We chatted to Frank Salt Real Estate’s Letting manager Philippa Tabone, about her career in renting out properties and why she is still part of the Frank Salt family.
How long have you been with FSRE (Frank Salt Real Estate) and how did you start your career as a letting agent? 10 years next June - I want a nice present! I fell into the job. My good friend was working at FSRE as a letting agent and I was showing her my then boss’ apartment in Birgu for her to register on the database. She was pushing me to join, as she said it would be perfect for me being so hyper. I had an interview with George Vassallo, who was to later be my manager, and the rest is history. What can you tell us about your time with the company, prior to being a manager and after? How did it all progress? I started out in 2008 - the market was very different then. Rental was really beginning to boom, budgets were much lower than today and there weren’t as many good quality properties on the market. Landlords would upgrade their home and furniture, and put their old granny furniture in to their rental property. We were only four agents when I joined, but we were a young and hyper team and worked nonstop. As the market grew so did the team, and eventually we got our own letting office on Tower Road, where I sit today in my aquarium (I have a beautiful sea view). Budgets increased drastically, as did the number of good quality developments and properties on the books for rent. The I-gaming industry definitely made a huge impact on the market at that point and it was one of the main contributing factors that resulted in the market surge. The letting manager position was not something I was after (at all!), but the manager at the time decided to move on. I wanted to move on to high end sales - that was my ‘plan’, but since I was the most experienced out of the remaining consultants, I felt it was my duty to head the team that I had helped to build. Although not the position I saw myself occupying, once offered to me I decided to go for it. I don’t regret it one bit, but I do sometimes wish I had my own little desk at the back of the office and can just focus on my own clients (laughs).
My current position takes a lot of juggling but thankfully I still take out clients. I believe to truly understand the market struggles my team face, I need to experience them first hand. It is the only way I can help them. Don’t ask me to list what my typical day is like because no two days are alike! I have my trusty notebook where I list my dailies and as long as I manage most in one day I leave happy (sort of). But there is a lot! I am involved in marketing, IT(website enhancements), accounts (reconciliations and checking of leases), recruitment and training, property registrations, advert layouts, obviously helping and guiding my team, etc. etc. and of course the managing of my own branch and all that involves. What do you think are the skills a person needs to have in order to become a successful letting agent with FSRE? One needs to be organised - time management is key. The market is very fast paced, and you have to know the inventory well. If you are organised and know your stuff you will go very far. You also need to be happy working with people, be outgoing, patient and understanding. People come to us and they want us to find them a home. We have very little time to get to know them, and find a property that fits their requirements. It is important to listen more than to speak sometimes, and ensure that you understand exactly what clients and landlords need to avoid wasting everyone’s time. Having a good memory also helps. The most important thing is to take pride in the job and offer the best service you can people will remember; you will gain a reputation and go far. Why should someone choose a career as a letting agent at FSRE? The training given by FSRE is second to none. Our consultants are trained very well. They aren’t just given a quick fact sheet and sent on their way. They have to sit for tests and shadow an experienced consultant before they operate on their own. If it is a career you are after then FSRE offers longevity, stability and beyond that a sense of unity and family.
‘The company is small enough to give you the feeling that you belong to a family. You are not just a number.’
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In relation to the current local market, are letting properties still in demand as much as they used to be?
What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your CV alone?
The local rental market is still very strong. We are constantly inundated with enquiries and it is becoming increasingly hard to cope. Hence the constant need for consultants. Demand keeps increasing at a constant rate. Besides the I-gaming industry that has created a boom and is still going strong, Malta has attracted other industries to the island increasing the number of ex pats needing a place to rent.
The MOST interesting. That’s a hard question. I am the middle child between two boys. I was picked on and had to learn how to hold my own from a young age. My childhood was a constant challenge to keep up, competing on every level, and not taking ‘because you’re a girl’ as a reason I couldn’t do something! It almost always worked in reverse. If I was told I wouldn’t manage to do something I would push myself even more to
‘The local rental market is still very strong. We are constantly inundated with enquiries and it is becoming increasingly hard to cope. Hence the constant need for consultants.’ After all these years in the business why would you choose FSRE over any other real estate agency? The company has a story, a history, a past, and has been evolving throughout the years and is still the market leader. The company truly has that family vibe and I like to think that everyone feels at home here. It’s great to feel like you form part of something, and like your part makes a difference and you are not an insignificant number. What is the most memorable experience you had whilst working for FSRE? I would have to say the two incentive trips I was super lucky to go on (Las Vegas and South Africa), two of the most amazing holidays so far. On the job, I will never forget my very first let that was 3500€, which was a lot of money, (even more so way back in 2008), and I lost the deal because the landlord decided to sell at the last minute and ruined my deal. It was my first lesson – nothing is certain till the deal is signed. Also showing a house for let and the client turns around and asks the price to purchase (in the millions) and then requests me to keep the property on hold and proceeds to sign a Promise of Sale two days later! One of those - ‘what just happened?’ moments.
ensure that I did! Before becoming a letting consultant I was told (not by my family, but by my ex) that I probably wouldn’t be very good at it because I would take rejection (not closing) badly and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Obviously because I was told I probably wouldn’t be very good at the job, I was out to prove I would manage. It’s been almost 10 years since and I am pretty happy with what I have achieved so far. Having said that, it’s always a learning curve and that’s the beauty of this job. You never stop learning - there is always something new to pick up! We finish the interview and you step outside the office and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning €10 million. What would you do? Leave without a trace and see how the department does without me (laughs) - probably just as well (still laughing). I would still work…. I think… no it’s very hard imagining me not doing what I am doing. I am PHILIPPAFROMFRANKSALT, one word! I would definitely invest in a few more properties, and travel quite a bit more. But I love what I do. It has its trials just like every job, but that’s what keeps me going. I can’t imagine doing anything else, but who knows!