.

Here are key factors to consider and questions to ask yourself as you prepare to launch your real estate business.

As with much in life, planning is everything. Working out how you will operate is key to narrowing down your options and giving you a clear path forward.

One Agency Gropu Blog 21 Reasons People Buy Sell Property Banner

21 reasons people need to sell and buy property

While there are few signs to celebrate when it comes to the Australian real estate market right now, all hope is not lost. Homeowners might be giving up luxuries, but they will always need to buy and sell homes.

And good news just in; it looks like the downturn has bottomed out for now.

As always, excellent customer service and the visibility of your agency and brand will help you stay in the running.

Take heart. There are any number of reasons homeowners and property investors need to sell. We’ve listed 21 of them below, and there must be many more.

One Agency Group Blog 6 Top Tips To Build Your Real Estate List

6 top tips to build your real estate list

Building your real estate list is ultimately about dedication to doing a great job, alongside exceeding client expectations. But what if you’re just starting out? Or have moved to a new region?

Here are my top tips on growing your client list.

1. Work on your starter list

It goes without saying that a career as a real estate agent requires a thick skin. This doesn’t mean you can’t care, but rather that you need to not be afraid of getting knocked back ‒ especially when it comes to building your referral/client list.

If you’ve been in real estate for a while, you should have your starter list, so use that as your base and always ask for referrals. Highly successful agents who do well for their clients can normally count on three to five referrals per sale, and those in the top 10 per cent will be using their CRM to follow up daily, making around 15 to 30 calls per day.

One Agency Group Blog Why Are So Many Agents Leaving Real Estate

Why are so many agents leaving real estate?

Real estate is seen by many as a ticket to easy money. After all, how hard can it be to sell a house??

Of course, those in the industry understand the incredible amount of work involved with this job. This includes means nurturing clients (sometimes for years), attracting buyers and negotiating so everyone is happy. It takes a lot to get to that all-important ‘Sold’ sticker and then it’s on to the next client to repeat the process.

In 2017, over 10,000 real estate agents left the industry in Australia. This is a significant proportion, especially when the property market was generally buoyant around that time. It is interesting to examine the reason for so many agents abandoning their careers.

One Agency Group Blog How To Be A Respected Real Estate Agent

How to be a respected real estate agent

If you read the bios of most real estate agents, you’ll see ‘honesty’ and ‘integrity’ mentioned. But how do these qualities look in practice?

When a property sale is over and the client has moved on with their life, they’ll remember how you dealt with them throughout the sale, particularly if it was a drawn-out process.

Communication and confidence are essential if you want to be a successful and respected agent. Focus on these attributes, and you’re on your way to being the agent your clients return to, and recommend to their family, friends and neighbours.

It’s also worth remembering that being successful isn’t just about winning a listing over your competitors. You need to stay engaged with vendors throughout the entire campaign – however it plays out – and leave your client feeling that they’ve been listened to and treated with respect. Here’s how to be an agent that people come back to.

The rise of the personal real estate brand

The rise of the personal real estate brand

Personal branding is growing in popularity and importance in the real estate world, with agents who can promote themselves successfully reaping huge benefits.

One of the key aspects of the personal brand is making sure that it’s you who’s getting the biggest benefit, rather than someone else in your office or further up the real estate chain.

Many successful agents already have a business model in place, even if it’s under someone else’s banner, which means promoting yourself can boost your own numbers and make the eventual transition to running your own real estate business all the easier.

What are the benefits of personal branding?

For new real estate agents, working under someone else’s brand is a great idea. It means you can learn the ropes under an experienced principal’s wing, have the security of a base salary and get a marketing budget to make use of. This is a low-risk approach that allows you to earn your stripes and get a feel for the industry.

As you grow as an agent and gain experience, many industry professionals make the transition to becoming their own Pty Ltd, register for their full real estate license and start to advertise themselves as a personal brand or as a team. All while working for someone else.

One Agency Highrise Building

What’s the value of a real estate franchise?

While an independent agency may be able to build up a loyal and repeat client base after years or even decades servicing the same location, a real estate franchise offers agents and principals a way to bypass this, to an extent, with a nationally recognised brand.

When home sellers look for someone to entrust selling or managing their most significant asset, they may feel more secure in dealing with an agency that has an established name and identity. But it’s also clear that the traditional franchise model in Australia comes with frustrations for successful principals – namely, having to hand over a significant percentage of your commissions, alongside high ongoing franchise fees.

With the real estate landscape changing in response to the internet, it’s worth reflecting on what value is derived from being part of a franchise and how much a national franchise brand contributes to your success.

An established brand and identity

There’s an inherent professionalism that comes with being part of an established franchise or network. This is conveyed in the brand messaging, corporate livery, the retail experience with standardised office fit-outs and the familiar templates bringing consistency to every piece of marketing, from stationery to signage, to the myriad of advertising materials.

One Agency - Fees glorious fees - Set your franchise free

Fees glorious fees: Set your franchise free!

Real estate commission splits are always a hot topic in the real estate industry, along with franchise costs and models. Fundamentally the industry needs to change. It’s time agents were free from franchises and agreements and free to keep the commissions they generate.

Traditional franchise model

First, let’s look at the traditional agency franchise model that so many of us know.

Real estate franchise costs vary but typically include an up-front fee, commission payments in the range of 8–11% of gross sales income and fees for operational services. Typically, as the franchisee you pay onboarding costs alongside a monthly marketing fee; training and technology may or may not be included.

Marketing campaigns can be a mixed bag; state or nation-wide branding and promotions offer little direct benefit to the franchise holder, and you have no say on how the funds are spent. This can lead to additional fees being imposed by franchisees on their sales staff, for example, to process sales, or market them and the office.

In terms of real estate commissions, a 50:50 split is common. This can suit newcomers to the industry who can benefit from a wage and marketing costs held on credit until commissions are earned. Stronger sales performers usually command more, such as a 40:60 or 30:70 split in their favour.

Lindy Harris One Agency

Real Growth In Her Real Estate Business – Lindy Harris

Lindy Harris was naturally concerned and nervous of the journey ahead when this mother-of-two opened her One Agency real estate business in Singleton, a small country town in the Hunter Valley, NSW in 2012.

Six years on and she’s riding high after being selected as a finalist for Sales Agent of the Year – Regional category in the 2018 REB Awards last week, and speaking in front of more than 4,000 participants attending AREC on the Gold Coast in Queensland in May.

Ms.Harris recounted her focus on personal communication with her clients, engagement with the community and an absolute dedication to service with a difference. Her presentation was extremely well received.

“I’m very client oriented, working on the process and putting them first, rather than just focusing on the outcome,” she says. “AREC forced me to face my fear of speaking in public and I couldn’t have done it without the amazing team I have around me, in fact my nomination for the REB award is also underpinned by their support. It has been a lot of hard work but I feel very blessed.”

Ms Harris has many other accolades including Agent Insiders top female agent in NSW for 2017, and a string of local business awards.

“It’s been a long but very rewarding journey since I took that initial leap of faith in 2012, I had worked in the industry for more than a decade at that point and I figured that I might as well be doing it for myself, I’d always thought that I would open my own real estate business one day and I wanted to do it my own way.”

One Agnecy Burnie Real Estate Business

Real Estate Business Was A Leap Of Faith That Paid Off

Matt and Jenna Grice started One Agency Burnie in Tasmania from home in 2015.

Two and a half years on, they have a staff of 15 and two offices, one in Burnie and the other in Wynyard. This dynamic young couple are busy building a strong and sustainable real estate business that allows them a fabulous lifestyle.

“Looking back now I don’t know why we were so worried about it,” says Matt, with seven years experience in the industry under his belt and had worked for Harcourts before setting up their own operation.

“It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done and we should have done it sooner. The turnaround was so fast, we literally blinked and the next minute were up and running.”

Matt and Jenna loved the fresh and striking branding and also the traction that One Agency Launceston were making in establishing the brand in the state, so they made enquiries into a license and were up and running within three months.

“If we had known three years ago what our life would look like now, it definitely wasn’t this,” says Matt.

Jenna is also thrilled with the results, “We wouldn’t have the lifestyle we have today without One Agency,” she says.

Stephan Siegfried

Rock Solid Real Estate Business Has Integrity And A Big Heart

Stephan Siegfried started his One Agency business with a modest team of two, and is now, four years later, seven strong and based in an prime main street location in Redcliffe, QLD.

For him, it was an easy transition to the One Agency brand set up, and gave them the opportunity to not only flourish as a real estate business, but to be in a position to give back to their local community.

Stephan and his team recently won a One Agency Community Service Award 2017 in Recognition of Services to the Community for their work with not for profit organisation ‘The Breakfast Club’, helping local homeless people, or people in need.

“The club provides free meals and other essentials such as clothing, haircuts, meal and laundry services to people who are experiencing hard times, no questions asked,” says Stephan. “The local community thinks of it largely as looking after homeless people but that is only the tip of the iceberg.”

They were involved as major sponsor and raffle co-ordinator for The Rockin 4 the Homeless Concert which showcased over 20 local bands and ultimately raised over $53,000 last year. Stephan and The Breakfast Club are only looking to expand their services in 2018 through raffles and being involved in projects like the Rockin4 the Homeless 5 concert which will take place on the 28th of April with the Hoodoo Guru’s headlining.

The blatant juxtaposition of Stephan’s work in real estate and his charity work for the homeless provides a model of integrity for businesses in any field looking forward into the new year, proving that you can better your own business and life by doing the same for those around you. A much needed sentiment of giving back in our current global climate.

Nick Alexopoulos

Easy Transition from Agent to Real Estate Business Owner

Nick Alexopoulos set up his own One Agency real estate business in January 2017.

He admits to having been extremely nervous at the idea of becoming a real estate business owner, but after speaking with Paul Davies, the Founder & CEO of One Agency, he felt confident in making the leap.

“I had some friends who had already set up with One Agency, and their success and enthusiasm about the group made me take a good look at what was on offer,” says Nick. “Once I joined the transition was so easy that I kicked myself that I hadn’t done it earlier!”

Nick looked at a few of the traditional franchise models, but there was no comparison for him, as One Agency offered him a low cost business model, that allowed him to keep his entire commission and the flexibility to run his own race without intervention. He had complete freedom to build his business at his own pace.

“The main factor in my decision was that there was no requirement for me to have a shop front with One Agency. The others required me to do that and their fees would have been 9 – 10% of my turnover and I didn’t see the value in that. Plus I didn’t see any additional value in their business models over and above what One Agency was offering.”

real estate brand

Agent Chooses One Agency Real Estate Brand

Shaun O’Callaghan joined One Agency in early 2016 after hearing about the brand at AREC.

Prior to that he had no idea that the unique One Agency platform existed. He had considered starting his own real estate brand or partnering with existing Victorian based franchises.

“I didn’t want to have to create a real estate brand from scratch and really liked that One Agency have fixed monthly fees, no financial reporting to head office and great transparency around the business model,” he says.

Shaun had been in real estate for 10 years and worked at Hocking Stuart prior to opening his own business, where he was voted ‘Agent of the Year’ in 2015. He’s an auction accredited agent and an industry commentator featured in Real Estate Business and on the Sky News Real Estate Program.

One Agency Shaun O’Callaghan cover the Surf Coast region of Victoria, including Torquay, Jan Juc and surrounds.

“Setting up a new business is daunting, but Paul Davies and the team at head office were very accommodating, informative and supportive, plus I have an incredible Operations Manager, Amanda Lee,” says Shaun. “We made a list and worked through it day by day. My wife Liz has also been heavily involved and supportive as well.”

Real Estate Market

Moment of Truth – The Market is Changing – Are You?

The market has seen many agents on a roll recently, just from the momentum in the market place.

What you need to make sure is that you don’t start to change the word from roll to ’rollercoaster’.

Many agents fall into the trap of the rollercoaster because they get ‘busy’ and neglect the prospecting. Nothing new right? Pro’s understand that they must protect their ‘profit zone’ (prospecting) to look for new and future business and the rollercoaster won’t even exist.

The biggest challenge for agents today is how do you not remain complacent, rest on your laurels and settle for mediocrity, especially when you are listing and selling and things are good in your life. You must have a set of standards that you believe in.

Don’t allow to go into desperation to move into a different state of mind when you need a listing or sale as that is generally your lever to motivation – ‘raise your standards.’  

Be that person who is a rich agent everyday rather than riding the roller coaster of rich agent VS poor agent. Develop your mindset to be rich agent and richer agent.

A few tips to build more momentum and traction in your business daily and be highly productive to develop the ‘profit zone’:

  1. Protect your morning routine:
    Smart Calls best time to be productive and focused by getting on the phone with a purpose and some form of information. Profit Zone Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Structure and discipline will give you freedom.

  2. Distractions are the biggest thief of time:
    Don’t give your power away to others, the clock is ticking so make the most of it and make every minute count.

  3. Obsessive consistency delivers serious results:
    Letters, smart calls/door-knocks to your farm area will deliver the results and a sustainable business. Most agents start and stop things. The mastery is not about doing 4000 things 4 times but doing 4 things well 4000 times.

  4. Don’t procrastinate by waiting for ideal conditions to start something:
    JDI (Just Do It). Get into action with lead generation activities daily.

  5. Practice Productivity:
    Try sitting in one place for hours and hours focused on a single result. The goal is to focus on achieving one market appraisal per day and that’s your key to success. Aim for flow each day and reach into you zone of genius!
Sales Agent

Sales Agent Buys The Business

Joanne Danckwardt was so impressed with the One Agency business model where she had worked as a sales agent for three years, that she bought the business.

She has worked in real estate for 20 years, 5 of those as a valuer, and joined Sally Absalom in the Illawarra 4 years ago, after Sally took a One Agency license. They had previously worked together at McGrath.

“I was attracted to One Agency as I liked the brand, style and the quality of the agents. There was no other brand that stood out for me and I found this model the right fit,” she says.

“Leaving any brand is difficult particularly when you are established there. It wasn’t hard to consider setting up a business, as I was already a business within a business at McGrath. I was a contractor and only received income from my listings. It took me about 8 months to determine when the right time was, to leave McGrath.”

Real Estate Market

Claudio Encina: The Three ‘R’ Principal For Real Estate Business 2017

As 2017 unfolds you have a great opportunity to do 3 key things in your real estate business:

  • Reflect
  • Recharge
  • Refocus

Reflect: Take the time to review every part of your real estate business by understanding where your best results and business came from over the past year. By reviewing your business, you will begin to identify where change could help you to breakthrough in 2017 and give you a compelling picture of where the best opportunities lie.

Then do a SWOT on your business (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) to discover and learn about your business. What major lessons did you learn in 2016 from your customers, challenges, the market and your competition? The answers will help you to start mapping out a plan for this year by using the information from what you have learned from past experience!

Recharge: Take some time to recharge your batteries for the coming year, because sometimes real estate feels like it can just deplete and take from you. Many agents will have related to this last year, with a challenging market (low listing levels), so get re-energised to take on a whole new year ahead by planning 4 breaks in your diary.

You will work on a completely whole new level and be more engaged in your work and clients when you know you have holiday or some time out booked.

Refocus: Do you have a plan to avoid last year’s mistakes? What are the short and long term goals for your business in 2017? Make this year where you focus on the right areas rather than the areas that drain and dilute your attention and energy. Plan 2017 completely by design with constructive ideas, actions, outcomes and results.

One Agency

2016 A Record-Breaking Year at One Agency

We take a look back at a wonderful year of growth and development.

“As the team at One Agency heads into the annual holiday season we reflect on another record-breaking year of growth both in New Zealand and Australia, which in itself is reason for celebration,” says John Stewart, Head of Australasian Membership.

“What is even more gratifying is to have witnessed the individual growth of existing members’ businesses for what in in many markets has been a very challenging year,” he says.

2016 has seen more franchise offices and leading agents from major brands joining One Agency in larger numbers than at any stage in the disruptor’s eight year history.

“This is a direct reflection of the strong foundation of the brand, simplicity of operation, outstanding marketing collateral and above all, a business model that is unmatched in leaving more gross income in the hands of the business owner,” says Mr.Stewart.

“The latter trend is still gathering pace as the year draws to an end, with many newcomers commenting on a desire to manage their own destiny and, if indeed, as pundits suggest, their market is going to slow in the coming year, they will need to seek a larger share of sale income.”

For existing One Agency members, 2016 saw the bedding down of a new state-of-the-art website, branding collateral updates and range expansion, additional print material templates, engagement with major off-shore websites and enhanced levels of support from industry suppliers and service providers.

In addition the brand has seen a simplification of promotional item purchasing and at the end of November, the group’s first International Awards Dinner in Sydney, enjoyed by over 150 guests and industry sponsors from both sides of the Tasman.

For prospective members, 2016 saw quicker access to more detailed brand and business model information delivered through the launch of a private information site along with the digital delivery of membership details.

Real Estate Business Trevor Leslie

Independent Real Estate Business Expands With One Agency

Trevor Leslie made the move from Independent and opened One Agency Trevor Leslie Group in August 2015.

Their real estate business covers Baulkham Hills, Northmead, Winston Hills and North Rocks in Sydney, NSW.

“We knew we couldn’t survive as an independent real estate agency and so interviewed several franchise proposals. We were searching for something dynamic. That is where One Agency has the edge, they are fresh in the market, the branding is amazing and we wanted to work with the offices around us,” says Trevor, who started his real estate career in 1982.

“Our decision has been proven to be correct. One Agency has produced for us the opportunity to compete against all the other agencies and win on the majority listings.”

They had traded since 2003 as an Independent Real Estate Business under the name Trevor Leslie Real Estate and wanted to take the company to the next level.

“We looked at several other options and One Agency stood out as the new direction for us. We had spoken to several other franchise groups and they were extremely difficult to deal with. Paul Davies and John Stewart offered what we were seeking, the agreement was fair therefore it was an easy decision. Head Office don’t take our money and spend it on unnecessary expensive promotions. ” 

Trevor reports that the set up with One Agency was delightful, and they were able to complete the paperwork, set up the business model and use the simple branding guidelines to have their office refitted.

“It was the easiest move, Head Office are so well organised,” he says. “They are like family, always there when you need them, you really couldn’t ask for more and I am so grateful for their support.”

Real Estate Market

30 Day Road Map for your Real Estate Business – Claudio Encina

As we slowly begin to wind down the year, you need to set a concrete plan for your real estate business today.

If you want to finish strong between now and Christmas you need to ask yourself, “what plan have I set that will accomplish something meaningful in my business before Christmas?”.

We know that every year, come November, you have a choice to go into a coma till mid January and then wake up with a hangover.  Or you can feel pretty secure and confident about your business because you invested the time to develop a plan prior to the holidays. While many people rely on their computer’s calendar, noting events and to-do lists in a day planner, a written journal forces you to spend a few minutes each day setting short-term goals and prioritising tasks.

Taking the time to structure a plan for your business between now and Christmas will ensure you have a strong platform for the New Year in 2017.

I would strongly suggest you make a 30 Day Roadmap to finish the year with momentum. Either way, if you are riding a wave of momentum right now or you need to build momentum into your business, you may want to consider a 30 Day Roadmap to ensure certainty by Christmas.

The 30 Day Roadmap will deliver 4 things :

  • Clarity
  • Focus
  • Direction
  • Execution

This will give you the direction to finish the year powerfully by setting goals and targets that you would like to achieve by December 25th.

Clarity is about writing down and being specific on what you want to achieve between now and the next 30 days.

Focus is strategic thinking with planning and prioritising your tasks and outcomes on your ‘To Do List’.

Execution  is probably the most important part of your roadmap as without taking action to complete your plans, results will suffer and probably build no momentum whatsoever.

Real Estate Market

Claudio Encina: Change Your Mindset – Real Estate Listings

The start of September is usually the bumper season for real estate listings. 

Unfortunately this year has shown a decline of 20-30% of real estate listings, compared to the same time last year, according to CoreLogic.

For some agents this market is now a mental game – whether you take action or not will come down to your approach. Taking more action with calls or any type of prospecting to secure more listings with the wrong psychology is worthless.  

As far as your prospecting calls go, start with the right mindset and get yourself into a ‘state’ of mind – prospecting: hustle + fun = consistency = RESULTS!

Here are a few tips to get yourself and your head in the game for prospecting this spring:

  • Do something fun and happy before you get started. Being in a great state is key if you want to perform at a high level. Play your favourite pump up song, listen to an inspirational podcast or watch a motivational video on YouTube.

  • Connect with the end result and how you will feel after you have made the calls. It always feels good when you take quality action (aka action that produces a result).

  • Have an accountability partner and cheer each other on.
Spring Market

Styling Tips for the end of Winter and start of the Spring Market

Winter is a great time to sell property, before the Spring market takes off and is flooded with listings.

As a busy Property Makeover Specialist there are two weeks of the year where I normally try to grab a quick break, during the July school holidays, prior to being rushed off our feet preparing properties for the oncoming Spring market. This year I only managed four days and they’ve become a distant memory already!
 
We have had a number of owners who’ve recently sold with great results, who now believe me when I say ‘don’t delay’! Winter is a fantastic time to sell. Why wait until everyone else is on the market and purchasers are more in the driving seat? At BG Property Styling we are smack bang in the middle of preparing for auction campaigns that are booked for the last available Saturday prior to the Spring holidays.
 
There are differing opinions about how to manage an early Spring sale. I’ll share some must haves from a presentation perspective; gardens are coming into their finest. Remind your vendors to attend the maintenance and presentation schedule a.s.a.p, as gardens will benefit from nurturing early. It’s also important to pay attention to the aspect and time of day for the Spring sun. 
Property Presentation

The Method Behind A Property Makeover

As a real estate agent, you’ll know the right kind of value-add strategies undertaken to transform a property and to create buyer appeal.

These value-add strategies are accomplished through coordinated appraisal, planning, and implementation with the help of a Property Makeover Specialist.

So what’s the method behind a successful makeover? This is something you can share with your new and prospective vendors.

Initial Appraisal

Every job needs to start with an initial appraisal.  It allows the Makeover Specialist to cast an objective eye on a property and get the first impressions. This step involves a needs analysis, a comparison between vendor ideas and prospect preferences, and the creation of an actionable plan. It’s the stage where the hidden gems of a property are identified, and the initial methods of polishing them are suggested.

Project Planning

Project planning solves the challenge associated with not knowing trusted trades and service providers. That’s because a Property Makeover Specialist functions as a Project Coordinator – a liaison between the vendor and the agent and accredited tradespeople. Through consistent quality delivery, the Makeover Specialist knows just who to tap for specific work.

Project Implementation

This stage is where the property makeover project is undertaken. With the different and specific tasks already scoped out during the Project Planning stage, everyone involved in the project will be guided by a calendar of works. The calendar of works is a tool that specifies what kind of work needs to be done, who will do them, when to do them, and how to do them.

Real Estate Franchises

Leading Real Estate Brand Forecasts Failure of High Overhead Franchises

Paul Davies, CEO and Founder of One Agency Real Estate Group, has forecast the failure of high overhead businesses and particularly franchises as many areas head into uncertain market conditions and economic times.

Speaking from the 300 strong Australian and New Zealand-wide group’s headquarters in Sydney today, Mr. Davies predicted that high overhead businesses will struggle in a slowing property market, where the rate of price growth for residential properties has diminished in recent months, less turnover of properties, and pressure on maintaining agents fee levels as competition to survive increases.

“Franchise offices in particular have added overheads, and may have difficulty maintaining the narrow profit margins, creating added stress to meet their high overheads,” he says.

“I believe that many offices will close. The first will be ones with the slimmest profit margins, gradually followed by many others. I would go as far as to suggest, some franchises groups, that struggle to provide a fair exchange for fees, where their franchisees cannot justify the costs, will become irrelevant and cease to exist.”

Read more as reported by REB online today.

Independent real estate agency

Independent Real Estate Agency – Why Neil & Helena Mani Chose One Agency

Neil and Helena Mani have returned to their roots on the Central Coast, where they both grew up, to build their business; One Agency Neil & Helena Mani in the Gosford, East Gosford and Springfield areas.

Prior to their move back home from Queensland, and opening their One Agency business in December 2015, they had an independent real estate agency –  Smart Real Estate Mackay for 2 years, and were with Ray White Mackay for 8 years.

This dynamic team are a force to be reckoned with in real estate sales, with more than 20 awards to their name and 24 years of combined experience in the real estate industry. Neil and Helena were also the No.1 Auction Agents in North Queensland from 2009 to 2015 and ‘Elite Performers’ in the top 5% of the international sales force of Ray White.

They are one of many high achieving and motivated agents turning to One Agency for the business model that makes it simple and affordable for driven agents to establish their own agency, free from the classic constraints, costs and complexities of a franchise.

“We sold our rent roll in Mackay to First National and we considered going with them, but the One Agency business model and branding were stronger and a better choice for us,” says Helena.

“We had wanted to join One Agency since 2009  – we are friends with Craig Higbid who had the first One Agency on the Central Coast and now it’s a very strong brand in the region.”

Because they had started an independent real estate agency before, they had their admin platform ready and just needed to change the branding. Plus the checklists and support provided by One Agency were effective and helped get them set up in a fast, effective manner.

Tom Panos

Tom Panos: How To Win More Listings

“The agent who generates the most appointments will win,” says Tom Panos, a leading real estate coach and trainer.

Those who want success the most are the ones who end up with it.

“If you want to win more listings, you simply have to see more people. The agent who generates the most appointments wins in real estate – end of story,” he says.

Successful agents are not only ok with rejection; they use it to propel them to continue prospecting.

“Establish yourself in the market, not in the office. Other agents in your office do not pay your wages. Vendors pay your wages. Let go of the addiction of being liked by everyone.”

Property makeover One Agency Belinda Grundy

Property Makeover – The Challenges for an Agent and Vendor

A well presented home helps an agent to sell a home more efficiently and more profitably.

That is undeniable. But behind every property makeover lies a tried-and-tested framework that will lead towards a more successful sale.

This framework is every Property Makeover Specialist’s mix of knowledge, methods, and principles, and is responsible for establishing a successful relationship between the Real Estate Agent, the Vendor, and the Property Makeover Specialist.

So what are the challenges that face both vendors and agents in successful property presentation?

Without prior experience of a property makeover, vendors may be confronted with a dilemma: they don’t know how and where to start. As an agent, you may not always know what to say, especially as you might not have secured the listing and don’t want to put vendors offside.  If you’re lucky, the vendor may know how a property makeover can help in terms of generating a profitable sale; they just don’t know the steps to take.

If they don’t see any value in a property makeover, this is where you can offer a quick reality check by showing examples of recent sales and how they were presented to help the vendor understand that their property is not in a competitive position to yield the desired sales results. However with some professional help from a Property Makeover Specialist, you can help your vendor to achieve a faster and more profitable sale.

Rob Groat Real Estate Franchise

Real Estate Franchise Principal Moves to One Agency

Prior to joining One Agency in January 2016, Rob Groat owned a Ray White franchise.

He wanted to seek a break from the traditional real estate franchise model which was becoming restrictive, increasing in cost and less personal to work under.  

Rob, who has been in real estate since January 2003, and his business partner, Tom Paton, opened One Agency Albury Wodonga on the border of Victoria and NSW. The opportunity to gain full control of their business and yet have the support of modern technology and marketing – plus the fact that they retain 100% of commission – were both major draw cards in their decision to join One Agency.

“We briefly thought about starting up as an independent agency,” says Rob, “but the work and worry of setting up the support structures and systems soon ruled that out. After a good deal of research we just couldn’t find any negative reason to not want to join One Agency and we had no concerns from that point that this was the correct move to make for our business.”

Making the decision to commit to a new career move is often terrifying. With a supportive network of fellow One Agency members, however, Rob was both well informed and well prepared when it came to making the final choice. Before opening the Albury Wodonga agency, he said he spoke to “6 to 8 established offices [of One Agency]”, all in various areas of Australia. Along with One Agency’s efficient and streamlined setup, the initial process ran – asserts Rob – ‘smoothly’.

Despite a smooth setup process and a supportive list of contacts, leaving a big agency like Ray White doesn’t come without an inevitable barrage of ‘what if’s?’ For Rob, it was a little under 5 years before he was finally able to put his desire to leave the company into action. Initially, fearing the enormity of setting up as an independent agency, he considered signing a new franchise. Fortunately, that changed when he was made aware of the One Agency brand and the freedom it would allow him as an agent and business owner.

Mark Mitchell One Agency

Mark Mitchell Invests Commission Back Into His Own Business

Mark Mitchell opened his One Agency business in January 2016 and is trading as One Agency Mark Mitchell Real Estate in the Geelong region of Victoria.

He wasn’t interested in going with a traditional franchise and didn’t want to take the risk of setting up as an independent agent, so the One Agency business model appealed to him.

“Being my own boss and also the decision maker was a big deciding factor for me,” says Mark, who has worked in real estate for the past 5 years. “I also love to have the flexibility to make challenging calls on winning a listing or losing one.”

Other factors that resonated with Mark were: receiving 100% of his commission directly back into his business. He also flags that cash-flow in any business is critical and so being paid in a timely manner was a huge factor.

“To wait a month after settlement to get paid for work I busted my butt off to get was so frustrating,” he says. “It really annoyed me, how, as the agent I was always the one who got paid last, weeks after the office and marketing were paid. I saw a lot of agents leave the industry because of this.”

“I was spending thousands on marketing myself and branding the company’s name, mostly  out of my own pocket, then having to split a great chunk of it away. I thought that if I’m paying to brand someone else’s business myself, with no marketing budget allowance from them, then I’d be better off spending my money on my own business, keeping all the commission and invest it back into marketing for myself.”

Prepare their property for market

How to Convert your Vendors to a Property Makeover

PROPERTY MAKEOVER 101 FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS

As a real estate agent, with each listing you sign, you will deploy all the usual traditional and digital marketing strategies to get the property seen by every potential buyer possible. A property makeover can mean a more profitable and efficient sale, increased purchaser competition and a shorter time on the market. We all know how much easier it can be to sell a beautifully presented property.

Here are some of the questions and answers that your vendors may have about property styling and ways to help sell the idea of some professional styling services.

What exactly is a pre-sale property makeover?

A pre-sale property makeover is the carefully developed strategy and then the practical implementation of the steps required to transform a property into its best light. It is designed to uncover the hidden gems of an individual property, and to create buyer appeal to the right market along with the guidance of a real estate agent.  These value-add strategies are accomplished through coordinated appraisal, planning, and implementation with the help of a property makeover specialist and can make tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars difference to the sale price.

Why is it important to prepare a home for sale?

A property should never go stale by sitting on the market for too long. When a property is first listed, if marketed properly, presented well and of course if vendor expectations are realistic and within current market conditions, to it should generate enough interest to sell within a fairly short period of time. Timing is a crucial factor, market sentiment is a great influencer, and profit maximisation depends on the property’s appeal and value to the prospective buyer at the best time to sell – when it first goes on the market.