By Denise Haynes
The podcast currently has 19 episodes available.
Today Denise Haynes from r and r property and Lisa B talk about discrimination in real estate, (the boys clubs) how to juggle children, staff and running an office and what it’s like being in rural real estate.
Denise is one of our contributing authors in the book Real Estate Agents What You Need To Know Now!
I asked Denise to be a contributing author in this book as she is not only a fantastic business person, she is also an amazing real estate agent and an outstanding marketer (and mum!). Denise’s commitment to her office, her town and the residents of the area where she lives is simply remarkable.
Claim your free copy of the paperback of Real Estate Agents What You Need To Know Now! click here.
or buy the e-book on Amazon, click here.
Firstly Denise can you tell us a little bit about your area –
Regions/Councils: Our area is quite vast because we cover a number of council areas, from Port Stephens,Great Lakes & Dungog.
Rural and Residential: We also work in rural and residential areas.
Population: Within the town of Stroud where we have one of our offices the population is only about 700 but there is a large farmland area surrounding the town. We are the only agency with an office in Stroud, but there are numerous agencies that work within the area.
Country to Coast: We are so lucky that our areas cover coastal strips through to rural so we really do get to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Community: We have an amazing community that all work together and help each other out. As a business we find that our community supports us so much – it’s wonderful and we love to return that by sponsoring whatever local event or causes we can. Lots of customers make mention that they have found our community to have such a great vibe.
Andrew Winter: Actually that is also something Andrew Winter from Selling Houses Australia said upon his arrival and when we featured on the Lifestyle show. He was truly amazed at the vibrant feel we had for such a rural community.
We love to share the area: The team count their blessings everyday living in this area,and that’s why we love to promote it and share it with new locals whenever we can.
You have an all female team and you are in a rural area. Tell me about your experience in rural and how you are qualified to sell rural property.
Does anyone ever think you can’t do the job as well as a man?
Born & bred: I’ve grown up rural, being born and bred in this area so it comes as second nature to me but from the real estate perspective,
Training: I’ve trained extensively; amongst other things I’m a licensed stock and station agent. But honestly where you learn the most is from being in the field so to speak.
Experience: I started my career in Real Estate in 2004 and it was within an agency that sold rural property, from this job I acted like a sponge and soaked in all the information I possibly could. I also live on a 300 acre beef cattle farm so you learn from that too of course.
Reluctance Because We’re Females? : Honestly yes we do get some buyers who initially are reluctant to deal with us regarding rural but the minute I start speaking with them they realise that I know my business.
Excellent Reputation: Our vendors are well aware of our excellent reputation as rural sales agents, so they don’t hesitate.
Working in Hardware: It’s similar to when I worked in my family’s hardware business – H & D Timber & Hardware in Raymond Terrace for many years. All the tradies had no hesitation in dealing with us ladies in the shop, because they knew we were knowledgable. It was the weekend warriors we had trouble with if any, but it didn’t take long to sort them out.
Market Share: We are an award winning agency with a massive market share, so that doesn’t come without extensive knowledge.
Sales: My rural sales over the years speak volumes!
You have 2 offices now in the area, Where are they exactly…
I also want to say that I always see your new listings and sales coming through on social media – you really are going amazing. What’s your secret to success?
We have offices in Stroud and Bulahdelah
Sheer hard work and determination!
The support of our community who are a lovely bunch of people.
Team: An amazing hardworking and passionate team who treat the business like they own it.
I truly am blessed with that combination!
New Team Members: I am always looking for passionate new team members to place into R & R Property whenever I can. I love seeing them thrive and create themselves a career and immense self confidence.
Staff Going into their own businesses: I’ve also been blessed enough to have trained up and seen a couple of my team members gain the confidence and knowledge to go out on their own and create their own Real Estate businesses.That makes me so proud!
You have become an amazing ambassador for your town like no other real estate agent I have ever seen. What’s your inspiration?
I LOVE IT: It’s simple – I just love it! I truly never ever get sick of the beauty of the landscapes, whether they are our coastal strips or our rural rolling hills.I am a keen amateur photographer so I’m always pulling over on the side of the road to take an amazing shot that just can’t be missed! The community members are used to seeing me doing this! There she is at it again they say!
My poor daughter is always like – “Muuum can we go nowwww?!?”
The Crepe Myrtle Cafe: I was asked if we could supply the photography for the decorating in a local cafe with my photography. It’s like a permanent art gallery showcasing our area.
Calendars: We also have our much sought after R & R Property calendars which have a different local photo for each month, all usually taken by me. We give these as gifts to our clients for Christmas each year.
Social Media Photo’s: I’m in charge of all of our marketing which includes loading up all of our social media pages with beautiful lifestyle shots.
Sharing the area: We really love sharing the area. We see people come from the city who are stressed out and need to escape from it. They settle in our area and then the only regret they have is that they didn’t do it sooner. It just changes their lives for the better. How can you not want to share that!
You get amazing testimonials from your clients. So amazing that someone thought that they were too good to be true didn’t they.. Can we talk briefly about that. Only because i think it’s funny.
Testimonials: Aah yes, we do get some amazing testimonials.I guess that comes from not only working really hard for people but also caring. I certainly don’t want to feel as though I have ever done the wrong thing by anybody so we always walk them through the processes and make sure we disclose absolutely everything we can about a property and ensure it’s the right decision for that customer. And whilst we don’t have a crystal ball in knowing exactly what a buyer would be prepared to pay for a property we never ever buy listings, always stating the price we think it would sell for, even if that means we miss out on the listing.
Fair Trading: And yes the situation you are referring to is where we put out a flyer with a couple of our testimonials on it and we received a letter from the Real Estate authorities to say that we were being accused of writing our own testimonials, they were just too good. Of course we were able to supply evidence that they were in fact real testimonials from real customers.
You sponsor local fairs and sporting clubs – what a great way to meet people and be involved with the community. What do you sponsor exactly and what’s involved?
Gosh there really are way too many to mention individually but we do attend our towns shows & fairs with our marquee supplying free facepainting & balloons for the littlies plus we financially sponsor the events.
We sponsor our local football teams and other sporting events.
We attend the Medowie markets most months and just get out and chat with our community.
We recently sponsored the Seaham school fete and we sponsor the Morpeth Bulls junior rugby league teamin Port Stephens. We sponsor the local cracker night, it really is extensive.
It’s about giving back to our community. We believe that the more we can assist, the stronger the community will be and the more businesses and new people to the area will come from that. You have an eye for marketing.. Do you think that’s something you were born with, or is it something you have to work on?
Creative as kid: Yes I’ve always been naturally creative, even as a little kid so I love beautiful marketing. I also find human nature fascinating, so forever trying to figure out the mystery of what works marketing wise with people and what doesn’t.
Many touch points: So we use a very very wide range of marketing because I believe marketing is not a one hit wonder, it is providing many touch points.
Think outside the box a lot: I love to think outside the box a lot. I’d find it very insulting if someone said we were just the same as any other agency, because I don’t think that’s true.
Local photography: For example I use local photography as a marketing theme because it’s about making people aware of the life we lead here. Sure I do post on Facebook and Instagram for example our “Just Listed” and “Just sold” information but I mostly post my day to day life on the farm, in our lifestyle, at the beach etc etc.
#notrafficjamshere: One photo range which is particularly popular is the #notrafficjamshere ones where I post pics of cows along our driveway, they always get a great response.
Street Library: One of the other unusual marketing tools we have are our Street Libraries. So outside of each office is a little red house shaped box on a pole (somewhat like a large letterbox) that is a container for people to place the books that they have finished reading for someone else to collect and read. It’s a great talking point. I can hear people discussing it from my office and they’re fascinated by the concept. Kids especially love the idea.It works because I see the book collections changing from day to day.
The Pioneer: We also have a newsletter for our area which has a local history story on the front and then real estate information on the back. We try to issue these monthly by letterbox drop but they are also printable from our website. They truly are the best marketing piece we have because
I actually have people ring & complain they they never received theirs in the mail!!!!
Sports Bottles: We also not only financially assist our local sports teams but we also supply them with R & R Property branded sports bottles, just as yet another touch point.
Hints & Tips: We issue regular Hints & Tips about all aspects of Real Estate for Buyers & Sellers on our Facebook pages.
Podcasts: We Podcast as well, all things real estate and especially tree change questions/concerns people have. Vendor tips, buyer tips, decorating & styling advice.Anything that we think people will find informative.
Blog/Vlog: I create informative blogs and vlogs to educate people about our area, help them in their real estate journey.
Tree Change Guide: we created a downloadable Tree Change Guide.We were receiving the same questions & concerns over & over again so we’ve put the answers all together in a booklet for our relevant clients.
Radio Interviews: I currently have two radio interviews a week on two different stations where we discuss all things real estate, whether that’s the property of the week or hints & tips for buyers & sellings, plus market updates.
You’ve won loads of awards! Tell us how many awards you have won..
Gosh heaps!
Agency of the Year: we have won the agency of the year award for our Stroud area for the past 2 years running with rate my agent.
Midcoast Business Award: We recently won the Midcoast Business Award for Excellence in Small Business. That was pretty massive as the Midcoast is a huge area and includes many many businesses, including large franchised agencies. We are a small independant agency.
We also walked away that night as finalists in the Customer Service Category & Excellence in Professional Services Category. I was also personally awarded as a Highly Commended Business Leader which was an incredibly humbling experience.
Regional Business Awards: This also led us to be Finalists in the Regional Business awards which was another amazing night and made me very proud of the team.
LAST QUESTION
What else can you elaborate on as far as your marketing goes..
It’s been a massive year for R & R Property.
Bulahdelah Office: We opened up a second office this year, this one in Bulahdelah, due to popular demand. Since then we have also purchased one of the existing agencies there so the owner could retire. This doubled our rent roll and of course team members.
Book Features: Next year I am featuring in two new book releases about Real Estate.
Success Secrets: We are not finished yet though with a number of new ideas in the pipeline heading forward. I guess that has always been one of my success secrets; to never stay stagnant and to not take success for granted. You’re only as good as your last sale is one of my motto’s.
You’ve always got to move with the times and try to be ahead of the pack all whilst staying grounded and empathetic to people’s needs, customers, team members and of course family.
And of course there will be plenty of further training as learning new skills is essential.
Thank you Denise!
Award Winning Agency – Why Should You Care?
If you had a life threatening heart condition would you use a specialist to give you advice and treat your illness or would you choose the cheapest alternative?
I have no doubt that you would use the best in the field that you possibly could.
Property is usually a person’s largest financial investment and yet they don’t always realise that they should have a specialist selling their property for them. Worse still, some GIVE the cheapest agent their business.
There are also regular sites popping up that advocate that owners can “sell their own”.
Buyers love trying to deal directly with the owners as they know that they can get them down in price, thus defeating the seller’s purpose of selling privately.
Some Real Estate Agents are trained in negotiation and marketing and deal with buyers and sellers every day.
When you employ a real estate agency that has won multiple awards in many categories, you know that you are dealing with an office serious about their customers and their career.
Awards don't come easily as results and effort must be proven. You have to go the extra mile every time.
R & R Property have won many awards, acknowledged by their customers and fellow business owners.
R & R have been awarded Agency of the Year, as voted by their customers, for two years running with “Rate My Agent” for the Stroud district. They have also won the 2017 Excellence in Small Business Award for the Midcoast. They were also Finalists in Professional Services and Finalists for Customer Service. Denise Haynes the owner of R & R Property also received “Highly Commended” as a Business Leader for 2017 as well. This is a huge achievement given that we were up against a big brand agency as well as other much larger independent agencies, and various businesses throughout the Manning Valley, Gloucester & Stroud district.
Now this achievement doesn’t come easy. In the past as a small agency starting off as just one person (myself) I have worked night and day to achieve these results, thus bringing my clients the best service that I possibly can.
At R & R Property, we also invest heavily into the business to ensure that we keep up with ever changing technology & services.
Our client’s properties are presented to the world with R & R’s up to the minute marketing skills and tools. Now this is important because you are competing with so many properties on the internet, you need your property to stand out amongst the crowd.
These wins are such great news for you if you are considering selling your property.
You need the BEST agency at the ready to sell your largest financial investment, get the BEST PRICE and move on to the next stage in your life.
Seriously think about who you would rather have working on your property’s sale; an award winning real estate specialist or the cheapest agent you can find? Someone who dedicates their life to their business or someone who just does it as a hobby or considers it just a 9 to 5 job?
R & R Property’s slogan is “A Passion For Property”.
Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”.
YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425
Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
E: [email protected]
www.randrproperty.com.au
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty
At R & R Property, through our extensive research, we know that the majority of our buyers are tree changers (clients leaving the city or highly suburban areas to move to the country) and where they are coming from. As a group, we generally know their habits, their dreams and their concerns.
What we are finding though is that they have an ideal property style in their mind and we know that what we have with a little razzle dazzle could be what they’re looking for. But, they can’t see this. They can’t see past the privet lined creek bank, the farm rubbish lying around the paddock, the falling down old dairy. You – the seller, need to make it easier for them!
So what we suggest to our sellers who may be receiving inspections, but their property keeps getting rejected is to look at it from a city persons point of view.
Does your property appeal? Is it magazine worthy?
Buyers today expect a well presented home in a certain style and a property to match. They would like to be able to envisage their stylish furniture in what could possibly be their dream lifestyle property. They are watching programs such as Escape to the Country on the Lifestyle channel.
What your tree changers are reading is magazines like Hunter Lifestyle, Australian Country Style, Australian Country etc etc.
Look at your property with fresh eyes: Does it fit the ideal?
These magazines present beautiful images of homes where the furniture suits the home, a bit country but clean and modern. The front of the home is welcoming, tidy and stylish. Possibly a picket fence, which is painted, a gorgeous old style fancy gate, an attractive feature front door and a neat and tidy pathway leading to it.
Gardens need to be relatively low maintenance but stylish and set the home off like a piece of quality jewellery makes an outfit. Do you have carefully placed attractive tables and chairs for morning coffee, afternoon bubbles, bickies and cheese? Or for that matter an alfresco dining area? Don’t forget a verandah space is another room and should be tastefully decorated accordingly.
The paddocks should be slashed and park like if possible, with no rubbish or old building materials, dead tractors or cars etc lying around. If there is shedding or stables it needs to be well maintained and attractive, setting off the home and paddocks. If you have a river, creek or dam on your property, is it clear of weed such as privet? Is it easily accessible? They want to see it and be able to get to it without effort. Let them imagine them taking their little children or grandchildren down there for a paddle. A cute little moored boat on a large dam also does wonders for eye candy appeal!
The interior preferably should be freshly painted in light colours, with plenty of natural light coming into each room through either doors, windows or skylights. Under foot, usually timber floorboards or natural style flooring like bamboo or floating timber style floorboards is ideal. A minimal amount of attractive pieces of furniture, décor and artwork placed throughout. No clutter.
All prospective buyers say they can see past mess and clutter – this is not the case. So make it easy and you’ll have far more chance of selling to this target group of buyers. These buyers are usually cashed up after a sale or living in an area where their current home could possibly sell within a week of hitting the market.
Quick Checklist
If you are struggling to do any of the above yourself or are not sure if your home fits this description please let the team at R & R Property know. We can provide you with free feedback, helpful hints and tips. We can also provide trade references to local builders and handyman services etc.
R & R Property assist their clients with a regular Hints and Tips Service on their Facebook Page – R and R Property, and also hold regular Radio Segments with Great Lakes FM (101.5 FM) on Friday afternoons at 5.15pm and twice on Bucketts Radio Gloucester (104.1 FM) at 8am & 9am on Saturdays.
The bottom line is that you are less likely to receive low offers on a home and property that is well presented and ultimately meets the dream.
The old tag line of – “Move in – Nothing To Do” has been used for years for good reason.
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Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”.
YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
E: [email protected]
www.randrproperty.com.au
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty
Denise Haynes: Welcome everyone. I'm Denise Haynes from R & R Property. Today I'm interviewing Paul and Sarah Chambers on R & R Property's podcast number 15. Paul and Sarah are living in a shipping container home which Paul built himself. Hi Sarah and Paul.
Sarah Chambers: Hi Denise.
Paul Chambers: Hello.
Denise Haynes: Congratulations. Now, you guys are a YouTube sensation and have also written two highly successful eBooks called, 'How to build a shipping container house'. It all started when Paul was offered a career move in 2005 from Scotland to Australia.
Paul Chambers: Yes definitely. It started a big adventure.
Denise Haynes: You went off on a new adventure in your life and initially you were living in suburban Australia. Sarah, I understand that you then initiated the move to a rural area of Booral. Can you tell me what fuelled that decision?
Sarah Chambers: When we were living in Scotland we lived in the Highlands and we lived in the middle of nowhere basically. We'd been living in that location for 20 years. When we originally got to Australia in 2005, it was a bit of a culture shock.
Paul Chambers: I've never seen houses where the roof lines are nearly touching. That puts your neighbours in very close proximity.
Denise Haynes: It sure does. Now Paul, you had a little sideline project of building shipping container accommodation located on friend's farm. Where did that idea come from?
Paul Chambers: Either myself or myself and a friend thought we'd conceived the idea of using a shipping container house, but I think the idea is actually as old as the hills. It's just that some people stumbled across it for the first time.
Sarah Chambers: We were very interested in sustainable living and basically getting out of the system. There were several options that we looked at that we could do this with, but shipping containers seemed to be a structurally sound option.
Paul Chambers: It's a nice standing start and my idea was to build something, and I didn't know what it would be, that was sustainable. Sustainability was what I like. I like the concept of solar power, collecting drinking water and we'd been introduced to the composting toilets. I thought that sounded fabulous but what I didn't know was, was that realistic for someone like me to actually pull off, so I was experimenting.
Denise Haynes: Once you had sold your home in the city area, you decided to relocate using your half started shipping container home to live in.
Paul Chambers: Yes. I came home one day and Sarah said, "I've put the house on the market. I've called in your promise that we can move out of suburbagatory." Which is what Sarah called it.
Denise Haynes: That's a great name for it. Tell me, is the project finished now and how long has it taken you to get to this point and under what circumstances have you had to do it in? For example, do you work?
Paul Chambers: I work full time. I'm an engineer and I've got a full time job. Sarah works full time but she's got a variety of careers.
Sarah Chambers: This is going into our 6th year of being in Booral and it's taken that long because we have both been working. Paul initially obviously had to start off just working on weekends. He didn't stop for five years.
Paul Chambers: No, for three years it was just continuous. That's because I was working full time. That got us to viable-
Sarah Chambers: Well we didn't have a bathroom for three years.
Denise Haynes: Right. That sounds like a challenge.
Paul Chambers: Yeah.
Sarah Chambers: I think that if anybody was thinking about doing this. If were to go and to do it again I think that we'd probably do it from scratch but have it in a different location to where were living. Whereas we'd actually moved in, were doing it as we were going.
Denise Haynes: Working around yourselves.
Paul Chambers: We made it much harder by trying to live in it whilst we built it. If you could build it and then live in it, that would be much easier.
Sarah Chambers: This came about by the fact that the house in suburbia was put on the market and it sold within a week.
Denise Haynes: Oh okay.
Sarah Chambers: We thought it's going to be on the market for a while and you'd have time to bring the containers up to scratch for living in, but no. Within five or six weeks we had to move.
Denise Haynes: The best laid plans…..
Paul Chambers: Yes. We were setting out to have an adventure. This wasn't just a house move or relocation. This was an adventure. Sarah started hinting that she wanted to go rural and I thought that she wasn't going to make it and I did not want to buy a house and then her say, "I don't like rural."
Denise Haynes: Okay.
Paul Chambers: I was actually having a social experiment on myself to go, could we do this? It turns out absolutely. Sarah loves it.
Denise Haynes: Oh that's great.
Sarah Chambers: Well city life does not suit everybody and it certainly doesn't suit me. I need to be in nature.
Denise Haynes: I think a lot of people think the idea of living off the grid sounds like a great idea. One which they'd like to try but they are daunted by the prospect and don't really understand how it works. Can you clarify a few things for us. For example, are you connected at all to mains power?
Paul Chambers: No. Not a bit of it. No. We've got solar panels. We've got a battery bank that collects the sunshine and then we draw it back in the evening. What we do differently is we live according to our electrical means. We use the electricity when the sun shines and we only use a modest amount in the evening when the sunshine goes down. It's a very simple trade off.
Denise Haynes: So you live around it to make it work the best that you can?
Sarah Chambers: When you've got full solar power during the day, you can run anything. I make bread in the bread making machine.
Denise Haynes: Okay that's great.
Sarah Chambers: There's nothing that you can't run when it's on what's called float, which means it's just pure energy.
Denise Haynes: Right. So you don't have special appliances or anything to suit solar?
Sarah Chambers: No.
Paul Chambers: No.
Sarah Chambers: We've got freezers, fridges.
Paul Chambers: We bought all of our white goods from suburbagatory.
Denise Haynes: Okay.
Paul Chambers: We use the same stuff. You can either go down the 12 volt line which for the RV, camper vans and things like that, which use 12 volts or you can make enough electricity to run real devices and we picked that option.
Denise Haynes: Okay.
Paul Chambers: I've got a back up generator but with the exception of the amazing summer that we've just experienced it largely doesn't go on.
Denise Haynes: Right okay.
Paul Chambers: In actual fact I've got a kilowatt of solar panels under tarpaulin that I just haven't bothered to put up because truthfully, I don't need them.
Denise Haynes: That's really good. If someone wanted to be connected to mains just as a back up. They could though, couldn't they?
Sarah Chambers: Yes. Absolutely.
Paul Chambers: They could but…..
Sarah Chambers: You could take our shipping containers Denise, and you can make them into a granny flat next to your house. You could make it into an independent living accommodation.
Paul Chambers: Or an office or anything.
Sarah Chambers: Have it on the mains or not on the mains.
Denise Haynes: Sure.
Paul Chambers: If you're trying to connect to the grid, then you're looking at $10,000 per power pole. My whole solar setup is about $12,000.
Denise Haynes: Wow. Okay.
Paul Chambers: and very few ongoing bills. If you'd like to put your off gird house set a long way back from the road on a large acreage. You could spend $30,000 or $60,000 connecting it.
Sarah Chambers: Easy.
Paul Chambers: If you went shopping with $30,000 for a stand-alone solar system, you're going to run a palace.
Sarah Chambers: It's not about the solar system. It's about learning how to used it properly. It's about learning not to drain the batteries. It's about learning actually how sustainable energy works and how to use it to the capacity that you need it.
Denise Haynes: Have you just learned that from trial and error?
Paul Chambers: Absolutely.
Denise Haynes: Research maybe?
Sarah Chambers: Research yeah.
Paul Chambers: YouTube. The university of YouTube. I love it. You just say, what about this? Then you watch videos of people doing it and they show you step by step. The universe is now a different place. You have all of this wisdom and experience and you watch real people do it and it's not that complicated.
Denise Haynes: Okay. You're also off the grid for water. How does that work?
Paul Chambers: It's very simple. Australians have understood this for a very long time. It rains, you collect it, you filter it and you drink it, you're done. It's that simple.
Sarah Chambers: All our water is filtered.
Paul Chambers: We filter it to a very high degree. We filter for our normal water just for the washing up down to about 10 microns. The stuff that we drink, we filter to about half a micron, which is probably better than tap water. Our water doesn't have fluoride in it.
Sarah Chambers: It takes any bacteria and parasites out.
Sarah Chambers: And of course heavy metals which people get from tin roofs.
Denise Haynes: Right yes. It takes all of that out. It's incredibly healthy then?
Sarah Chambers: Absolutely.
Paul Chambers: We think so.
Sarah Chambers: Much better.
Denise Haynes: That's good. You said you use a generator or you have one but you don't really have call to use it so that's good. What about gas? Do you use gas for anything?
Sarah Chambers: We have gas bottles that we use for cooking.
Paul Chambers: For cooking. Tall gas bottles with a change over valve. It's very simple, you're done.
Denise Haynes: Yeah, that's good. I know a lot of people do prefer the gas for cooking so that's good. Okay. We've just come out of a few weeks of extreme heat in New South Wales. How did you cope with that in your shipping container home? What do you have for heating or cooling?
Paul Chambers: Well, we've got solar panels that provide the energy during the day. When the sun is shining it's producing the energy to run the air conditioning because we do have an air conditioner.
Denise Haynes: Wow.
Paul Chambers: The sunshine drives it.
Paul Chambers: We don't do what a lot of houses do. We're not trying to cool down a shopping mall. We cool down a small little area and when the sun goes down we were still experiencing phenomenal temperatures that Australians just haven't experienced for as long as they could remember. I think we saw 49 degrees.
Sarah Chambers: 52 it was up there.
Paul Chambers: 52 on Sarah's car thermometer.
Denise Haynes: Yeah, that's crazy.
Paul Chambers: That really is crazy. To be honest, we just put five litres into the generator and went “go”. At the end of the experience I think we'd spend a few dollars on petrol that we wouldn't normally have.
Sarah Chambers: That wasn't during the day.
Paul Chambers: But it was over and done with.
Sarah Chambers: That was in the evenings when we had it on in the evenings.
Paul Chambers: Australia's electricity bills are still to come in. They're going to be big.
Denise Haynes: You'll be laughing all the way. Okay, and heating? Do you have a little fire? Is that right?
Sarah Chambers: Paul made us a log burning stove out of-
Paul Chambers: An old safe. A Chubb safe. I converted it.
Sarah Chambers: It's awesome.
Paul Chambers: It's absolutely amazing.
Paul Chambers: It produces an insane amount of heat and what we do is that we just use firewood. I'm very proud of the fact that we haven't cut down a single tree to provide our fire wood.
Sarah Chambers: Just natural falls.
Paul Chambers: Nature pushes them over for you and we've got them spread around the house and you just go along after they've seasoned, you snip them up and they keep you warm in winter.
Denise Haynes: Keeps you warm. That's great.
Paul Chambers: Nature provides what we need. It's been brilliant.
Denise Haynes: All right, with the build. Did you use recycled building material or did you use some new, some old or all new?
Sarah Chambers: I think we used a bit of both.
Paul Chambers: It's a mix.
Sarah Chambers: It is a mix of stuff.
Paul Chambers: Wherever I could get recycled materials, I would use it. One of my mistakes was spending my money upfront to buy new without realising that I could have done it with a lot of recycled. When I ran out of money, then I started doing that. I went, "Oh I should have done this before."
Denise Haynes: Right.
Paul Chambers: There are some things that you do need new, but I'm a real believer in recycling and we've done a lot of that.
Denise Haynes: Okay. That goes back to with your heating and cooling. You've got the whole place insulated as well?
Paul Chambers: Oh yes.
Denise Haynes: Sarah, from a women's point of view. I'd be interested to know, do you have enough space to live in and especially wardrobe space. How do you cope with that?
Paul Chambers: I'd like to know how you cope with that.
Sarah Chambers: Actually its fine and the job that I do, working with herbs, means that you don't really need to power dress. Coming from suburbia where we were in an environment where yes I needed lots of different clothes to wear. Don't need it.
Denise Haynes: Don't need it anymore?
Sarah Chambers: You just downsized totally. I've got clothes packed in storage if I need them. The clothes that I have for every day, I just have in a wardrobe and I just use those.
Denise Haynes: You're happy with that?
Sarah Chambers: Absolutely.
Paul Chambers: One container is about the size of a one bedroom unit in Sydney.
Denise Haynes: Okay.
Paul Chambers: We've got two of them.
Paul Chambers: That puts it in perspective. You take a major city and a one bedroom unit. That's our living container and then we've got that again for the kitchen and the bathroom and the laundry.
Sarah Chambers: How much space do you need to cook in?
Denise Haynes: Yes that's true.
Sarah Chambers: If you've got everything around you, you're not having to walk.
Denise Haynes: The more space you've got the more mess you make, I think, anyway. Don't you?
Sarah Chambers: It's back to how much stuff do you need?
Denise Haynes: Exactly.
Sarah Chambers: You downsize, you don't need it.
Denise Haynes: Good excuse to downsize isn't it?
Sarah Chambers: Absolutely. Get rid of it.
Denise Haynes: Now, do you grow your own veggies?
Sarah Chambers: We have a closed in veggie garden that Paul built and we've got big-
Paul Chambers: Planters.
Sarah Chambers: Planters. We grow vegetables in there. We've been very successful yes.
Paul Chambers: The only thing that we had to do was to make a cage to keep everybody else from shopping in our garden.
Denise Haynes: Right. Yeah. All the freeloaders. (birds and animals)
Paul Chambers: Yes.
Sarah Chambers: It's worked very successfully.
Denise Haynes: Oh good. Now has the whole project been cost effective? I know you said about the solar. The whole thing?
Paul Chambers: We set out to have an adventure, not to build an investment home. If somebody's looking for a financial savings then living in a shipping container is probably not the direction you go in. But we've been having an adventure. We've been comfortable, we've had a lot of fun and it's been tremendous and we haven't had the bills that go with the conventional living. It's been brilliant.
Sarah Chambers: It's sustainable living. It's got to be the way forward.
Denise Haynes: Yeah.
Sarah Chambers: Solar has got to be the way forward.
Denise Haynes: The way things are going, that's for sure.
Sarah Chambers: We haven't had any utility bills for nearly six years. How much money have we saved?
Denise Haynes: That's right. It certainly would have added up over the years. Yeah okay. You obviously enjoy your lifestyle now. More so than the city life?
Sarah Chambers: Oh absolutely. I would never go back.
Paul Chambers: It's different. We love different.
Sarah Chambers: Love Booral. Love it. I don't want to live anywhere else.
Denise Haynes: Good. That's what we like to hear. Okay. Do you think you're far more relaxed and healthier from the lifestyle that you have now?
Sarah Chambers: Totally. I was absolutely beginning to be very ill in suburbia.
Denise Haynes: Okay?
Sarah Chambers: It's the energy of it.
Paul Chambers: My first three years were working very hard. I will confess to that.
Sarah Chambers: Yes.
Paul Chambers: When I was doing the building I did work very hard. Any owner/builder would be able to relate to that experience.
Sarah Chambers: Yeah. It's good exercise too.
Paul Chambers: We've traded noisy neighbours for wallabies.
Sarah Chambers: Noisy wallabies.
Paul Chambers: Wallabies that look through our bedroom window to see what we're up to.
Denise Haynes: Gorgeous.
Sarah Chambers: The birds. The birds they just come down and look at us.
Denise Haynes: Can I have some photos of that please?
Sarah Chambers: Yeah.
Denise Haynes: Okay. Finally, would you do it all again?
Paul Chambers: Absolutely.
Denise Haynes: Yeah?
Paul Chambers: I came for an adventure and we've been living an adventure. That was the whole point. it was an experiment in - do we want to live sustainably off grid in a natural environment? The answer is, yes.
Sarah Chambers: Oh totally.
Paul Chambers: Now I know. Now I know that you can do it.
Sarah Chambers: yes, we've done it.
Sarah Chambers: It's been hard work, there's no doubt about it. I don't think every woman could actually have lived like I lived to start with. Being in the environment that we were in, on the top of the mountain with all that nature was better than that I didn't have a shower and I was washing in a bucket, rather than living in suburbia.
Denise Haynes: Sure.
Sarah Chambers: There was no comparison.
Denise Haynes: It's small sacrifices.
Sarah Chambers: Absolutely. It's all come around. We've got a beautiful bathroom now.
Sarah Chambers: I don't really want to go back into living in a house. I want to find the right location to put the containers.
Denise Haynes: Great. That sounds good. All right. We'll try and help you with that. We'll put this up as a blog and we'll provide links to everyone to your eBooks and also to the YouTube link.
Sarah Chambers: Wonderful.
Paul Chambers: Thank you. That's very kind.
Denise Haynes: For everybody to have a look. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story with us and hopefully ... Even if it helps one person just to take that next step that they've been dreaming of. I think it will been, well worth it.
Sarah Chambers: Well if anybody's interested in how to build a house from containers, it's all in the eBooks.
Denise Haynes: Great.
Sarah Chambers: Step by step with videos on how to do it. Please remember to get permission from the council.
Denise Haynes: Sure. Okay. Go the right way about it.
Sarah Chambers: Yes, because they're very open and they will help you.
Denise Haynes: Well that's good to know. Because a lot of people do ask, what's the council like to deal with.
Sarah Chambers: Don't do it without council permission.
Sarah Chambers: We do know somebody that can do the plans for shipping container houses.
Denise Haynes: If anyone has any questions, they can come to us and we can refer them on to you if you like.
Sarah Chambers: Absolutely yeah.
Denise Haynes: Okay great. I just wanted to finally say thank you so much for being here, for being part of our community. We love having you guys here. We're so glad that you chose Booral.
Sarah Chambers: We couldn't choose anywhere else. It's just a fabulous place and it's so up and coming. It's beginning to get that cosmopolitan feel isn't it?
Denise Haynes: It is isn't it? It's starting to be discovered. That's what we do at R & R Property. We specialise in tree changes. We help people coming from the city to the country.
Sarah Chambers: Well you do an excellent job of it Denise.
Denise Haynes: Thank you so much.
Paul Chambers: Thank you Denise.
Denise Haynes: Thank you. Thank you for being here.
Something that seems to concern buyers when they are considering moving to the country is the threat of bushfire. This is understandable given the tragedies that have occurred in Australia previously. The good news is that there are ways to help prevent the damage and prepare yourself and your family should it occur. We are lucky enough to have dedicated volunteer rural fire brigades in each of our areas, who all band together to save our communities and homes when bush fire does threaten us. They are an amazing crew who risk their lives to save ours, sometimes fighting for days on end in extreme heat and danger. The community is so lucky to have them. The RFS also has an aviation unit and contracts aircraft for fighting fires from the sky. Helicopters and planes water bomb areas, extinguishing or slowing down the flames before they get near homes.
Here are some tips that we have put together for you according to the Rural Fire Service (RFS):
Preparing your home to be survive:
Keep Your Family Safe:
battery operated radio, spare batteries, first aid kit, waterproof torch, candles with waterproof matches, woollen blankets, emergency contact numbers, waterproof bag, cash, credit cards, medications, toiletry items, mobile phone & charger, pocket knife, important docs & photographs, a change of clothing for each family member plus drinking water.
All in all bushfires are a part of an Australia Summer, something we all have to deal with from time to time, one way or another. Thankfully they don’t seem to occur frequently but being prepared and having a plan is the best bet you can make for survival. I have lived in the Stroud area all of my life and yes there have been bush fires over the years but they have always been controlled by our wonderful teams of Rural Fire Brigade Women & Men Volunteers.
Here is a link to download your FREE Bushfire Plan: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/36597/GetReadyforaBushFire.pdf
Check if you live in bushfire prone land:
http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/building-in-a-bush-fire-area/planning-for-bush-fire-protection/bush-fire-prone-land
I have sourced information from the Rural Fire Service website for this blog: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”.
YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
E: [email protected]
www.randrproperty.com.au
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty
Tenant tips
By R & R Property - Stroud's Real Estate Specialists
Established by the Australian Agricultural Company in 1826, Stroud is an incredibly picturesque rural town which is steeped in history. Many gorgeous heritage buildings and convict built structures such as the 8 underground grain silos within “Silo Hill” still remain today.
Located along The Bucketts Way, inland of the beaches of Port Stephens, approximately 1 hour from the Hunter Valley and approximately 2.5 to 3 hrs from Sydney, Stroud falls within the Midcoast Council area. The residential area of Stroud is surrounded by farmland, both working farms and lifestyle properties. It is incredibly pretty, framed by rolling hills and mountains, plus a high average rainfall ensures it is almost always lush and green.
Stroud has an approximate population of 1000 people, the highest percentage being made up of families in owner occupied homes. At R & R Property we regularly receive enquiries from clients wishing to rent in the area but the town does not hold enough investment properties to accommodate the demand.
(Pic sourced from yourinvestmentproperty magazine)
For the littlies Stroud Public School has an excellent reputation and there is also the choice of nearby Booral and Stroud Road schools as well. Pre-school and 2 x day care centres are available plus playgroups. Because the schools are small the children benefit from being able to work closely with their teachers and also form strong friendship bonds with their peers as a group.
For higher school education children have the choice to commute via school bus to Dungog, Gloucester, Medowie, Bulahdelah, Raymond Terrace, Maitland and Newcastle.
Stroud has a commercial hub of retail shops and services within the main street and surrounding areas including a pharmacy, a medical centre, produce store, antiques store, hand made goods, second hand furniture shops, a grocery store with newsagency service, post office, butchers, bakery, hairdressers, beauty salons, café’s, remedial massage, mechanic, tyre service, auto electrician, fuel stations, Hotel, Country Club & Golf Course, Chinese Restaurant, and a Real Estate Agency. There are also a high number and large variety of small businesses operating from homes throughout the area. We currently have one Farm gate/road side stall business operating, where fresh organic produce is sold. There are also regular Permaculture and related classes available. A cluster of boutique vineyards exist, some offer cellar door services, another holds regular muso functions, weddings, parties and markets. Yamahas number one motocross champion, Josh Green has a riding school here as well; perfect for kids and adults alike to learn new riding skills.
Community spirit is strong in the country and this certainly applies to Stroud. I have always found that whenever a family or person is in crisis the community all pulls together to help them. It is truly wonderful to see and experience. I also love walking down the street when locals stop you for a chat or sing out a greeting. You certainly feel like you belong in this amazing community.
There are numerous groups and activities to be enjoyed, anything from boot camp, trail riding, trail bike groups, pony club, historical society, garden club, quilting to acting & writers groups, whatever takes your fancy. We have the Stroud Raiders Football Team, The Wild Cats Soccer Team & the Cricket Club should you be a sporting enthusiast.
Annual events include the Stroud Show, Stroud Rodeo & Camp Draft, International Brick & Rolling Pin Throwing Contest and the Stroud Fair. R & R Property always attend these events, have their marquee up and provide face painting for the littlies. It is a great time to catch up with our community as a whole. R & R Property are always sponsors for Stroud’s events. Our next major event coming up is the Stroud Annual Country Show in which this year we will be sponsoring the wife carrying competition and the token booth.
Stroud and its surrounding localities have an amazing array of varying waterways, both fresh and salt water, therefore lending itself to be enjoyed by kayakers, boating enthusiasts, fisherman or just having plain old splashing about fun. I personally grew up in the small town of Allworth. Allworth is located just south of Stroud and is placed along the banks of the Karuah River which is salt water at that point. It has a boat ramp and jetty and we have a very popular fishing club who hold an annual flathead catching competition. I spent my childhood swimming, fishing, boating and catching mud crabs in the river, with friends and family. It’s truly an amazing and beautiful river.
Stroud features public parks and BBQ areas, a free 25m public swimming pool, skate park & a beautiful showground with camping facilities. A little known fact is that Stroud has a “Common”. A 30 acre parcel of land on the fringe of the residential area to be used by the community. Locals who live in the residential area can keep their horse on the common for as little as $3 per week.
Locals either work in the area in various trades and employment or commute. Stroud has a large poultry & beef industry and a handful of dairies still. We are within easy travelling distance to the RAAF base and the Newcastle Airport which provides employment. Others commute to the surrounding suburbs or to Newcastle City, Central Coast or Hunter Valley for employment, finding it an easy drive along our roads once they’re out of the city areas. As previously mentioned as well, a lot of locals are working small businesses from home.
Affordability is excellent in the Stroud district with the current median house price sitting around the $325,000 mark. Our prices range from vacant ¼ acre building blocks in the vicinity of $120,000 and up into large prestige properties in the $1 Million+ range. We have some new rural/residential estates coming onto the market in the near future which will be exciting and meet the demand we currently have for small acreages.
We are currently incredibly short on stock given the successful year we had last year which came through into the Christmas period. In Stroud we’ve always had the Sydney market either for weekend getaways or complete relocations but these days it has changed to mostly complete relocations. Central Coast clients have become one of our largest new player groups to the field. It seems that because Sydney is still in boom mode at the time of writing, vendors are selling up and moving to the Central Coast. In fact the Central Coast locals are calling their home town “Little Sydney” and looking to escape from the rat race by moving our way for a Tree Change. We also have quite a bit of interest from the Newcastle area and Medowie. Medowie has the RAAF Base and the Newcastle Airport not far from it; which are an approximate 45 minute drive from Stroud. This leads workers to buy in our area and make the easy commute as needed. Having the Airport at such a handy distance suits business people who possibly work from home but have to attend meetings at Head Office, or meet with clients on a regular basis. It is also popular with mine workers who fly in and fly out to Western Australia.
Currently our most popular properties are the smaller acreages, between 2 to 50 acres. These are classed as hobby farms. The smaller sized parcels of land allow people to have the space they yearn for as well as keep animals, have vegetable gardens, ornamental gardens and chicken coops. These smaller sized acreage properties are not as much maintenance, especially helpful for the owners who are working away from home.
Here is a handy link to our Business Directory:
CLICK HERE FOR R & R Property's Stroud Business Directory
Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”.
You can grab your FREE Tree change Guide at : www.randrproperty.com.au
YOU SEE OUR SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
E: [email protected]
***PLEASE NOTE: This information is meant as a guide only and clients should always undertake their own independent research.
I am Denise Haynes, My Business is R & R Property and this is My Story.........
I am regularly asked how my Real Estate career came to be and what the journey has involved. I have therefore written a brief version of my story for you, hoping that this may give you an insight into who I am and where I’ve come from.
I’m not sure where my Passion for Real Estate stems from. It certainly wasn’t from my family growing up. Although Mum & Dad always owned our family home there were never any other Real Estate transactions made whilst I was growing up. Our family home was originally a 2bdm old weatherboard home with lots of holes to let the rats and mice come and go as they pleased. When I was aged about 12 Mum and Dad overhauled it and it was converted to a 3bdm and it was pretty neat when I finally got my own room. The long-drop toilet was still proudly located in the back yard though. No luxury such as an inside flushing toilet for us! Times have changed so much with homes, we used to have little old homes and share bedrooms as children. The new homes today are huge in comparison and usually very modern.
When I was 20 I purchased my first home to live in, an old 1930’s weatherboard on small acreage. I then sold this and purchased a historic convict built cottage which I still hold to this day. These purchases were achieved with me working up to four jobs at once (1 full time, the others part time) plus my husband at the time working his job. These processes although exciting because I was purchasing a home for myself certainly were underwhelming as far as a Real Estate transaction is concerned. I sold my own property myself but there was no celebratory congratulations from the Agency I dealt with to buy the cottage and in actual fact it was quite a dodgy experience. Not a good introduction to the world of Real Estate I must say.
Some years later and now single and having bought my ex-husband out so I could keep the cottage I somehow got it into my head that I should buy myself an investment property. So I scoured the papers, seeking something within my very small budget. Eventually I found a 2 bedroom unit which I thought I could rent out easily enough and purchased it. This was followed by a second sometime afterwards and so my portfolio began to grow. But again all these transactions were totally un-exciting. Not once did I even receive a settlement gift pack from my varied Real Estate Agencies for my trouble. Maybe a bottle of cheap wine some years later from one of them whilst still on my Real Estate investment journey. From these earlier experiences I have gained the knowledge that these are momentous transactions in our life and from this I have ensured that R & R Property have the most amazing settlement gift packs (full of local products) for our clients and hand them over very ceremoniously. After all it’s usually a celebratory occasion finalising from what is generally an emotional roller-coaster ride
As an employee I have never ever been the go to work, start at 9 do as little work as possible and go home on the dot of 5 type girl. No not me, I have always been that pesky employee who goes above and beyond, has regular fantastic ideas about what the business can do next to improve and service the customer better. I was the girl who stayed behind if she didn’t complete all her tasks knowing that she wouldn’t be paid any overtime but just wanting the satisfaction of a job well done. For my good willed efforts I have pretty much always been labelled as being a troublemaker. I’m still not sure why, maybe my actions make people nervous or feel inadequate themselves. I re-call when I told one of my Aunties that I was working hard to purchase another investment property she asked me with such disdain – “What do you want to be, a millionairess???” Tall poppy syndrome is rife. At that point in time I was saving as much of my wages as I could each week by sticking to a super strict budget, just so I could try to get ahead.
I think the writing has always been on the wall that I needed to own my own business, but it took a while to happen and only because I got thrown in the deep end. When it’s sink or swim – you’d better start swimming real fast!
I would like to advise that I am self-titled as unemployable these days. Having been to the other side where I can make decisions, bear the brunt of them when they don’t turn out well or rejoice when they do. Although having my own business is up there with one of the hardest things I have ever undertaken in my life it certainly does give you the benefits of artistic freedom. Whether that is worth it is something you would have to decide for yourself as everyone is different. Some have gone back to being an employee after a stint as a business owner and are happy as can be, just to have a regular wage coming in and no big decisions to make. Not me I seem to like doing things the hard way.
In 2004 after being treated what I considered to be unfairly, for quite some time at my current employment, I told my boss to stick it were the sun don’t shine and walked out. There are only so many knocks you can take before self-preservation kicks in. At the time there was a Real Estate Agency in my tiny little suburb. I’d had it in my thoughts that a job in Real Estate might be quite interesting. I quite liked having my investment properties and just thought that it might be something different and interesting. Having no experience whatsoever I plucked up the courage to walk in and ask if there might be something going job wise for me. There wasn’t of course but at least I had registered my interest. I later found out that it was purely because I was a local that he didn’t even consider me.
A few months later I thought I might like to have my cottage appraised after having completed some improvements, so I telephoned the local agent and asked him to pop in to do so.
Well he must of thought I wasn’t so bad after all and rang me the next day to offer me a casual job, one or two days a week just doing general tea/coffee making, filing, general dogs body type stuff. I jumped at this chance and went in and was a total sponge, listening to everything and following instructions. In my usual mode and work ethic I worked as hard as I could, over and above, learnt as much as I could and I loved it. I was soon invited to take up a full time position and through the years worked in every role along the way. From Filing clerk to Property Manager (rentals) to Sales Assistant. My office manager/sales agent who had given me the job was over the moon because he had someone who would do absolutely everything for him except go out and sell the properties. All the behind the scenes work was completed happily by me and as I said before I just stayed there each evening until it was all finished. Sometimes working diligently into the night without overtime just to meet deadlines and get all my extensive amount of work completed. He had hit the jackpot! One part of the general roles I did was the marketing. When I started within the agency the marketing they had was very crude & basic to say the least. I seemed to absolutely love this creative part of my role and I was soon re-designing their brochures, window cards and general marketing material. I also took it upon myself to produce editorials and advertising to attract people to come to live in our area. Another trait I have is to take people along with me as a bonus. So whatever I was creating was not only for this business but for the town as well, therefore I was effectively marketing for the whole town – for free. I still do this to this day, sometimes it’s reciprocated, sometimes not. I am a strong believer in supporting local businesses regardless, so I purchase whatever I possibly can from them before outsourcing, no matter the price difference or waiting time.
The marketing campaigns I created were all very successful. The agency owners that I worked for at the time had 3 offices. One day they organised a meeting with me and asked if I would like to take on the role of marketing officer for all three offices. I was ecstatic and accepted immediately. I was so stoked to think they had such faith in me and I had been given this amazingly creative role as well.
Some months later with the takeover of a new owner I unfortunately lost my job with this business as they advised they had no room for a marketing officer. And so the next chapter began.
I had a short stint with another agency that left me feeling deflated. I applied for a role with this agency because I loved their marketing. Sadly this company was unsuitable and I was terribly unhappy there. My dream job totally sucked, so disappointing, but oh well time to move on. It was not a waste of time because I learnt more skills and had more experiences under my belt, again things to do as well as things not to do.
By this time my previous manager from the original agency had started his own Real Estate Agency. He invited me to be a commission only sales agent and work out of his office. It didn’t take too much thought for me to say yes. By this time I had considered that I wouldn’t mind turning my hand to sales and I saw this as an opportunity. So I grabbed it. Off I went and completed all the courses to become fully licensed (which you are required to do as a commission only sales person, as opposed to a wage earner who at the time of writing can work under a certificate of registration and someone else’s license). I was responsible for providing my own car, which had to be a 4WD (as we work in a rural area), training, phone and motivation. Commission only sales means if you don’t sell a property you don’t get any pay whatsoever. You always have your ongoing & never ending operating costs to deal with though, and when you do sell you only receive a percentage as, of course, most of it goes back to the business. So I had to swim real fast!
This was all fine except of course I turned into not only a commission only sales person but his private personal assistant again as well. Never mind, I soldiered on and did everything I could. As a new business we had nothing and I basically helped him create the business bit by bit. The business was created in one of the biggest economic down turns in a long time so things were tough. I just worked as hard as I could trying not to miss any opportunities to learn and sell. I also worked hard to become the best Real Estate Agency within our area and to obtain the lion’s share of business. I was putting in hours and hours of work, doing the km’s, taking the calls, making the calls – then going home and working on it at night as well. I remember clearly one of the business owners friends at the time said – “you will end up being the owner of this business Denise”. At the time I just laughed this off thinking that I would never be capable of doing that. That all sounded way too scary to me!
During this time I was a sponge and followed the current owner around and took in as much information as I could. I had done this for years previously when we worked together and I truly believe this, along with being thrown in the deep end is the best way to learn. No amount of text book reading and classes will ever teach you how to or how not to deal with people and the many facets of Real Estate that on the ground foot work will. Of course I do believe in doing courses and have done many in my time and still do. I love self-improvement but it all falls into place when you put what you’ve learnt into practise.
Just over 12 months after starting, the owner of the business said “I’ve had enough and it’s all too hard, do you want to buy the business”? Prior to this, for the past 6 months, at the age of 41 I had been trying to fall pregnant with my partner unsuccessfully. I thought to myself, well I’m obviously too old to fall pregnant, that’s just not going to happen for me so why not give this a go. I was terrified to say the least! So my partner and I quickly sold one of our investment properties to fund the purchase. Ironically enough, and against everyone’s advice I paid the owner what I and others perceived to be way too much money for the business, because I knew he was experiencing hardship. Mind you I also knew that I was paying him for something I had helped create, but being the kind hearted person I am, I overlooked this and just decided to run with it.
The day I signed the contract of sale I found out I was pregnant. Oh my goodness what a surprise! I had been so busy stressing over buying the business I forgot about trying to fall pregnant and of course that’s when it happened. Good old Mother Nature! After much discussion with my partner I made the decision to keep going with the business regardless and just multi task with bubba in tow.
We still laugh today that my husband found me in the lounge room at 3am madly sending emails and completing work because my water had just broken (2 weeks early) and I needed to get this work completed prior to going to hospital. I was also speaking with clients during labour in between contractions. I had to ring and explain this to them afterwards as I thought later that I probably sounded a bit strange at the time. After I had given birth to our beautiful daughter I had my little temporary office set up in the hospital room, as I was to quickly find out neither a baby nor a business sleeps. Everyone who came to visit us in hospital still laughs about my little hospital office set-up today. Then from hospital back to the office we went after a short stint at home getting to know each other. I still laugh today that half of our area have seen my boobs due to the fact that I would be breast feeding in my office when people would bowl in to see Miss Newborn. From the day of her arrival she has been known officially as “The Boss!”
The failing business that I purchased in 2010 is absolutely nothing like the business I have today. All aspects except the name have changed. Everything has been overhauled. We have tested and trialled many things, some worked, some didn’t.
Over the years I have had many competitors trying to move in on the business, take advantage of the popularity of our area which I have had a huge hand in creating with the continuous stream of editorials, social media campaigns and marketing promotions to draw people here. We’ve even been on Selling Houses Australia, an award winning homeowner TV show on Foxtels Lifestyle channel. I’ve had the ex-business owner and ex-employees go out in competition with me, which is truly heart breaking but hey - That’s business! My mind set being; Do your absolute best at all times and just keep moving forward! It is frustrating though of course, having limped along when times are tough as hell, keeping your head just above water, risking everything you’ve worked all your life for, only to have competitors come in when times improve, taking the cherry so to speak.
Being a business owning mother is certainly a challenge and we have had many stressful and funny moments together. From catastrophic poo explosions whilst out with clients to doing $1.4 Million dollar deals at 6am whilst breastfeeding. I must say though “The Boss” has been an awesome business partner winning many hearts. I will be very happy if she has learnt some life and business skills from working with her independent, never give up mummy.
I absolutely love changing people’s lives by selling their property or making them new locals. Of course it’s not always roses and sunshine. No matter what the situation, selling and buying property is always an emotionally charged situation. I think a lot of agents forget this, but I strive to always keep the clients care and feelings front of mind. I always ask myself “Could I have improved this situation and process?” If the answer is “yes” then I try to rectify it and if the answers “no” then at the end of the day I can only do my absolute best. It’s always good to learn through any situation and my motto has always been to keep doing the best I can with passion and honesty.
I have always had a move forward approach to the business. Never becoming stagnant and always trying to grow. I have had many fails as a boss, a business owner, a mummy and a wife but I have always tried to overcome these and get back on track. I have considered quitting many, many times when things have gotten so tough I didn’t think I could go on, but there’s obviously a tough stubborn streak in me that keeps whispering “keep going – work through it”.
There have been many celebrations along the way as well and we continue to do so. I have a fabulous team and we are all passionate about the business and helping others both change their lives and also to be able to enjoy our way of life. Today we have two offices in two locations, have expanded our footprint throughout the area. The two offices although both totally different are both amazing in their own right. Very stylish and upmarket but the down to earth appeal that our clients love about us remains. Although we work really hard, fun and laughter are definitely a daily occurrence and not frowned upon. The whole team are working together wonderfully, but in general the team has always been an ever changing and evolving being in its own right as people come and go for different reasons.
I have always been incredibly shy by nature and have had to work really hard to overcome this. I still to this day dislike networking functions as I always feel awkward and nervous. Also unfortunately in today’s society if you aren’t a regular drinker, spending a fair amount of time at your local watering hole you are deemed as odd, stuck up or both. I truly hate that about today’s society and although I have been a regular drinker in my time I am certainly not these days. I also enjoy my own and my family’s company. After a long day working in Real Estate I just want to go home and spend my down time with them. I’m not stuck up, I just love spending my limited spare time in my own company or with my family, having spent all my working day each and every day with everyone else and their family. This also gives me time to indulge in my other passion and stress reliever which is photography.
Being a Rural and Residential Real Estate Agent is seriously one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. It is sheer hard work, both physically and emotionally. It is also incredibly rewarding! I have made so many amazing friends from clients who have both bought and sold through R and R Property in and around all of our areas of Stroud, Bulahdelah and Gloucester. And it is a great feeling to walk down the street and have everyone chatting to you, or singing out greetings to you.
I am incredibly excited about the future knowing that we have new & amazing projects in the pipeline which will be rolling out during the year. Never satisfied to be the same as every other agency, we definitely don’t cookie cut and we always look for out of the box ideas. That is also why I have never accepted the invitations from franchised agencies to join them. I love our independence and am incredibly proud of having full authority over everything we do. The R & R Property Team are now a force to be reckoned with and I also have a team of awesome contractors behind the scenes who have our back and know what we are seeking to achieve. Trust me I love this business, our slogan is “A Passion For Property” and it has my heart and soul poured into it. I’m not going anywhere and you’d better watch this space to keep up with us!
Denise Haynes and the R & R Property Team have offices located in both Stroud and Bulahdelah but cover a large area surrounding them, including Gloucester and Karuah. They are your Tree Change Specialists and love assisting others to make the move from city to country. The team are a combination of lifetime locals and tree changers so their vast experience and knowledge is your asset. You’ll find their free Real Estate advice on their Website, Podcasts and Facebook - “Hints and Tips”.
YOU SEE OUR FOR SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE!
Stroud : 02 4994 5766 | “Bowen Chambers” 73 Cowper St, Stroud NSW 2425 Bulahdelah: 02 4997 4325 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah NSW 2423
E: [email protected]
www.randrproperty.com.au
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @randrproperty
***Disclaimer: The information within this document are my personal experiences and therefore my personal opinion and perception of events.
As the business owner of R & R Property I have been told by a high number of people that they have always dreamed of working in Real Estate, which is great. The industry does attract a glamour tag though and I find that sometimes the reality is a bit of a shock once that dream is obtained. You are dealing with what is usually the client’s largest investment they’ll make in their life and within all sorts of emotional circumstances. People can love you and hate you within the space of 10 minutes, depending on how their day or the transaction is going. The various roles can be emotionally exhausting and may also be physically exhausting, especially if you are selling rural properties. Real Estate can also be incredibly rewarding though and we have many celebrations. We love assisting people on their Real Estate journey and especially welcoming new locals to our area.
The roles within the Real Estate industry are numerous and will vary depending on what area you work in ie; city, suburbia, rural and commercial.
I can say that having the experience of working within small agencies and having completed or helped out regularly in most roles within those agencies has been of great assistance. As a leader I know how each person feels in their role and what it takes to complete it and can therefore empathise with them. I’ve been there and done it. Sure, systems change over the years but the basics of the job remain.
To be successful within the Real Estate industry you really have to give your absolute all. It truly is a lifestyle not just a job. If you want a 9 to 5 role with weekends off this probably isn’t the best industry for you. It is usually a roller coaster of seasonally slower and busier times, so when it is busy you have to pull out all the stops to get your many responsibilities completed.
To work within the industry and be able to speak with clients about Real Estate matters you will be required to obtain at least a certificate of registration. If anyone is trying to find work within the industry I suggest you obtain this and keep it current. At the time of writing it is required that you complete 12 CPD points annually which are received through study and/or authorised seminars.
Some of the main roles within the Real Estate industry are:
Owner/Managing Director – usually the Principal (Licensee) as well.
This is the person who is the head of the business, where all responsibility finally sits. They usually hold the license that the business is operating under. Amongst many other things they have to ensure the business is compliant in both its operation and its trust accounts. They also have to ensure that the team is trained, happy and functioning correctly, the business is making money and of course that our customers are happy. If customers aren’t happy this is the person at the end of the day they want to speak to.
Sales Agents
The sales agents are responsible for the listing and selling of the properties. They complete price appraisals on client’s properties, obtain new listings to sell, show buyers through properties, complete open homes and negotiate to sell the properties with buyers and vendors. They are in constant contact with their sellers and buyers with updates and follow up calls. Depending on the agency they may be responsible for their own marketing; social media, letterbox flyers etc. The time each sales inspection takes depends on what type of property it is. A residential inspection could take 15 minutes and a rural inspection can take up to 4 hours just as an example. Sales agents are also called upon regularly for presentation and styling tips when a property is about to go on the market. A Real Estate agency cannot survive without properties to sell so it is crucial for the agency to obtain new listings. This usually falls under the role of the Sales Agents within the business. An agency that is busy selling and not listing will soon find itself in trouble.
Sales Assistants
The sales assistant role is a large responsibility and quite varied, depending on the size of the agency. They are the behind the scenes person who is organising basically everyone. The properties that we have for sale on the internet, social media, updating our in-house data base, marketing in its many forms including organising newspaper advertising, filing, mail, banking, printing, calling clients and usually sitting at front of house (reception/front desk). Generally this role is being a personal assistant to the whole team.
Property manager
This is the person responsible for the agencies rent roll or our landlord’s investment properties. They have to find tenants for our landlord’s properties through a screening process of internet search and references. Once a tenant is found they have to complete a lease, an in-going report of the home which means recording how the property is presented prior to the tenant moving in. Regular inspections are completed throughout the year, repairs and maintenance have to be attended to and rent must be accepted, recorded and paid out to the landlords. Once a tenant moves out an out-going report must be completed and compared to the in-going. Make any claims on damages and repairs. The PM also has to make sure each property is compliant for safety reasons including smoke alarms and swimming pools before and during rental.
There are more roles within the industry depending on the size and location of the agency but these are the basics. If you are in a large agency for example your role may be just one part of one of these roles as opposed to a small agency where you have quite a varied amount of responsibility and the roles may blend.
To succeed in Real Estate you have to be prepared to study, be a sponge; soak up knowledge and always go above and beyond your duties. You also have to have goals, write them down, complete an action plan and have a vision board as a daily reminder of them. Be passionate about your job. Because of the amount of work that is involved you will only succeed if you have an absolute passion for the industry. Ultimately it can be an extremely rewarding career and offers an amazing lifestyle.
R & R Property are continually growing and expanding their footprint across the Great Lakes and Port Stephens areas. Accordingly they are always on the lookout for exceptional team members that are willing to work with absolute dedication and passion; always prepared to work above and beyond the norm and aligning with our amazing team culture. If you think you are one of those people please let us know.
Denise Haynes
Managing Director and Principal
R & R Property
73 Cowper St, Stroud 2425 | 78 Stroud St, Bulahdelah 2423
P: 02 4994 5766 | 02 4997 4325
www.randrproperty.com.au
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