How did you start in the real estate business? Have you always worked in this industry or did you do something else previously?

I started in the real estate industry after I left school. I was doing a diploma in marketing and advertising and once completed it was a very tough industry to get a job in. My father said why dont you try real estate as its a great career and something you can carry on all your life. So at the beginning of the following year I enrolled in to do a one year full time diploma for real estate. I have never looked back!

What do you love about your job?

I love the diversity of the role, some days I am in the office and other days I am out of the office, I love meeting new people and all different kinds. You learn so much about people its amazing. Every property has a story so there is a never a dull moment.

Is real estate a good profession for women?

I believe it is an excellent profession and something we as women can carry on even when we have children. When I first started there were more men than women and in my office I was the only woman. The next office I worked in it was the same but overtime I watched that slowly change overtime and now where I work there are more women than men. It is an industry that is constantly changing and its fantastic that more women are doing it and achieving greatness in a career that years ago was so male based.

What would you like to see done differently in the real estate industry?

I would love to see some of the legislations amended as they recently changed some of them in the residential tenancy act. I would love to see a lot more women in the industry and more training and networking days so we can all share out stories and experiences with each other.

What’s your advice to a young person thinking of entering the real estate profession?

It is a career where you are constantly learning and educating yourself, it is exciting and fast paced so if you are someone who loves a challenge and wants to be able to always further your career than do real estate. Every day is different and there are so many different roles you can do throughout the industry. You will never get tired of any aspect of it.

What do you think of talk that Sydney is headed for an inevitable property “bubble”? What’s your outlook for your area?

I rarely like to listen to what the media say about the market as most of the time they give people theses stories that are not applicable to all suburbs or areas or all true, they base them on general talk. For instance we manage many rental properties and when the media starts talking about the rental market booming it is only half true. Yes it may be booming in suburbs where there are new developments, new infrastructure, transport, parks and centres but that is not in all suburbs. It makes our job as agents hard as landlord for eg hear or read this and cant understand why the property has not rented quickly or for more rent?

I do believe the market is in for a change soon and it will happen when those interest rates start increasing. At the moment it has been a buyers market and not a rental market. When the interest rates increase and people cannot afford to buy then the rental market will be more in demand and we will be achieving higher rent and less vacancy periods. Real estate is a cycle and everyone has to take it as a season when there is a change, it will go up and down. The outlook for my area is forecasted for growth and surrounding suburbs are already growing too.

What was your first home?

Well, being in the industry I was keen to purchase my own property and when I was 25 I purchased on my own my first property in Mascot. Having a mortgage on your own is very tough but so rewarding at the same time that I achieved such a great goal of owning my first property. Mascot at the time was a suburb that was growing and soon would take off. I purchased in a street where there were only two unit blocks and the rest of the street was surrounded by many large homes. I knew I hit the ‘jackpot’when i purchased it as by the time I sold it to move to a bigger property I had increased the growth of that property by double the amount I had purchased it for.

Where do you live now?

I live in Botany now in a larger place and absolutely love it, the area is full of future growth even more than now and so much potential. Being an agent I know what to look for and I guess my career comes with some perks that i am educated in the whole buying and selling process as well as the investment side of property.

What's your dream home, anywhere in the world?

Definitely a beach front home in Clovelly, Mexico or Hawaii ( I cant choose one and if I have the money one day I would love to have all three, I can dream right? ) My home will need to have an abundance of light, oversized kitchen and back yard, swimming pool surrounded by a beautiful garden to relax, entertain and sit out in the sun.

A home is not a home without lots of love, laughter and family and friends.