ELITE PM Issue 06 Jun Jul 2016 [FULL]

visits LPMA

110 PAGE N O I T I D E L A I C E SP

LEARN FROM THE BEST

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TENANT

#06 JUN/JUL 2016

MASTER YOUR DATA

THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS MELBOURNE REAL ESTATE

THE FUTURE OF PROPERTY INSPECTIONS

We’re looking forward to seeing you at

Dedicated to rental property

May 22 &AREC 23 |May arecconference.com Proudly supporting 22nd & 23rd ›

FLIP MAGAZINE OVER FOR

Who we are Rent.com.au is the leading national portal exclusively showcasing available rental properties and related services for renters to search and use.

• The central source for an audience of quality tenants looking for rental properties and landlords wanting to appoint a property manager • 100% dedicated to rental properties

More management leads direct to your inbox with What is it A quote service which allows landlords to send details about their new or vacant property to subscribed agents More Leads Select 10 suburbs to receive leads from

Convenience Gives landlords 1 easy form to reach out to multiple property managers for a management appraisal More Income Just 1 converted lead could be worth thousands in income and asset value

“Within our first week of signing up with Rent.com.au, we had one lead through RentQuotes. I was fortunate enough to meet with the owner and list the property for management. That one lead paid for my subscription for the year.” Martina Berry – Professionals Rockingham, WA

visits LPMA

We’re looking forward to seeing you at

May 22 & 23 | arecconference.com

Contents Regulars 004 FROM THE GUEST EDITOR Natalie Hastings, Hastings + Co 006 READER PROFILE Janine Scrivener, Harcourts Beachside

14

008 UPFRONT News from the Community 009 NUMBER CRUNCH Property Management Department Heads 009 REALTY BYTES Live via Periscope 012 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT MENTOR Natalie Hastings 013 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MASTERY Tara Bradbury 024 PM Q&A David Traeger 036 THE LAST WORD Fiona Blayney

First Person 010 TRAINING FOR PMs: KEEPING IT RELEVANT Jess Kindt

Cover Story

22

014 THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS Melbourne Real Estate

Features 018 THE FUTURE OF PROPERTY INSPECTIONS Alan Hashem 020 NUMBERS GAME: SEGMENTING LANDLORDS Ben White 022 SELECTING THE RIGHT TENANT Fiona McEachran 026 HOW HAPPY ARE YOUR CLIENTS, REALLY? Brock Fisher 028 T IME FOR CHANGE: LPMA TOP TAKEAWAYS Wrap-up from rent.com.au 030 TAKING GOOD CARE Stephanie Challinor

28 2 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

ISSUE 06 JUN/JUL 2016

epm.eliteagent.com.au NATALIE HASTINGS – Guest Editor natalie@hastingsandco.com.au SAMANTHA MCLEAN – Managing Editor samantha@eliteagent.com.au MARK EDWARDS – Commercial Partnerships mark@eliteagent.com.au

GUEST EDITOR’S NOTE NATALIE HASTINGS

MOIRA DANIELS - Deputy Editor moira@eliteagent.com.au JILL BONIFACE – Sub-Editor FEATURE WRITERS Iolanthe Gabrie, Tara Tyrrell CHORUS DESIGN – Art Direction/Design thegoodpeople@chorusdesign.com Cover photograph: James Braund, jamesbraund.com Assistants: Steph Doran, Alex Reinders

CONNECT WITH US @eliteagentmag

SUBSCRIBE

eliteagent.com.au/shopnow (02) 8231 6669 subscriptions@eliteagent.com.au BASS Publications Pty Ltd

(a subsidiary of a bit of this publishing pty ltd)

A BIT OF THIS PUBLISHING

ACN 169 805 921 Postal Address: Suite 904, 121 Walker Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Telephone (02) 8231 6669 Registered by Australia Post/Print Post 100020180 EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS The publisher welcomes editorial submissions from individuals and organisations within the real estate profession. The publisher reserves the right to edit, modify, reject or contribute to the content of the material provided.

Some opinions expressed in Elite Property Manager Magazine are not necessarily those of its staff or contributing editors. Those opinions are reproduced with no guarantee of accuracy although Elite Property Manager Magazine endeavours to ensure those opinions and comments are factual.

Our subscriber list may sometimes be made available to relevant brands who might be of interest to our readers and from time to time we may be in touch to inform you of new Elite Agent products and services. Please visit eliteagent.com.au/privacy for details on how we collect and use your personal information. Please email subscriptions@ eliteagent.com.au if you would rather not receive these communications. © Elite Agent Magazine 2016. All rights reserved.

4 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

D DO YOU REMEMBER that moment?

Undoubtedly, ‘that moment’ is different for everyone. For principals who’ve chosen to go independent with their own brand, it could be the moment they saw their fresh brand signage being put up.

For sales agents, it could be seeing their name on a ‘For Sale’ board for the very first time. For property managers, it might be winning that very first management to add to the rent roll.

‘That moment’ has come to everyone who works in real estate, as it’s a vocation sprung from total passion and energy. As the years go by, though, it’s easy to lose sight of what drew you to excellence, and to build your career in real estate.

This is particularly so when you are a principal, divorced from the rough-and-tumble of daily prospecting and the ecstasy of winning new business. Instead, you may be increasingly buried under paperwork and busy ‘putting out fires’. The light of inspiration has gone out from your eyes, and like a traumatised character from Apocalypse Now you’re starting to see spectres where none loomed before.

You cease to see staff as powerhouses of potential growth for your business, and instead they appear as liabilities beyond your control. Rather than looking at new ways to improve your business with marketing innovation (AKA trying something new), you stick to the same ol’ same ol’. It worked in the past, didn’t it?

Warning! You are now entering real estate entropy, the land of the walking dead.

Of course we understand how you got there – anyone who has been in property long enough has felt the undertow and overwhelm of compliance and the day-today running of an agency threaten them financially, emotionally and physically.

What isn’t understandable about these circumstances, however, is becoming

IT’S ABSOLUTELY NORMAL TO FEEL UNINSPIRED, FLAT OR EVEN OVERWHELMED IN THE FACE OF THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY’S RELENTLESS CHANGE. WHAT’S NOT NORMAL IS TO GIVE UP AND ADMIT DEFEAT. belligerent and negligent; letting your business sink into the mire of forgotten agencies, before desperately looking for a purchaser to buy your rentroll. If you’re in deep, the only way to get out is to keep going.

From my years as a trust accountant, providing training and support for Australia’s estate agencies small and large, I know that with the right support and a desire to look to the future you’ll soon be out of the doldrums and close to feeling that moment again. Now is the time to

build upon the experience and rock-solid service of your existing business, enhancing it where it needs polishing and improvement with outsourced, expert services.

Real estate agencies are incredibly costly operations to run in terms of staffing and compliance – and don’t even get me started on insurance and technology! Outsourcing to experts who understand the real estate category and its unique concerns makes sense in more ways than one. They can immediately

plug gaps in your service offering, improving your client experiences and making you compliant.

Take outsourced trust accounting services, for example: rather than the expense and worry of vetting and recruiting for an employee, with all the contracts and responsibilities formal employment brings, look to a specialist outsourced accounting firm (like hastings + co) to balance your books, pay your owners, your suppliers and even run payroll for your business.

Accounting within real estate agencies is complex and full of potential compliance pitfalls for well-meaning yet ill-informed or time-poor principals. If you don’t have the skills to oversee trust-accounting within your own business, outsourcing is a good idea. That’s one – very substantial – worry off your

overstuffed principal plate.

Other categories of expertise worth outsourcing in the name of getting your real estate mojo back include inspiring coaching and training to infuse you and your organisation with fresh energy and new perspectives on delivering exceptional, tongues-wagging real estate service in your catchment area. Stymied about social media and worried about negative feedback online?

Outsourcing to a social media and digital strategy expert who can assist your agency to deliver a fully-realised and intelligent, on-brand message is also a wise decision. Let’s be real: communications and graphic design are rarely skills that your property manager or sales agent is skilled enough to deploy on your business’ behalf in the way that digital media demands.

It’s absolutely normal, at times, to feel uninspired, flat or even overwhelmed in the face of the real estate industry’s relentless change. What’s not normal is to give up and admit defeat: often the very things you feel incapable of delivering are just a reliable, outsourced service provider away. Doesn’t that put a spring in your step?

NATALIE HASTINGS

epm.eliteagent.com.au 5

READER PROFILE really fortunate to have found what I think is my dream job and with Harcourts’ support I’m taking it to highest level I can.

SERVICE SPECIALIST Enjoying her new role at Harcourts Beachside in WA, Janine Scrivener is all about customer service and the importance of kindness in dealing with other people’s problems.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your current role.

My current title is Property Administration and Business Development Manager and I do love the business development management side of real estate.

I’m currently completing my full Real Estate Licence with the aim of being a Licensee by October 2016.

I’m not sure there is such a job title, but I’d like to be known as a Customer Service Specialist as I really do feel that is my strongest attribute.

I get my job satisfaction by always treating all our clients – yes, even the difficult ones! – with good manners and respect. I like to make time to listen and be heard, combined with problem solving and conflict resolution. If I’m able to make people happy then I feel that I have succeeded. It’s a very tricky balance, though, to do this and also have time management skills!

What sets your team apart?

Our property management team at Harcourts is very strong; there are four qualified property managers who are all competent, confident, flexible within our jobs and passionate about what we do. I truly believe that this is what gives

How is the market in your local area right now?

We are currently experiencing a slight downturn in the rental market for the first time in 10 or 11 years, with a large number of available investment rentals in the area.

There are so many reasons for that, including the fact that many tenants are now able to afford their own homes. I think that to get through this, property managers must work their properties and their existing and potential tenants, so that they want to sign up or stay with us.

Who or what inspires you?

There are many people that inspire me; and everyday life inspires me. Tara Bradbury is the first person who inspired me within the industry; she is so well known and I’m a BDM novice from a small town, and I truly won’t forget her kindness in taking the time to advise me.

Harcourts CEO Mike Green’s views on customer service are inspiring. Knowledgeable,

I’m not sure there is such a job title, but I’d like to be known as a Customer Service Specialist, as I really do feel that is my strongest attribute. our office the edge over other companies within the industry.

You can’t fake commitment or passion.

What motivated you to get into real estate?

I was offered an opportunity with on-the-job training at a local real estate office. I took it and have never looked back.

I love my job, the people I meet, tenants, owners, trades, building companies, the walkins, people in the industry. I’m

6 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

kind, strong women within our industry also inspire me, like Donna Whitehead and Marianne Smith. Most importantly, my mum has always inspired me to be the best I can be; always be mindful of what you say and how you say it, and always be kind.

In your briefcase right now is...?

Do I really have to say?

There’s too much – I’m a handbag hoarder! Makeup

bag, sunglasses, mints, water bottle, free car wash and coffee vouchers, chocolate, my study notes, assessment questions, pens, business cards, calculator, current rental listing, bookletsized management brochure (you never know when an opportunity will pop up), diary, hairbrush… phew!

What apps do you currently use on your iPhone or iPad? Not as many as I would like to. Inspection Manager is a new routine app that I’ve had the opportunity to use in my current job and like.

Is there something you couldn’t live without (in business or life)?

My family. I know everyone says this but it is so true!

What is one top tip for good client communication?

Always be clear and honest. Always think before you speak, as there are consequences to words said in haste. In difficult situations listen to what clients are saying and let them say it without interrupting.

I think a lot of people have the misunderstanding that if you are kind you are a pushover; however, I believe you can be kind, firm and still work within our industry’s legislation and regulations.

Everyone’s problems and the situations they find themselves in are important to them and should always be respected.

Best lesson you have learned so far?

When you find the company that resonates with your core values everything will fall into place.

Words to live by?

Goodness, there are so many! My one thing I think I really try to say and live by is to be kind; it’s only a little word but powerful if you use it. ■

Real+ Recruitment take the time to get to know the business, rather than sending over candidates.

When employing a recruiter, I am not interested in sifting through numerous unsuitable candidates, I want the recruiter to understand our business, job requirements and culture.

The post-employment program / on boarding assistance always finishes the transaction positively and makes my job easier!

FIONA BLAYNEY DIRECTOR

Kate Benjamin Harcourts Hills Living

REALPLUS.COM.AU

UPFRONT

LEARN FROM THE BEST – EPM.ELITEAGENT.COM.AU

Grow your rent roll and attract landlord appraisals with RentQuotes If securing new managements is key to delivering growth in your department this year, ensure RentQuotes is part of your online strategy.

As Australia’s leading website dedicated to rental property, Rent.com.au offers a number of tools and services to help property managers build their managements.

RentQuotes invites landlords looking for a property manager to send details about their new or vacant investment property to subscribed agents servicing their area.

With a subscription to Rent.com.au, you have instant exposure to landlords looking to appoint a property manager in your key suburbs, giving you a new lease on lead generation.

Here’s your chance to beat the competition.

Leads are delivered straight to your inbox, ready for you to offer a competitive appraisal.

Best of all, it could only take one converted lead to cover your yearly subscription.

In March, traffic numbers to the website exceeded 640,000 unique visitors. Over 4.5 million renters and landlords have visited the website in the last 12 months. Today, Rent. com.au continues to grow the business through increased listings content and an improved user experience for renters, agents and landlords.

For property managers, Rent.com.au’s engaged online landlord audience is key to creating new managements, because their presence on site helps property managers access a typically diverse and fragmented private market.

Professionals Rockingham business development manager Martina Berry said her agency manages around 400 properties, but is always striving to find new managements.

“Within our first week of signing up with Rent.com.au, we had one lead through RentQuotes. I was fortunate enough to meet with the owner and list the property for management. That one lead paid for my subscription for the year,” she said.

If building your rent roll through online enquiry is key for your agency in 2016, subscribe to Rent.com.au and start receiving RentQuotes leads today. Visit rent.com.au/ rentquotes, email agents@rent.com.au or phone 1300 736 810.

8 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

LANDLORD INSURANCE: WHAT COUNTS AS MALICIOUS DAMAGE? Unfortunately what your landlord may see as ‘malicious’ damage may be something substantially different in the eyes of an insurance company, or for that matter the law. It’s not that they are trying to avoid a claim but the actual cause of the damage can be extremely important in regard to the cover provided, which varies from policy to policy.

Do you know the difference when your landlord screams ‘malicious’?

INCIDENT 1: I gave my tenant an arrears notice so they punched holes in the wall in anger.

As the tenant would appear to have ‘malicious intent’ in damaging the walls this should be reported to the police and should certainly be classed as malicious.

INCIDENT 2: Look at the walls.

I didn’t give them permission to hang pictures.

The tenants’ intent was to decorate their home, not specifically to cause damage, so cannot be classed as using ‘malicious intent’. This would more likely to be classified as ‘deliberate’ and the landlord will need to make sure their policy includes this.

INCIDENT 3: I can’t believe it!!!

They’ve had a dinner and spilt red wine over my brand new carpet!!!

It may be costly to repair but it was unlikely to be malicious or even deliberate. This will fall under “accidental” damage and as with deliberate, the landlord needs to make sure their policy will cover it.

Many don’t.

The tenant’s intent behind the damage can be the difference between a claim being paid or not. Excesses will also often vary depending on the type of tenant damage you experience.

EBMs advice about insurance is provided for your general information and does not take into account your individual needs. You should read the Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording prior to making a decision; these can be obtained directly from EBM. For more information, or to quote or apply online please visit rentcover.com.au.

Top 5 takeaways from ALPPPS 2016 Were you at ALPPPs this year? Here is a summary of Jo-Anne Oliveri’s top five takeaways from the event.

1. ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGIES In the face of disruption, principals and property managers have two choices: adopt or die.

Those who step up by adopting game-changing technologies such as digital solar, smart locks, 3D floor plans and automated lease showings will be the ones who succeed.

2. DIGITAL SOLAR IS A #GAMECHANGER Implementing game-changing technologies like digital solar keeps you ahead of the curve.

The principals who implement innovative technologies will remain pertinent in this changing economy.

3. MILLENNIALS: THE NEW GENERATION OF CLIENT The Millennial will be our industry’s next significant and impacting generation. Whilst Baby Boomers have dominated the industry

for more than 20 years, the Millennials’ time is here. Understand that the Millennial client is four dimensional; they need an agency who can help sell, rent, invest or buy their next property.

4. BE KNOWN FOR YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Whilst our industry’s poor reputation and poor service standards have made it an easy target for disruption, we have the opportunity to respond by providing a better customer experience.

5. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA The key to social media success is to publish remarkable content, build genuine relationships and drive people to your website. Principals and PMs can build online relationships by providing content which answers questions that property investors are asking search engines.

To see the full story including our video visit eliteagent.com.au/ alppps16.

NUMBER CRUNCH

Realty Bytes

Alister Maple-Brown, CEO Rockend

LIVE VIA PERISCOPE Periscope’s video streaming opens up a whole range of opportunities for many industries and it is set to revolutionise the real estate world. It is the perfect way to reach out to potential tenants and show them your listings.

WHAT IS PERISCOPE EXACTLY? Periscope is a video streaming site which allows you to upload recorded videos and stream live video in real time.

Periscope is owned by the powerhouse that is Twitter. There’s nothing new about this technology, but the Twitter infrastructure and the app make sharing your video content easier than ever.

WHAT IS IT BEING USED FOR? It is being touted as a revolution in news reporting. You can broadcast yourself from anywhere and at any time. With the app, you can reach an unlimited number of people in real time with just your phone. It is set to be a game-changer across many industries including real estate. Tech savvy property managers and brokers are now using Periscope to show listings in a variety of different ways.

REMOTE OPEN HOUSES You can organise open houses without anyone leaving their home. With just a smartphone, you can show people the property and they can ask questions about it. This is ideal for foreign investors or people moving interstate who cannot view the property prior to the move. It potentially cuts the time of traditional property viewing by hours.

Once the transmission is complete, you can keep it and store it on your site and social media feeds until a buyer or tenant is found.

GAIN MORE INTEREST IN OPEN HOUSES The day before an open house, send your Periscope video to your guests.

Not everybody you invite to the

open house will turn up, but they are more likely to if they get a virtual tour beforehand. If they like it, they will be sure to check out your property. If they don’t like it, they avoid wasting their time (and yours).

VIDEO LISTINGS Instead of just listings with a few photos, you can show potential buyers or tenants the whole property. It is so much more engaging and provides a realistic impression of the listing.

We already know video is a popular marketing tool for property, but Periscope makes it easier, more cost effective and more interactive. Quicker sales save time and money.

GAIN FOLLOWERS The beauty of Periscope is that it cultivates communities. If you publish high quality property listings, potential tenants will find you and follow you.

They will either come directly onto your Periscope account looking for property management/estate agents or they will find you through your Twitter profile.

Alternatively, you can guide your contacts to your profile through email.

Upload enough content, and you can have a potentially unlimited amount of people following your activity and ready to see your listings. Set yourself up as property manager/agent in your local area, and people will find you and you will have free and direct access to your target client base. Viewers can then ‘like’ the video. This allows you to gauge the response, and follow up on any interest. It is the perfect way to identify interested parties and maximise hot leads. ■

RENT.COM.AU FEB 2016 ‘BEST PRACTICE AND FINANCE’ SURVEY

Percentage of department heads that

work in an agency that operates across sales and PM

74.5% meet with their PM team every day

41% manage between 101 and 200 properties themselves

25.6% pick up most managements from landlord referrals

81.5% have a rent arrears percentage under 5%

67.5% epm.eliteagent.com.au 9

FIRST PERSON

Jess Kindt

Training for property managers: keep it relevant!

WITH OVER 12 YEARS in the property management industry, Jess

Kindt has a call to action for principals who do not consult with their staff about the type of training they need, and don’t think outside the box.

I have a confession to make. In my early career as a junior property manager, I often found myself becoming bored during property management-based training.

To me, it was always the same old formulas, with the same old content delivered in the same old way.

Throughout my career as a property manager, I have always committed to investing time and money to attend training events, conferences and networking functions – everything ‘real estate’.

Looking back, however, I realise that 99.9 per cent of the events I chose to attend were salesbased as opposed to property management-focused.

Why? Because, to me, the delivery of sales training was exciting. It was motivating.

It was conveyed differently; for example, a PowerPoint presentation wasn’t the focal point. Sales presentations were actually engaging. I learned things that I could apply both to my professional, emotional development and to my personal life. I always walked away from sales-

based training with renewed enthusiasm for real estate, for my career and for my life.

So, when I became a property operations manager, I started thinking. Even though sales and property management roles differ, with property management being more administratively focused, I started to wonder why we couldn’t offer more ‘outside the box’ training initiatives.

We often get caught up in providing property management staff with basic legislation and taskbased training, both of which are certainly crucial to the role. However, we need to aim to adopt a holistic approach towards our property management professionals. What about

LOOKING BACK, I REALISE THAT 99.9 PER CENT OF THE EVENTS I CHOSE TO ATTEND WERE SALES-BASED AS OPPOSED TO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT-FOCUSED, BECAUSE TO ME THE DELIVERY OF SALES TRAINING WAS EXCITING. IT WAS MOTIVATING.

10 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

their individual personal and professional development needs? What about their career goals? In addition to legislative training, we must also provide training based on motivation, coping with stress and overcoming the challenging business situations we face while working in this job.

I have always harboured a strong passion for superior, all-round training, and as a property management senior trainer I constantly search for the latest industry information and seek to apply this in an engaging and authentic way.

This multifaceted approach to training draws the very best out of my team, resulting in superior outcomes for all parties.

Business owners, I believe it’s time to get educated on what property managers really need help on. Drawing on my past experience as a property manager, I believe we need to address the following areas in training: Lack of motivation – especially when I knew I had a full day of paying rates and water invoicing ahead of me; we need to provide education to our employees on the importance of gaining experience and growing in this industry.

Switching off – the ability to not answer that phone call at 10.30pm, or check emails last thing at night and at dawn the following morning.

Having a balanced life – health, family, social life, and avoiding the habit of working when I was taking leave to be with my family.

Focusing on one task at a time – trying to avoid having too many windows open on my computer, and jumping between too many things at a time.

Prioritising – to avoid getting overwhelmed when we have thousands of tasks ahead of us that day.

De-stressing and keeping calm – doing our best to take that angry call from a tenant or owner.

Remaining positive – finding reasons to laugh during the day when things do get challenging.

Working well with difficult or negative team members – not just difficult clients. Every department in every industry has challenging personalities; we need to provide tools to junior employees on how to manage relationships and conflict, and teach tailored communication styles based on differing personalities.

Dealing with emotionally difficult and sometimes dangerous situations within the job – deaths in properties, threatening tenants, coping with tenants suspected of being victims of domestic abuse.

Overcoming intimidation and anxiety – felt when dealing with abrupt tenants, owners or even senior staff.

I put forward a call of action to trainers and business owners: let’s think outside the box and pair our necessary legislation and best-practice training with some unique initiatives based on personal development and real-world challenges.

Adopting a broad approach to training will facilitate improved job performance for staff, heighten knowledge and awareness, and contribute to well-developed, confident employees and a positive working environment.

Why not ask your staff today what they struggle with? That way you may be able to tailor your training schedules to provide education on topics that are 100 per cent relevant and appreciated. ■

JESS KINDT is Head of Property Management Operations for Place Estate Agents in Brisbane.

epm.eliteagent.com.au 11

Property Management Mentor

Natalie Hastings

HOW TO LOSE YOUR LICENCE IN 5 EASY WAYS Think it could never happen to you? Poor administration, lack of diligence and a few loose ends mean that losing your licence is only too possible, as Natalie Hastings explains.

H

ave you ever seen How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? It’s a laugh-out-loud rom-com starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson which depicts an array of classic relationship faux pas – guaranteeing the characters a one-way trip to singletown.

In my role as a real estate trust accountant and trainer, I’ve seen real-life property industry versions of this film – but they’re far from funny, and often result in heavy fines and even jail time. It’s called ‘How to Lose Your Licence in 5 Easy Ways’.

Here’s how to do it – although we recommend you taking best practice in your estate agency with the seriousness it deserves, drawing upon appropriate training, education, technology and support as required.

• Playing with other people’s money. It’s called a trust account for a reason, not a ‘please use clients’ funds for your own business or personal expenses’ account.

Inappropriate use of funds represents a breach in trust account, and more agents are ‘done’ for this each year than you might expect. Equally serious is not correctly recording trust account transactions; this is misuse, but not fraud.

• Laissez-faire with licensing.

Pressed for time and on a tight budget? Some agents fall into the trap of hiring staff who are not licensed – either by neglecting to double-check, or by ignoring their lack of

holding. It’s more than just achieving CPD points!

• Whatever, paperwork.

Laterz, compliance. Principals on a one-way street to licence-losing are those who put paperwork and auditing on the ‘to-do’ list. They don’t

AN AGENCY THAT THINKS IT ‘KNOWS IT ALL’ AND FALLS BEHIND – SILOING ITSELF IN DINOSAUR PHILOSOPHIES ABOUT SERVICE – IS AT RISK OF FAILING TO BE COMPLIANT AND LOSING ITS LICENCE.

a formal licence for reasons of their own. When a trust accounting or fraud issue then appears, it’s ‘too little too late’ in the eyes of their defrauded clients, and the law. Another related way to lose your licence is to neglect industry training and other basic requirements of licence-

12 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

keep critical paperwork safe (such as signed management or sales agreements), will have virtually no systems and processes around document management, and it’s likely the OIEC won’t have been signing off on end-of-month paperwork. Another sign of a business on its way to licensing oblivion is a lack of correct licensing signage on their front door.

• Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Fancy a little somethin’ somethin’ on the side in terms of kickbacks and cash money from referrers? You’re well on your way to losing your licence. Accepting bonuses and payments from affiliated valuers, inspectors and partners is always inappropriate as an estate agent. In fact, it’s illegal for an agent to receive

favours, gifts or money from associated services or referral partners.

• We don’t need no education. You do, actually.

The best agencies put time and money into upskilling their teams regularly. They actively seek out peer mentoring, tech training and look to their local real estate institutes for valuable CPD-point garnering education. They are usually rich with safety valves in their businesses (better known as protective systems and processes). As consumers grow increasingly educated about property investment, the real estate industry has further professionalised. An agency that thinks it ‘knows it all’ and falls behind – siloing itself in dinosaur philosophies about service – is at risk of failing to be compliant and losing its licence.

So there you have it: how to lose your licence in five easy ways. No one wants to commit fraud, endanger themselves or their clients, or fail at being an agent – but if you let your standards fall, it’s a slippery slide towards losing your licence and your business. ■

NATALIE HASTINGS is the Managing Director of Hastings + Co. For more information, visit hastingsandco.com.au.

Tara Bradbury

Business Development Mastery

MASTER YOUR DATA Striking the right balance between contacting prospects too infrequently, and the other end of the spectrum – being a pest – is a hard task. You need to make the most of your database and this means treating each client differently, as Tara Bradbury explains.

D

uring my time as a BDM I remember attending a sales training event in Brisbane. I thought that having my database with over 500 contacts was such a great achievement, but as the day progressed I spoke with other attendees and found that I was missing massive opportunities.

At the time I was signing between 10 and 15 managements a month; I didn’t have time allocated for prospecting but was doing really well with having regular meetings with my referral contacts. So I was meeting great prospects, adding them to my database and if they didn’t sign with me on the day they would get a monthly newsletter until they were ready to sign.

database, it doesn’t mean they are yours when they are ready to go. You need to have a consistent follow-up system in place to ensure you have regular contact, so when the time comes to making a decision they think of you first.

WALKING THE FINE LINE I am often asked, ‘When should I make contact so I don’t come across like a stalker? What should I say, and after the first meeting how often should I stay in touch?’ My response is ‘Tough problem to have, isn’t it?’ The most important thing to remember is every client’s level of contact requirements is different. So ask plenty of questions and listen carefully.

‘What has been your experience over the past 12 months with buying, selling

JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE 500 OR A 1,000, EVEN 5,000 CONTACTS IN YOUR DATABASE, IT DOESN’T MEAN THEY ARE YOURS WHEN THEY ARE READY TO GO. Who knows if they were even opening it? I will openly say my methods were just plain lazy!

I realised how much opportunity I was missing out on and that so many of my contacts in my database no longer had any interest in property investment. Just because you have 500 or 1,000, even 5,000 contacts in your

and leasing property?’

‘Do you have a price you are hoping to achieve?’

‘What’s most important to you when selecting a property management to manage your most valuable asset?’

You will find that asking these types of questions will encourage the prospect to open up and share fears, past

experiences and what is most important to them moving forward. This means you have the ammunition you need to continue to provide them with valuable information when you follow up. Make sure you save these details in your database, and when you have your next point of contact refer back to some of the discussion points in your previous conversation.

The last thing you must do before closing the contact card is set a time for when you will next follow up the prospect. Never close the file until you have your next point of contact saved and never rely on your memory!

HOT, WARM OR COLD? I like to separate my contacts into three categories: hot, warm and cold. This allows me to set my follow-up tasks, and when I’m completing my call connection sessions my hot contacts are always the first on the list. I believe a hot contact is someone who is ready to go now and who has given you the date when they are ready to take action. This is why it is so important to ask the questions in the beginning and listen to the answers, so you don’t miss a golden opportunity. In most cases you will call them the next day or the next week, depending on what you have discussed.

Warm contacts are prospects who have shown an interest in buying an investment

property, wanting to switch management due to issues, private investors or even those who have just purchased. They haven’t indicated an end date yet, or the date when they wish to proceed is months away, so regular contact until then is very important.

In most cases you will call them fortnightly to monthly and provide relevant and/or industry updates in between.

Cold contacts are those who have shown an interest at open homes, are looking at buying an investment property or who have raised concerns with their current situation, but are not ready to open up completely. These contacts need time to feel comfortable with you and with making the next important decision that may impact them for many years to come. Best not to push them too hard, so set your tasks to once a month to every two months of phone contact, depending on the previous conversation.

Overall, it is important to remember these people have made contact with you or your agency because they need your help. You need to ensure that when you are connecting with your contacts you have something to discuss. ■

TARA BRADBURY is the Director of the BDM Academy, For more information, visit bdmacademy.com.au.

epm.eliteagent.com.au 13

COVER STORY

The measure of

14 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

success

Are you a numbers person? History shows us time and again that property professionals who are focused on the numbers are those who enjoy the greatest success. This rings true for Peter Hooymans, Ann Rogers, Georgina Mellick, Stephen Fitzsimon and Tim Ear, founders of multiaward winning agency Melbourne Real Estate.

Story by Iolanthe Gabrie.

C

HARISMATIC AND with an energy that veritably leaps out at you, Peter Hooymans is indeed a numbers person in a numbers business.

“I want to measure everything,” he says. “This goes back to my early training with John McGrath 16 years ago. I went to all his training, which was about ‘measure, measure, measure’.

“For example, in the first quarter of 2016, Melbourne Real Estate (MRE) received 3,031 rental applications. We lease 180 to 200 properties a month, which is huge.

Having a general manager (Tim Ear, also one of the founders of the business) who is a CPA with extraordinary metrics abilities allows us to know what’s going on in our business at all times.”

MRE flies a little under the radar when it comes to the real estate industry at large, despite having been founded in 1992 and eventually setting up shop permanently in South Yarra in 2004. Yet being Melbournebased is only half the MRE story, as this unique business enjoys a distinctly global identity courtesy of years spent working with international audiences.

“Twelve years ago, Melbourne Real Estate had humble beginnings with Peter working and travelling internationally on a gruelling schedule to meet and build relationships with an international client base,” says Office Manager Ann Rogers.

“The initial success came out of the Middle East, followed by Asia. As the hard work paid off, it became clear that help was needed to expand the administration

epm.eliteagent.com.au 15

COVER STORY side of the business so Peter could focus on what was fast becoming a large international client base. I loved taking on the challenge, but more importantly, l understood his vision and was immediately impressed by his energy, passion and commitment to take MRE to a whole new level. From the beginning he had a global vision and was absolutely driven about service standards.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Renting a small office space and with very few systems or procedures in place on day one, it was a case of humble beginnings. But both Ann and Peter knew they were headed for bigger things and set their sights on growing the team.

“Our ‘founding members’ were put through a lengthy process of interviews and caliper testing, to ensure they were not only aligned with our vision and work ethic but also had the experience and the drive to deliver exceptional service to our clients at the level that met our expectations and beyond. It was essential they were the perfect addition – Pete has always been manically driven about delivering six-star service.”

The numbers – those all-important measurables – tell a story of year-on-year growth and expansion to the team of 42 innovative thinkers that MRE is today. “We started off with about 30 properties under management in 2005-6,” says Peter. “Then we had a couple of projects settle and went to 150, and then in 2008 we were at about 300. At this point I knew that in order to maintain a reasonable rent roll growth rate, BDMs would need to be engaged. Coming from a sales background, I was all over that aspect of property management; we now have four full-time BDMs. Our rent roll today sits at 2,172, so we’ve grown at 70 per cent per annum since 2008.” Little wonder, then, that MRE has a trophy cabinet full of property management awards.

A DIVERSE ORGANISATION Prolific growth is not all that’s interesting about MRE, however. The organisation itself is as diverse as the global clientele of tenants and landlords it serves. MRE conducts roadshows throughout Asia several times a year, traversing China and Malaysia, growing their brand as they go.

“Half of our rental team are bilingual and trilingual – we even have one amazing employee at MRE who speaks six languages,” notes Peter proudly. “We’ve made a conscious decision to be able to service our clients overseas in their language and in their time zone.”

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION Predominantly a property management business, MRE is also strong in the sales game, with project and traditional sales teams. Peter says, “As a result of our large rent roll, and natural and annual rent roll attrition of 10 per cent per annum, we have the opportunity to sell 220 properties per year. Our re-sales team transacts approximately 10 properties per month, selling to both our database of 18,000 buyers and the wider public.”

The two leads for projects and property management, Georgina Mellick and Stephen Fitzsimon, work together closely to ensure that the end result is maximised for all parties. Says Georgina, “Our project origins were the platform for our successful property management growth and have generated over $100m in ‘off the plan’ sales in the past 12 months, including more than 45 sales over $1m.

“We are a boutique project marketing company specialising in beautifully designed apartments and townhouses to be sold off the plan. Highly selective about the projects we take on, collaboration between all the project consultants, from the architect to the interior designer and branding and marketing agency, has

“OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO OFFER ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING SERVICE AND CREATE RAVING FANS, DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR TENANT AND LANDLORD ARE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.” become non-negotiable. We constantly strive for innovation with a one-eyed determination; failure is not an option.

We finish what we start and we are proud of what we do.”

THE MELBOURNE OUTLOOK In the 2016 calendar year, MRE will settle more than 200 apartments and townhouses.

Says Stephen, “It’s pretty evident in Melbourne that an apartment glut is looming. With 30,000-plus apartments being built annually, we recognise that at some point the focus will change from winning clients who want us to manage their properties to securing tenants who

16 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

are spoilt for choice in the apartment market.

“At MRE, we have made a conscious decision to make the process of finding and securing our apartments significantly faster and easier. A lot has changed from the days of handing out keys to tenants and hoping they like the property! At MRE we provide tenants with a concierge service.

“Our listings on the major portals ensure that our properties are easy to find, even in the busiest suburb of Melbourne itself.

Every single advertisement we have used since 2009 has engaged professional photography to ensure they generate peak interest – but that’s not always enough to make it onto a tenant’s shortlist. In 2012, we invested in 100 per cent adoption of videos with walk-through tours; 390,000 views later we are sold on their effectiveness in regard to showcasing properties, and giving tenants a better picture of the property attributes prior to inspecting – thus ensuring that tenants who inspect thereafter are qualified and ready to apply.”

This approach is at the heart of Peter’s vision for MRE. “It boils down to this,” he says. “The philosophy of MRE is to offer absolutely mind-blowing service and to create raving fans. Our service philosophy is basically doing whatever it takes to make sure that our tenant and landlord are a match made in heaven. Contra to the attitude of many agencies, we focus heavily on tenant service, as they’re the landlords of the future.”

ATTITUDE OF EXCELLENCE This attitude of excellence comes from the top down, with only a select array of individuals joining the MRE team. “It takes five interviews to get a job here; when we interview, applicants go through multiple processes, including a MyersBriggs test and two further psychometric tests to determine fit.

“Successful applicants are nurtured into our culture and extensively trained.

We look after our staff, because they look after our clients. We’ve implemented Naomi Simson’s Redii program, which offers our team a series of rewards every day: if someone does something helpful, we’ll say ‘here’s 200 points for going out of your way to drop those keys into the city’. Points are convertible for a variety of rewards, from supermarket vouchers to experiences via the Redii shop. We spend about $7,000 each month, publically rewarding our team for doing great things.” It’s not hard to see why MRE’s

staff retention has been at 100 per cent over the last 17 months.

Says General Manager Tim Ear, “Whilst it is imperative that we attend industryspecific conferences and training, and stay tuned into real estate news, it’s relatively difficult to lead, innovate and create unique points of difference if your only inspirations come from your industry peers. Success leaves clues, from Zappos, Red Balloon, Tesla Motors, Southwest Airlines, Disney, through to the Hawthorn Hawks AFL team – these organisations inspire us to the world of possibilities in regard to innovation, change and service.”

A hallmark of MRE is their sleek approach to property marketing: you won’t find poorly-shot iPhone photos on any of their listings, in sales or property management. “Our property managers are given a $2,500 video kit, as all our property marketing is done using video.

Forget paper and photographs; our routine inspections and condition reports are recorded by our trained team before being optimised for image quality, stability and sound. These videos are then uploaded to our clients’ private accounts, which

they access through the 24-7 MRE app.

Our offshore landlords love these videos, because nothing gets lost in the mail.”

With such a large rent roll, how do they ensure all landlords are willing to invest in such uniformly elegant marketing for their properties? It’s simple, says Peter.

“We don’t give our landlords a choice. Just as we don’t give our tenants a choice when it comes to direct debits; each of our 2,172 rental properties are direct-debited each Friday. If the rent is not there, they are charged a dishonour fee. And our rent roll arrears are zero. Our vacant properties are zero.

“We want to be the best, and that’s why we have high standards across MRE. For our tenants, our landlords and our team.”

LOOKING AHEAD As innovators in culture and property marketing, the final question we have is what the MRE team see happening in the future. Says Peter, “With our ambition to execute to completeness, we built a reputation on selling out whole projects, creating momentum and credibility in the boutique off-the-plan space.

“Five years ago, we wholly focused on

digitising our property management platform, led by Todd Breen (Virtually Incredible) and used the Google and YouTube platforms to engage our customers. In 2016, we are 100 per cent video-oriented in our marketing, utilise cloud-based real-time CRMs (Salesforce) to meet the needs of our developers and constantly seek innovative technology solutions to increase our internal efficiencies and external marketing impact.”

Tim’s view of the future is clear.

“A higher bar in regard to customer expectations as technology continues to improve everyone’s ability to access information – the world is real-time and everyone is potentially connected. In digital realms, client experiences are no longer isolated; positive (and negative) word of mouth travels wider and faster than ever before.”

There will be more focus on tools, strategies and initiatives that increase customer satisfaction and client value. In fast-moving and volatile business conditions worldwide, one thing’s for certain: clients who receive superior value will ultimately remain loyal. ■

C A L L U S T O DAY !

1300 22 88 32

WWW.INSPECTIONMANAGER.COM.AU

JOIN THE 7000 PROPERTY MANAGERS ALREADY USING AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INSPECTION APP Over 1.4 Million Inspections completed to date LOAD THE DATA FROM YOUR PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS FOR ONSITE COMPARISON

EMAIL REPORTS FROM THE CMS USING TEMPLATES & MAIL MERGE FUNCTIONALITY

ENHANCED SYNC WITH REST PROFESSIONAL

SIGN & DATE YOUR INSPECTIONS AUTOMATICALLY

EDIT REPORTS ON THE CMS BEFORE SENDING

PLUS MANY MORE INCREDIBLE FEATURES

epm.eliteagent.com.au 17

SPONSORED

THE FUTURE OF PROPERTY INSPECTIONS Alan Hashem discusses some of the new innovations in property inspections, including a new revolution in video.

T

he property inspection process has come a long way in the last 10 years, but it still has a way to go.

Looking back, pen and paper inspections were a nightmare. Inspection apps flooded the market when we finally got our heads around apps and since then progress has been incremental. We saw a few timesaving features added at a time, to the point that you’d barely recognise the original apps from the ones you see today.

It begs the question – what’s next?

immediate danger, you write down your notes. How are you going to describe that noise? Was it a wrrrrrr? Is that too many Rs? So many questions.

We’re introducing video inspections for a variety of reasons, not just that specific example. It’s just another way to document things and show them to landlords, tenants and – heaven forbid – tribunals. Being able to send a 10-second video, time- and datestamped, is another way to insure yourself and make sure you can back up your claims when images just won’t do. You can also talk during the videos as reminders to

BEING ABLE TO SEND A 10-SECOND VIDEO, TIME-AND DATE-STAMPED, IS ANOTHER WAY TO INSURE YOURSELF AND MAKE SURE YOU CAN BACK UP YOUR CLAIMS WHEN IMAGES JUST WON’T DO. What features have we yet to uncover to streamline the process? We’re constantly re-evaluating things at Inspection Manager and searching for the next big idea. I thought I might share a few that we’re really excited about releasing this year, as well as have a look at where inspections are heading.

VIDEO INSPECTIONS You’re doing an inspection and as you walk through the house, you hear a weird noise. You search around and solve the mystery. Thank God, it’s not a murderer, just the air conditioner in desperate need of repair. Relieved that you’re no longer in

18 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

yourself if you have to watch them later.

As with all of our features, we’re certain that you can and will find other uses for videos beyond the ones we’ve dreamed up. The important thing is that you have a variety of tools that will save you time and allow you to do the best possible job within that time. We speak to property managers who routinely take 400 to 500 photos for their inspections. Having a video to replace 500 photos would not only save these property managers a huge chunk of time on site, but reduce the hassle of sifting through until they find just the right photo.

CUSTOMISED REPORTS All inspection apps currently offer some kind of customisation in the final report, particularly with company logos and information on the cover page. The next step is not just enhancing that branding, but allowing flexibility in the structure of the report. Obviously there is no way around a few unmovable elements of legislative compliance, but each office has different requirements and expectations around what a report should be comprised of. A one-size-fits-all mentality is no longer viable.

After a lot of customer feedback, we are now developing a report editing tool that allows you to chop and change different parts of your reports, beyond just layouts.

There could be a personalised disclaimer that you want to add, or something you want to flag for an owner’s attention.

If you want one photo larger than the others to highlight damage, that will all be possible.

More importantly, features like this have to be incredibly easy to use. Many of you will remember editing and formatting your own reports in Word, and we are definitely not trying to revisit

that. You should be able to structure your reports however you please, without the hassle of trying to build your own report every time.

BETTER INTEGRATION We use systems and technology to save us time, yet too often we end up with six different systems operating independently, defeating the original purpose. Fortunately, all service providers are moving towards integrating with other software for your convenience.

When we started five years ago, we were the only property inspection app that had an exclusive integration with a trust accounting software in REST professional. Moving forward, this won’t be as rare, as businesses are recognising the importance of convenience. Newer cloud-based products like Property Tree are springing up that will be far more user-friendly and easier to plug into.

That’s great news for you, as it means not having to remember five different passwords and having to transfer information between systems. These processes are becoming automated.

…WE DON’T KNOW This is the most exciting part. As much as we try and predict future trends and dream up features, we genuinely don’t know where we’ll be in five years as far as inspections are concerned. We also don’t know where these ideas will be coming from.

We recently opened up a competition with our customers to make suggestions for new features or improvements to Inspection Manager. There’s one simple reason for that – the reality is that you spend about 20 per cent of your time performing inspections, which is about 20 per cent more than us.

What comes next should be driven by the industry, from people who conduct inspections all the time.

Whichever app you happen to be using for your inspections, I’d encourage you to send through your suggestions and have your say. After all, you’re the ones using them. ■ ALAN HASHEM is the Head of Product at Inspection Manager, which he started in 2011, and has over a decade of experience in real estate technology. For more information visit inspectionmanager.com.au.

RentCover epm.eliteagent.com.au 19

CUSTOMER SERVICE

NUMBERS GAME

– SEGMENTING LANDLORDS In his latest book Numbers Game, Ben White profiles four different types of landlords that have very different needs.

A

PMASPHERE HAS worked with hundreds of agencies over the last eight years, and we’ve distilled our learnings into a series of books. Numbers Game is the third and latest book in this series in which we explore lessons from agencies that have achieved great success, showing how to define and pursue plans that are more aggressive than the

Happiness with PM

PRIVATE CLIENTS

13%

SILENT MAJORITY

38%

OUTSOURCER

21%

Desired relationship/s servicing with PM

AT RISK

28%

20 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

levels traditionally thought possible. In Numbers Game we introduce powerful consumer research to profile four core landlord segments and the five channels of growth.

In this article we’ll be touching on these four landlord segments, which form our framework for better understanding the minds of landlords.

This framework includes both quantitative and qualitative research, conducted by a professional market research firm.

By analysing the results of this professional research, we’ve developed a good understanding of the different types, or segments, of landlords. In essence, there are two dimensions to how we define the landlord segments. This is set out in the figure on the left.

Each of the four landlord types have different preferences, perceptions, motivators and hygiene factors. A brief summary of the segments is set out here:

SILENT MAJORITY – 38 PER CENT OF LANDLORDS The silent majority have a broadly favourable view of the industry - they don’t micro-manage the property manager, because they assume that things are being done well. They are the most likely to have only a single investment property, and if they have more than one they are the most likely to use the same property manager for both.

OUTSOURCER – 21 PER CENT OF LANDLORDS This segment is the least interested in having a close relationship with property managers. They are the least likely to insist on seeing the photos from a routine inspection or even consider that a necessary service. Despite this, as a whole outsourcers are less satisfied with the service received than the silent majority.

They have the highest expectations yet are the least engaged of all segments.

PRIVATE CLIENT– 13 PER CENT OF LANDLORDS This segment is the most likely to own a number of investment properties. One hundred per cent of the private client segment agrees with the statement “I need a high level of attention; I expect my property manager to contact me with regular updates, consult with me on every

issue and notify me immediately if there is any issue.” They seek to have a high level of service, with a high level of customisation for the situation. Ultimately, they will find the property manager that suits them, which leads to satisfaction, and they are prepared to pay more for the service that suits them too.

AT RISK – 28 PER CENT OF LANDLORDS The At Risk segment is best described as cynical of our industry. Landlords in this segment have often had a bad experience with a poor-quality property manager in the past and, as a result, the whole industry has become tarnished. Because they have a low level of trust but a high expectation, they will revert to micro-managing their property manager. The end result is often an unhappy relationship. Forty per cent of At Risk landlords disagree with the statement that their property managers

EACH OF THE FOUR LANDLORD TYPES HAVE DIFFERENT PREFERENCES, PERCEPTIONS, MOTIVATORS AND HYGIENE FACTORS.

are proactive, compared to 20 per cent as a whole. Even worse, 15 per cent think we are untrustworthy, compared to only 7 per cent overall. The At Risk landlord may well be a micro-manager and their attitude may present issues, but their behaviour is rational based on their previous experiences.

For more on the four landlord segments, including help choosing which segment your agency should target, tips on identifying segments and thoughts on how to best market to each segment, get a copy of Numbers Game today - free as an ebook and available in paperback or on the Kindle store. For more information visit to apmasphere.com/books-epm. ■

BEN WHITE is CEO of Apmasphere, a company aiming to make the property investment journey an empowering experience for those who manage properties, those who invest in real estate, and those who call rental properties home. He has spent a lifetime involved in property management and has written three books on the industry.

MUSCLE UP AND RAISE THE BAR IN REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST REAL ESTATE ADVISORS AND ACCOUNTANTS At businessDEPOT, we’ve got a unique insight into what fuels the fire - this allows us to package specialist tax, accounting and business advice to raise the bar of your real estate business. Get in touch with John Knight and his team to #MAKEITHAPPEN. businessdepot.com.au

info@businessdepot.com.au

We also help with: commission structure reviews, advisory board participation, cashflow & profit projection, tax minimisation strategies.

07 3193 3000

epm.eliteagent.com.au 21

SPECIAL FEATURE - POWERED BY

SELECTING THE RIGHT TENANT

How do you match the right tenant with the right home or landlord – is it a science, or part intuition?

How do you attract the best tenants and what is the right process for selection? Elite Property Manager and Console invited four leading professionals to comment on the challenges they face, what works for their businesses and how they make sure they secure the best tenants. Chaired by Fiona McEachran, this is what they said.

ROSIE DUNN is a Senior Property Manager with Professionals Outer Western Sydney

1

SHANN WARNER is the Principal of Raine & Horne Mosman

DOES YOUR AGENCY HAVE SET CRITERIA AROUND TENANT SELECTION? Rosie: Our office doesn’t have set criteria or specific rules in place; however, some things we look for are good references regarding payment and looking after the property. It’s also important that the tenants have sufficient income to support the rent. Taking that into account, we like to work on a 30 to 35 per cent ratio, meaning the rent is less than 30 to 35 per cent of their income.

Shann: We are in a pretty different socio-economic area to Rosie, so we don’t experience the same type of bad tenancy issues. We do the income and the track records, the basic stuff, but we do want

MAGGIE NOSKE is a Senior Property Manager with R&W Northbridge

to get to know them prior to making a selection.

Maggie: Number 1, that they have the ability to take care of the lease and the property in terms of the rental and maintenance, and the size of the property.

2

WHAT ADVERTISING TENDS TO DRAW IN THE BEST TENANTS? Rosie: I believe a range of advertising brings in the best tenants, but I think that advertising through websites such as realestate.com.au, domain.com.au and rent.com.au bring in a large amount of our quality tenants.

Shann: We try and get professional photography and good copy. We focus not only on attracting good tenants, but also on

22 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

SAMANTHA BERRYMAN is a Property Manager with Kinsale Property Group, St Leonards

giving our business a good image.

Maggie: Ninety-five per cent of my listings have professional photos taken. It really draws in the people. That ad is the first point of contact. Having those photos and rotating them on a regular basis is important, and also having a really easy-toread ad. I like point form.

Samantha: Presentation is a key factor: floor plans, good photos. It’s really important to present the property to attract the type of tenant you want. I have used staging, but I think it can turn some people away because it can almost make a property look too good. You want a good tenant who feels comfortable living in your property, not too scared to put a dirty dish in the sink.

an application for the property. We ask you to put that application in, if you are interested, as soon as possible. You might ask for another look. That’s great too, but we will be working on that application while we arrange to show you the property again.

Then we check your tenancy history.

We talk to people if we need to, but with today’s privacy laws I’m finding it a lot harder to confirm employment than 10 years ago. We ask for letters of offer, your employment contract, at least three recent payslips to make sure that there is some form of continuance of income. If there are any major concerns we ask them to pay for a credit check.

4

3

HOW IMPORTANT IS ‘THE PROCESS’ IN SELECTING TENANTS? Rosie: I think the process is extremely important to minimise the risk of tenants falling into arrears, damage of property and so on.

Shann: We have a culture whereby a property manager is empowered to find quality tenants. They know that their job’s going to be a lot easier, and they’re going to have a strong relationship with their landlords if they get that tenant selection process right. By giving them control of the tenant selection process we’re aligning our goals with the landlord’s.

Maggie: The process is extremely important, but you get a feeling about people as well. I’ve been doing this for almost 15 years, so you do trust your intuition a bit. You talk to people at the open homes and you can gauge what they’re going to be like as tenants. When you start having to chase people for information, that’s when I start to lose interest.

The references from their current property manager, if they have one, are very important. Not only in getting the ledger from them, but also picking up the phone and saying, ‘I’m going to have a candid conversation with you about this person. What are they like to deal with? Are they easy-going? How have the routine inspections been?’

Samantha: We take details and offer

WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS OF POTENTIALLY BAD TENANTS? Rosie: Ones that come with bad references who are blacklisted on tenant databases; if their tenant ledger is showing constant rental arrears or termination notices being issued, their

I’VE GOOGLED PEOPLE WHEN I HAVEN’T HAD A CLEAR INDICATION OF WHAT THEY DO. AND YES, I USED FACEBOOK ONCE TO CHECK ON SOMEONE I WASN’T ENTIRELY SURE OF. routine inspections are showing damage to the property, and anyone with tribunal applications or processes regarding arrears or damage in the past. We are sure to call all references that tenants have supplied on their application, both rental references, both current and previous employment history and employment references, if applicable.

Shann: We don’t have a high rate of bad tenants in our area, but generally we’ve found that bad tenants are often prepared to pay more rent than good tenants. If we’ve got an overpriced property we think is sitting above market, we’re very wary that it may be attracting bad tenants who can’t compete with good tenants at market rates.

Maggie: I’ve mentioned some already, but people who don’t turn up to appointments or reschedule a couple of times, those you can’t reach easily, with gaps in their rental applications

between rental properties. Private rental references can be one as well; they may have been covering for a bad reference from a previous agent.

Samantha: At an open, I’ll ask you to remove your shoes. People who refuse to remove their shoes on a wet day automatically get a cross! (laughs) I’m a big social media troll. I will look at your Facebook account. Desperation without reason is [usually also bad news]…

“I desperately need to move this week.”

“Why?” “Because I just do.”

5

WHAT ABOUT PETS? Maggie: The attitude towards pets has really changed in the last five years, especially in the area that I work in. There’s a lot of houses, so they’ve got yards and families, and with families come pets. I’m very pro-pet, and I try and educate my landlords to see that pets don’t cause that much damage, if any. Sometimes children can cause more damage than a pet. As long as the pet has had a great reference from their previous agent, that’s number 1 for me.

I think accepting a pet into a rental property might mean that you have the tenant for longer, because it is a little bit harder to find that next property for them.

Samantha: I manage mainly apartments, being in an inner city area.

I’ve been doing property management on and off for 20 years; I’ve had some tenants who have been great with pets, but when it goes wrong it costs thousands, and then there’s the fleas that might hatch out of the carpet later on. I’m a pet owner myself, but I’m also a property owner, so I’m pretty harsh on tenants with pets. It’s got to be the right property.

6

HOW IMPORTANT ARE BOTH GOOGLE AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN TENANT SELECTION? HAVE YOU EVER SAID NO TO A TENANT BECAUSE OF THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE? Shann: We use LinkedIn, Google and Facebook. It’s really easy, even for our prospective vendors. Whenever someone rings up – a prospective landlord, vendor or tenant – the first thing we do is Google them and jump on LinkedIn. We see if we know someone who might know them, or Google the history about who they are. Yes, we have ruled people out by some of their social media presence.

Maggie: I’ve Googled people when I haven’t had a clear indication of what they do. And yes, I used Facebook once to check on someone I wasn’t entirely sure of. ■

epm.eliteagent.com.au 23

PM Q&A

David Traeger

DT Property Management

David Traeger talks to EPM about his brand new PM agency, solutions for communicating with clients and the advantages of his background as both landlord and tenant.

Tell us about yourself and your agency. When did you start in property management, and how many staff do you currently have?

I’m from Perth originally and come from an IT support background. I’ve worked as a PM for franchised agencies in both Perth and Adelaide, and started my own business in July 2015. It’s still early days so I just have an admin person so far, but I’m looking to hire again soon.

I began property investing prior to being a property manager; it was my love of property that initially drove me towards wanting to be in the industry.

What makes your agency or team unique?

Our focus is on property management only, with no sales or auction department, so we can remain 100 per cent focused on what we’re trying to provide.

We have an online webbased portal for owners to see financial summaries, previous statements and invoices, inspection reports and so on, which answers common questions 24 hours a day. The tenants’ one allows them to log maintenance issues along with photos so we can rectify these quickly.

Our whole metro area coverage allows clients to keep all their properties

under one management and maintain just one relationship. We also offer a communication guarantee.

As investors ourselves, we can relate better to landlords when we’ve experienced some of the things that can go wrong with property. It also helps us to have a better understanding of where the market is at and price rentals accordingly, getting investors optimal returns.

What are the key features in maintaining healthy relationships with landlords and/or tenants? How does your communication guarantee fit into this?

As an investor (and once upon a time, a tenant) who has been on the other side of the PM-client relationship, I’ve felt the annoyance of waiting days

24 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

for a response to my inquiries.

I think being a property investor prior to being a PM helped me ascertain what the expectations really are.

I always meet the tenant in person when I take over a property from either a new purchaser or following a change in management.

This starts the relationship off on the right foot, which pays dividends months down the line.

Our communication guarantee stipulates that we will return all phone calls and emails within four hours (during business hours) and this helps reassure both investors and tenants that we’re there for them and are on the ball. In most cases this has led to a reduction in trivial questions, because they trust we’re on top of things.

How important is technology to you, and what effective tools are you using at the moment?

It’s very important for being able to manage your time efficiently. Coming from an IT background, I did a trial of several software apps or programs when the business started and went with the ones that gave me the most value.

For example, I love using PropertyMe; it imports bank statements, automatically reconciles the trust account and sends all the tenants their receipts. I use it for entry/exit and routine inspections, too. A client who also has properties in other states said, “Every PM should send me inspections like this!”

I also use Inspection Boss to take bookings for home opens and check prospective tenants into them. This allows for professional reports to investors on how their property is doing in the market and also allows for easy follow-up with prospective tenants to garner applications.

Tell us about your flat fee structure?

This mostly stemmed from our own investment properties (we have 11) as we got tired of all the junk we were getting charged for. Quite a few have monthly admin fees, routine inspection fees, end of year statement fees and so on.

My philosophy is that this is all part of what a property manager is expected to provide as a baseline.

We have a letting/renewing fee and also a management percentage. A couple of prospective clients have

AS AN INVESTOR, I’VE FELT THE ANNOYANCE OF WAITING DAYS FOR A RESPONSE TO MY INQUIRIES. I THINK BEING A PROPERTY INVESTOR PRIOR TO BEING A PM HELPED ME ASCERTAIN WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS REALLY ARE.

attempted to negotiate on that, but I’ve declined.

Do you have a mentor, or someone who inspires you?

I have a few, but they probably don’t know that they inspire me. I think it’s good to draw on a range of advice and

views from different areas.

For example, there’s someone I talk to regularly who owns a property management-only agency interstate, who has already been through the first-year highs and lows that I go through and can help steer me through that.

On the other side of the coin, a friend who owns an unrelated, albeit very successful, mortgage broking company has provided lots of advice and inspiration in my pursuit of running a successful business.

at last.

What’s the best advice you have been given?

Give your clients something worth raving about and they’ll be your best form of advertising.

What are your most important values?

Accountability is number one. Doing what you said you were going to do and not having any excuses.

How is the market in your area and what are your predictions for the next 12 months?

We are located centrally

your property.

managed.

and manage the whole Adelaide metro area, so some parts are doing better than others. We’re averaging about 11 days on market and have zero vacancy right now, so the market seems to be fine if properties are marketed and priced correctly.

I’ve started seeing a lot of interstate investors showing an interest in Adelaide, perhaps as their cities have reached peaks.

Over the next 12 months I predict we’ll see a lot more buy properties over here, which presents opportunities for a lot more managements.

What advice would you give someone starting out in property management?

Take notes in your system whenever anything is said or done by a landlord or tenant; use calendars and to-do lists so that nothing ever gets forgotten. ■

now.

in real time.

With the new MyMobilePM App you can check rent due, paid, maintenance, lease details and much more.

Connecting property managers, landlords and tenants. Get the App at: www.MyMobilePM.com.au or call 1300 813 635.

epm.eliteagent.com.au 25

CUSTOMER SERVICE

HOW HAPPY ARE YOUR CLIENTS, REALLY? What is the best way to collect and measure how your clients feel about your services?

Brock Fisher outlines the key elements and most common mistakes.

I

f you are passionate about measuring the customer experience and keen to implement measuring tools, there are two books that you should read: The Ultimate Question and The Ultimate Question 2.0 by Fred Reichheld.

Mr Reichheld is one of the world’s foremost authorities on customer loyalty and the metrics attached to it, and explains his system of measurement in a logical and scientific way that is backed by years of Harvard research.

In the following points I will discuss what I consider to be the most important elements of measuring how happy your clients are, and also cover some common pitfalls.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE With the best intentions, people will often spend days or sometimes weeks painstakingly coming up with a list of questions that they would like a client to answer, then preparing and sending out a survey which is a page or two long. This then requires their client to spend their valuable time reading it, thinking about it, writing their response and then returning said survey. The question is: Would you?

Response rates are traditionally very low, and the results are often not in a format that is able to be collated and compared over time. Are you actually getting feedback from the clients who have the most valuable feedback to offer, or just those who have the most time? And has the outcome been a constructive use of your own time?

NET PROMOTER SCORE The cornerstone of the Net Promoter Score model is one simple question, hence the title of the book. But the data that this produces over time is valuable in so many

ways. We’ve been surveying our owners using this method since 2009 and it has allowed us to clearly see particular trends in our client base.

With over six years of data to graph, we can measure the effect that issues like property manager churn in portfolios, changes to department structure and tweaks to service delivery have on customer satisfaction levels. We now survey in such a way that allows us to drill down into specific actions and processes

CLIENTS WILL QUICKLY BECOME DISTRUSTFUL, UNRESPONSIVE AND DISENGAGED IF YOU ASK THEM FOR FEEDBACK, THEN NOTHING CHANGES AND THEIR ISSUE IS NOT SOLVED. that we perform, to see which are well received by both owners and tenants, and which areas have room for improvement or require immediate remedial action.

SURVEY EVERYONE AND CLOSE THE FEEDBACK LOOP The value in surveying is finding out what you are not doing well. What all your clients think of you is incredibly important, not just what the happy ones think. Some businesses seem to survey only those clients who are likely to be happy, which ends up being a false positive. Whilst this does provide a nice stroke to the ego, it

26 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

completely misses the point of surveying in the first instance.

Getting in front of issues before they fester and drive clients to leave is precisely the point of surveying in this context. If you ask a client for feedback, always be sure to action and respond to the issues they raise in a timely manner. A system that ensures that this occurs and nothing is missed is integral to your success.

Surveying people badly is actually more damaging to your business than not surveying at all. Clients will quickly become distrustful, unresponsive and disengaged if you ask them for feedback, they offer it, and then nothing changes and their issue is not solved.

DON’T FORGET YOUR TENANTS Tenants are clients too, and arguably the most important part of your business.

They tend to be the ones that are most frequently forgotten in the customer service discussion, but represent a disproportionately high amount of online feedback in most businesses. So survey them, and listen to what they have to say.

Several years ago, we surveyed a selection of our tenants; the results made us go cowering into the corner, licking our wounds.

Taking a few bravery pills and plucking up some courage, we commenced surveying and collecting results again around a year after that. We now survey tenants as frequently, and using the same methods, as we do our owners – and enjoy the same benefits of knowing what is working and what needs work in our business.

We’ve also been able to dispel the common myth that tenants cannot be happy. Altering our processes as a result of tenant feedback, along with training

in the right areas, has led to an excellent improvement over time. We have worked hard in this area, and our tenant satisfaction rating is now in line with that of our owners, having started at a pretty low point as I will openly admit.

CONSTRUCTIVE, NOT CRITICAL Customer service measurement is an ingrained part of our business culture. We celebrate it, we reward it, and we promote it by having dashboards in each of our offices that display real-time scores from owners and tenants. Our dashboards also display the compliments and testimonials that they offer our property managers and BDMs for the fine work that they do.

Property management is often referred to as a thankless profession, so in a world where people are quick to vent their proverbial spleen on social media the millisecond that something goes wrong, our team members find it a real morale boost to regularly receive compliments and high scores from their clients, and for the rest of the team to be able to see what a great job they are doing.

Additionally, many of our quarterly and annual award categories are based around our Net Promoter Score results, and this also

forms one of our property manager KPIs. Perhaps most importantly, we use the results for coaching. Because we survey in such a way that allows us to see which processes individual property managers excel at and which they need improvement on, we can customise the training and coaching we give that particular team member. This accelerates their professional development, leading to higher self-esteem in the workplace.

HOW TO LEAD THE WAY In all industries, those businesses that lead the way in customer experience outperform other competing businesses.

Consequently, the impact of effective customer service metrics in our business cannot be overstated. These have been an invaluable part of the growth and development of our business and processes, and an integral part of the professional development of our team members.

Taking those first steps can be the biggest struggle, but well worth the effort.

Achieving meaningful outcomes in this space will form a cornerstone of your business growth for years to come.

Initially we simply used Survey Monkey,

an online survey and database management program. Importantly, normal databasing rules apply, so you must make sure that you have effective ‘Unsubscribe’ and ‘Opt Out’ management. Every quarter we would upload the details of a selection of our clients, and collect results accordingly.

Over the years, as we grew, this method became progressively more difficult, and ultimately not scalable due to its highly manual nature. We’ve since invested in software that matches with our trust accounting program and our dashboards to provide one seamless, integrated and automated survey system. ■

BROCK FISHER’s experience in property management spans almost two decades, having started his career in the 90s as a property manager in regional NSW. With Little Real Estate’s acquisition of Rental Express, Brock is now the National Manager, Customer Support for Australia’s largest property management company, managing approximately 23,000 investment properties across Australia.

Sign up

your office with connectnow and receive

Instant VISA Prepaid Gift Card 3 months of double rewards Market leading rebates Strong leads conversion = more rewards Talk to us now 1300 554 323 or email partnersupport@connectnow.com.au

Hurry, only available between May 16 - Aug 16 2016.

epm.eliteagent.com.au 27

EVENT WRAP UP BY RENT.COM.AU

TIME FOR CHANGE TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS FROM LPMA 2016

To succeed in property management, agency principals, property managers and BDMs must build a bulletproof culture which will keep pace with ongoing changes in the industry. That was a key message at the Leading Property Managers of Australia (LPMA) 2016 conference, which in its eighth year drew almost 450 delegates. Wrap-up courtesy of Rent.com.au.

I

n addition to a parade of shiny new product offerings from more than 25 partners, the event centred on the impact that business ‘disruptors’ could have on the industry. The bottom line at this year’s event: know your points of difference, and exhibit trust and confidence in your agency to win new business.

In case you missed it, Rent.com.au looks at the top five takeaways from this year’s conference on the Gold Coast.

1

ALL DISRUPTION IS INNOVATIVE, BUT NOT ALL INNOVATION IS DISRUPTIVE In the business world, change has become a constant. For real estate business owners, guessing the next big thing is the key to getting that important leg-up in the market.

John Runko talked about the changing face of the property management industry and concerns about being disintermediated. Runko said understanding the difference between disruption and innovation was key: disruption creates a new market, displacing the established leader in the current marketplace. Technology is not a

28 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

disruptor – it is a leveller. The difference remains in how you leverage it. The question is not ‘should you innovate?’ but ‘how will you innovate?’

2

BE OVER THE TOP WITH EFFULGENCE AND JOY First impressions count. In his keynote speech, Colin Pearce told delegates to remember their ASSETS: Appearance, Smile, Sound happy to help, Enthusiasm, Thank you and having a Servant heart. Pearce had plenty of advice to share about growth and leadership, but it was his ideas about remaining humble and being a ‘servant leader’ that resonated with us.

In this industry, the key to business attraction and retention is to remove the focus from you and put your clients first; it makes people feel better instantly. “Just switch it around and be wonderful,” he said. Your assets are the last impression you leave behind.

3

KNOW YOUR POINT OF DIFFERENCE The person who meets the client’s need is the one who gains their trust and confidence, and walks away with

the business. Darren Hunter reminded delegates that their property management fee is only an issue in the absence of value.

“If your client can’t see your difference, you’re on the back foot and become a fee discount magnet,” he said.

Protect and stand by your point of difference; it takes a lot for your competitors to take that away. If you have too many points of difference, they’ll be missed. Focus them onto the three hot buttons: getting the best rent, the best tenant and in the quickest possible time, because you’re after quality, profitable property management.

4

CREATE REMARKABLE CLIENT EXPERIENCES Another idea floated at LPMA was the importance of differentiation in the market. John Runko said businesses of the future would let the clients do business on their own terms. Is your team empowered to make client experience a great thing? How can you do things better?

“It will only be a matter of time before owners can video-in to do walkthrough inspections. It’s a matter of considering how we do things to get the result we

TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A DISRUPTOR – IT IS A LEVELLER. THE DIFFERENCE REMAINS IN HOW YOU LEVERAGE IT. want,” he said. Technology will be key to relating to the customer in the future.

5

MANAGE EMOTIONS – BEING A TENANT IS STRESSFUL Moving house is one of the five most stressful things you can do in life.

Remember that real estate is not about property; it’s about people. An increased oversupply of property means tenants are even more important today, said Jodi Ford.

The key is letting your tenants know everything. Think about how you talk to your tenants when you’re busy; this is a conscious decision and determines whether or not you will be exceptional and successful. Show your appreciation for your tenants’ occupancy. Building relationships shows that you value their stay, saving you time and money in having to relist a vacant property.

LPMA 2016 speakers reminded us that every interaction with our team, our tenants and our owners is a potential business opportunity. Treat it that way and you might just be surprised. ■ OVER TO YOU: Were you at LPMA 2016?

What were the stand-out moments and key takeaways for you? Leave us a comment at media@rent.com.au or on Twitter @Rentcomau #epm #lpma.

epm.eliteagent.com.au 29

CASE STUDY

TAKING GOOD CARE

Nursing and real estate may not seem to have much in common, but that’s certainly not the case according to Bev Pellow, Principal at Ray White Rural Temora and Narrandera. After 30 years in nursing, she made the move to real estate and hasn’t looked back. Since setting up her first agency in December 2010 with husband Craig, she’s gone from strength to strength. Now running two offices, with a third due to open mid-year, Bev knows that the skills she developed over three decades as a nurse are at the core of her success in real estate.

B

EV PELLOW started practising as a nurse back in 1978. “I completed my training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney and then worked at a few different private hospitals before moving back to the country.

“Later I moved into teaching. I was at TAFE and taught AINs (Assistants in Nursing) who worked in nursing homes.

At the time I was also working part-time in a nursing home as a Registered Nurse, so it was a nice complement.”

When Bev was offered the opportunity to step into a managerial position at the nursing home to fill a 12-month maternity leave opening, she jumped at the chance.

“That position really gave me a solid foundation, in terms of skills and knowledge, to run my own business,” she says. “I had to deal with everything from staff inductions, position descriptions

and employment agreements to industry awards and workers’ compensation.

Everything! That experience really gave me a lot of confidence as I made the move into real estate.”

MAKING THE MOVE Changing career direction was not a decision Bev took lightly, but she knew it was the right one.

“My husband is a stock and station agent and he worked rebating through a franchise,” Bev remembers. “He decided he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life building a business for someone else; he wanted to build one for himself, for us.

So we went looking for opportunities and Ray White was a great fit for us.”

At the beginning Bev worked part-time in the business while still working parttime in the nursing home. “At the time, we just had Craig, a trainee receptionist and myself. As sales and property management work came through the

30 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

door, I did it. But as the business built, we put on a full-time salesperson which allowed me to focus on property management and train our trainee in that area of the business.”

SKILLSET According to Bev, the training, business management and people skills she developed over the course of her nursing career have stood her in good stead.

“The skills I learnt while teaching at TAFE have been a real asset. From the time we opened the doors to our agency, it’s been my responsibility to train everyone who comes to work for us,” she says. “Operating in a country area has meant that the pool of fully trained property managers has been very shallow.

So, out of necessity, most of our team have needed to be trained from scratch.”

Her business development skills have also been readily transferable into real estate and she uses these each day. But the number one ability Bev draws on is her people skills.

“Dealing with people, and dealing with difficult people at very stressful periods of their lives, is common to both nursing and property management,” she says.

“Nursing definitely teaches you the skills you need to deal with all types of people in all sorts of circumstances.

“Real estate is all about people and we are focused on building a customerservice focused business. Our aim is to build long-term and lasting relationships with our clients and provide them with the best service. In terms of property management, we hold on to our managements – and when our clients invest in their next property, they come back to us. For us it’s all about providing the best service, so the people skills I developed over the course of my nursing career have really been a great benefit.”

“SOMETIMES IT’S HARD NOT TO GET EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH WHAT’S GOING ON IN CLIENTS’ LIVES – AND YOU DO TEND TO GET CORNERED IN WOOLIES WITH CLIENTS ASKING QUESTIONS.”

For Bev, it all boils down to always doing what you say you’re going to do. “The key in property management is good communication. It’s the number one thing clients will complain about. But if you communicate with people and do what you say you’re going to do, it goes a long way.”

COUNTRY LIFE Like nursing, property management is always interesting and you never know what the day is going to bring.

“We recently discovered that one of our tenants was growing marijuana on the property,” she recalls. “The tenant had complained that the water pressure was low. We sent someone out to repair it and he discovered the plants hidden behind a row of trees.

“Obviously they needed water for their crop,” Bev says, tongue in cheek. “But needless to say we terminated their lease immediately!”

Crops aside, Bev loves living and working in the country. “We get to know our clients really well. It’s part and parcel of living in a country town,” she says. “It can be a plus and a minus; a plus because you know who you won’t

rent to in a million years. But a minus because sometimes it’s hard not to get emotionally involved with what’s going on in clients’ lives – and you do tend to get cornered in Woolies with clients asking questions.”

But it’s definitely the country life for Bev; she truly enjoys living and working in the countryside. So much so that each year her team heads to Sydney for the Lifestyle Expo to encourage city slickers to make a tree change. “We actively promote Temora and Narrandera, and we’ve helped many people relocate here,” she says. “It’s so rewarding to see them make the move and end up with the lifestyle they’ve been looking for.”

And the relocations are good for business in more ways than one. Bev has even employed a few of these treechangers. “It’s been a really positive experience for us. We live and work in such a wonderful community.” ■

STEPHANIE CHALLINOR is the Marketing Manager for Rockend. For more information visit rockend. com.au.

Elite-agent-2015.pdf 1 1/6/2015 3:26:23 PM

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME C

M

Y

CM

Will your staff appreciate the opportunity to volunteer and help build homes for people in real need?

MY

CY

CMY

K

Visit habitat.org.au/changelives Call 1800 88 55 99

epm.eliteagent.com.au 31

The Last Word

Fiona Blayney

BEATING THE WINTER BLUES Fiona Blayney plans to fight off any idea of hibernation this winter by refusing to let the cooler weather influence her mood.

I

have always thought the notion of a spring clean was kind of funny.

I understand the theory.

Winter brings with it the traditional need to rug up, stay indoors, turn on the heater and eat soup. After this winter-long siesta, things have gotten a bit stuffy. Your home is dusty, the shine has gone off your possessions and life has just felt that little bit slower.

And then bang, one day you awake and the sunshine is pouring through your bedroom window; birds have taken to flight and are chirping with a vibrancy that feels like a metaphor for the spring in your step. You feel a smile adorn your face and you come alive.

Woo hoo – spring has sprung!

Many of us then have this overarching urge to clean; enter the spring clean. Of course it makes sense. It’s time to grab life by the proverbial and get cracking – there’s no

time to lose. If you’re fortunate enough to have woken on a Sunday, you start with a vengeance; otherwise you’ve locked in the weekend to sort out your life. Cleaning, decluttering, dusting, sorting out clothes, planning your exercise regime to get your summer body back... Perhaps you can feel the warmth across your face as you recount this.

Imagine this year if the spring clean didn’t exist. I’m not saying stay in hibernation; I’m suggesting not hibernating to begin with. That’s what I’m doing. I’m refusing, so much so I’ve decided to take it to a new level and I’m doing an autumn clean instead, as a prevention strategy for what winter could bring. If winter has the potential to bring illness, chills and demotivation, I am getting ahead of the curve to create the opposite.

I’ve started with the office, lifting the energy through

32 ELITE PROPERTY MANAGER • JUN-JUL 2016

the commencement of a revamp, working with the team, adjusting headspace to keep ourselves healthy across winter, prevent the illnesses and maintain motivation on a cold, wet day. We’ve done a stocktake of our environment: what do we need to do to keep us feeling vibrant? The tradies have been called and it’s time

these things throughout the cooler months. I’m sure I won’t be going to the beach for hours making sandcastles, but we’ve agreed as a family to find alternatives and not allow some earlier rain and wet play equipment to keep us away from the park or other family adventures. Car trips, social visits and more time

IMAGINE THIS YEAR IF THE SPRING CLEAN DIDN’T EXIST. I’M NOT SAYING STAY IN HIBERNATION; I’M SUGGESTING NOT HIBERNATING TO BEGIN WITH. to make some changes.

As for my body, I’ve upped my training sessions to compensate for a reduction in outdoor activity, bought a weatherproof running jacket (apparently I’m not made of paper) and getting better at my vitamin intake and meal planning – that’s the hard part!

On the home front, we recently moved to allow our home to be renovated.

As a result we downsized into a property half the size and I decided to call it ‘going camping’. We’ve already decluttered and I am determined to keep it that way. Something comes in, something goes out.

When it comes to my mind, I have written a list of all the things I love to do in summer and I’m working out what can be done to continue doing

at the library will be on the cards, not extra TV time. Keep moving to keep the energy up! We’ve also scheduled the family holiday and a couple of nights away to ensure we still get that spot of sunshine and vitamin D. As you head through the final days of autumn, brace yourself for the pull towards hibernation. Make a choice to not allow the weather to influence your mood and embrace your coat, hat and scarf – you look London Town cool.

This year I say, ‘Come on, winter, let’s have some fun!’ ■

FIONA BLAYNEY is the founder and director of Real+, an industry-first property management learning platform. For more info visit realplusonline.com.au.

Property Managers, this

time it’s Your turn to

Transform (as a team!)

If you’re up for a challenge to improve your Property Management business we want to hear from you. Very soon, we will be choosing four teams of three for our inaugural PM Transform challenge!

WIN 8 WEEKS COACHING from the best in the business

FREE S TICKETM 16 Additional to ARP PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS be announc to e shortly d

+

+

Apply online eliteagent.com.au/transform BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

ELITE AGENT LEARN FROM THE BEST