President’s report Pages

Adam Docking

REIV President In 2021, we broke pretty much every property record there was to break, including the highest volume of auctions on one weekend (1870 auctions were held in the second week of December), the highest number of transactions for a quarter (an estimated 52,400 sales for Q4) and, in some suburbs, the highest percentage gains in one quarter.

We also saw a distinct shift away from the primarily traditional Saturday auctions – how many times can the media use the cliché ‘Super Saturday’? With the adoption of hybrid, livestreamed auctions, we called more auctions mid-week and evenings than ever before. Maybe we may have to adopt a new catchphrase, ‘Wonder Week’?

Like everybody across the industry, I’m gladly putting the past two years behind me and looking forward to a more ordinary 2022 where we can interact both professionally and personally face-to-face and not via Zoom. As a residential sales consultant when we went into lockdown, we simply had to stop what we were doing and either find ways to transact virtually or wait until another lockdown ended. Property Managers were polar opposites. Your workload increased, stress increased and, on too many occasions, you became the whipping post at which some renters and owners vented their frustrations. As a result, we have seen a rationalisation in Property Management professionals at levels never seen before. Amid the bureaucracy and constantly changing requirements, the new RTA was released. Talk about the perfect storm!

For the new year we need to sweep clean, reset and be aware that our mental health is now more important than ever. If you need to reach out, never be afraid to ask for help or, if you think someone is struggling, don’t be afraid to simply ask ‘RUOK’?

In mid-February, I had the great pleasure of welcoming our new CEO, Quentin Kilian, to Victoria and enjoyed the opportunity of picking him up at the

airport one balmy February Thursday evening. Mind you, while I greeted him in shorts and a summer-weight linen shirt, Quentin was wrapped in a leather jacket and heavy-weave jeans. I guess a 25° night is deemed ‘cold’ for someone coming from the Northern Territory. Quentin’s first day on the job was Friday, 18 February, however he had previously involved himself in many Zoom meetings, from his Darwin base, with his new executive team, so he’s hit the ground running. Quentin’s experience in the corporate world is extraordinary and includes Directorships in international trade at government level, Northern Territory Business Council, Australian Business Association in Singapore and even a position as the President of the Rotary Club of Darwin Sunrise! Simply put, the next chapter of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, under the helm of Quentin Kilian, is certainly looking positive.

Quentin would not have a solid foundation to work from if it wasn’t for the outstanding job Gil King did over the five years in his position as CEO. Gil’s work has seen the REIV become the benchmark for property institutes Australia wide. It cannot be underestimated just what a monumental job Gil and his mostly handpicked team had in front of them to right a listing ship that was the Institute he walked into. We are so very lucky that many of the executive team Gil appointed are still here and will have the opportunity to see into fruition the plans and objectives Gil implemented during his time at the helm. For me personally, I would not be in this role the Institute granted me if it wasn’t for the mentorship and, I must say, the friendship shown to me by Gil.

It is often said, we won’t know where we need to go if we don’t know where we’ve come from, yet we can’t live in the past with the notion ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’. As a membership Institute we take inspiration and confidence from our history and look towards the future with enthusiasm. The future of the Institute needs to include creativity, innovation and strategic thinking. With Quentin as our new CEO and with the experience he brings, the future of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria is bright!

REIV President Adam Docking with his predecessor Leah Calnan.

adam Docking REIV President