Country-raised agent Dean O'Brien talks his mentors and starting his own agency

Dean O’Brien, 44, was born in country Victoria and originally thought he’d take over the family pub, but life took a very different route. He’s the director and founder of OBrien Real Estate, which has a large network. He and wife Tarelle have three daughters; Lolah, Siara and Sophie.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small country town, Alexandra, in the north east. My family was second-generation owners of the local hotel.

Did you go to school there?

I did initially and then I went to Assumption College at Kilmore and boarded for five years. I played lots of football, tennis and basketball and played for Assumption in the First 18 footy side.

Did you like boarding?

I loved the boarding; I have made so many great mates. I also met my wife at school. We were in the same year and went through school together but got together afterwards.

How does a country boy find a sense of community in the city?

It can be quite tough to build that community in the city. I’m finding these days that community is where our kids hang out and a lot of that is through the school. They’re creating our community for us.

What were you dreaming of becoming at 15?

My whole life revolved around the family business, the hotel, and I thought I’d be in that. My father was also a property developer – he did shopping centres in Echuca and developments in Gisborne. I thought I’d be in the family business but as I got older, things changed and the hotel was sold.

Who has inspired your life?

There have been several key mentors. My father is the first. He is no longer with us. Being a publican, he could really relate to so many people. He believed in young people and inspired people – he was a very giving man. When I was at Kilmore there was Ray Carroll, the sports coach, and Brother Doug, our boarding master, and Tony Noonan who was a teacher and is now a horse trainer. They all influenced me a lot in the way I thought about people. They were respectful but expected a lot.

How did you get into real estate?

I started off as a cadet with another company in 2001 and progressed to sales manager and then had a shareholding. By the time I was 35 or 36, my wife and I had three kids under the age of two and I realised that where I was then was not going to provide for my family as I wanted to, so I had to reassess and regroup. I opened OBrien Real Estate in 2010.

Real estate is stressful – how do you deal with the demands?

For me, being brought up in a family business and in a public environment like a hotel, I don’t find dealing with people at all difficult. The time-balancing act is a bit tougher but I can leave the phone on silent and be a husband and father. For a while there, the business was going amazingly but I realised I was on a high and my family wasn’t travelling with me. I reassessed quickly.

Are you in your dream home?

Not yet. We lived in St Kilda for nine years and then moved to Beaumaris. With the kids, we had to get out of that single-fronted house. I have the perfect block of land in Beaumaris and I’m developing it. We love the bayside area. My theory is: if I can’t walk to the beach, I can’t live there.