Resort Brokers September 2018
The old adage ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ rings true for entrepreneurial couple Guy and Katherine on the Gold Coast. Guy’s parents’ owned and operated management rights and are still actively involved in the industry.
Guy is a qualified real estate agent and has an engineering / mechanical background and has many years’ experience working in the building and trade industries. These skills give him the ability to save owners in the rental pool the extra costs of having tradies attend to minor repairs ie. Circuit breakers that trip, batteries going flat in remotes, smoke alarm inspections etc.
He does the administration, sales and maintenance, rental reviews, inspections and Body Corporate management. Katherine on the other hand loves the outdoors and does the lawns and gardens. Her other love is interior design and decorating. She intends to take this to another level and acquire her Diploma in Interior Design.
Her background and experience is having owned and operated a successful gift and home wares store for 10 years. Her skills are evident in the beautiful home they occupy which Katherine remodelled from a dank and disjointed villa into a Hampton's style free flowing home and welcoming office. Their philosophy is to run a ‘best practice office’ in every regard – from training to use of technology and commitment to high standards. They have an ongoing development program to ensure their knowledge and skills are always at the peak of the industry. Guy is constantly monitoring the staff and uploading new systems, enabling the business to run smoothly. They are committed to the industry, they are hard working. They upskill and promote their apartments to owners, prospective purchasers and prospective tenants. They are from a country town, Blackall, and treat everyone with respect as all country folk do! Their professionalism and commitment is obvious from the first meeting.
Guy has invested in the real estate side of the business and is making a difference because of his IT ability, photography (he uses a drone to take advantage of all amenities of his complex) and social media skills. Along with Katherine who does the styling of the properties – it is a win / win for owners and their business. Katherine has her eyes set on her interior design course and in my opinion she would already qualify. They are immaculate and confident yet seek advice when needed, they communicate with their owners – both investment owners and owner occupiers regularly. Guy and Katherine are an example of a younger generation of Resident Unit Managers that I am seeing come through the industry and it gives me confidence that the management rights industry is in good hands moving forward. This new generation of managers are computer savvy; they practice financial planning and goal setting; they have exit strategies; they know diversification and they network. Together with youthful energy and positivity, they explore new opportunities and they don’t become complacent. The management rights industry is an exciting one – that is why we became managers in the first place and many of us have been very successful in owning and operating these businesses. Coming from personal experience I know we all work hard and I applaud you all for your dedication and efforts in helping the industry become what it is today and I look forward to seeing what the industry has to offer and will become as we progress into the future.
