Vicki Sayers: The RT Edgar agent who has moved house 38 times

Having lived all but five of her 47 years on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula, RT Edgar director Vicki Sayers has moved house an extraordinary 38 times, so she knows buying and selling from many angles.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up in Mount Eliza, with a family constantly flipping homes. My parents would buy, renovate and sell every two years. I lived in seven houses during my school years. We didn’t have to change schools, so it was always something to look forward to.

Do your parents still have the renovating bug?

My parents have both turned 70, and they keep saying the next property is their last, but I doubt it. Dad was a valuer in his early career. He has instilled in me an innate understanding of value and place.

Is your family from the peninsula?

My father’s roots are very, very strong on the peninsula. My father’s great-grandparents had an orchard here and my father’s father was a pharmacist in Frankston. My husband’s grandparents came to Mount Martha in the 1960s and then his parents built a house three doors down from them. We bought that house and live in it so it’s lovely to have that familiarity everywhere I go.

You went into nursing straight from school. Why was that?

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work with people and I had a bent for science.

What did you love about nursing and the healthcare sector?

I thought I could travel and always get a job. At 23, I started working with the Royal District Nursing Service and I spent 15 years there.

It’s an unusual switch from nursing to real estate …

They’re quite similar jobs, really. I was in people’s homes every day. You have to go into unknown settings and I had to work out quickly how to get people to trust me, connect with me and take my advice for better outcomes.

What eventually pushed your move to real estate?

When I was 38, my father had a cancer scare and my sister’s husband had passed away and I thought life is too short. If I’m going to do it, I need to do it now. I took a year’s leave without pay and began at Hall and Hall in Mount Eliza.

Did nursing’s shift work prepare you for real estate’s long hours?

As much as I work ridiculous hours, I also have a great deal of flexibility. I can go and see the children in a concert or at a cross country [event]. I can work anywhere really; I have sold many a house from a chairlift in the snow, or off the back of a boat  at Metung.

What has been your personal journey in real estate?

We love living where we are, in my husband’s parents’ old house. We’ve certainly modified the home to accommodate our family, but my dream is to one day live in an architect-designed, mid-century home and I’m always on the hunt for that.

Are you planning on moving?

I’ve lived in 38 homes in my 47 years. We love the house we’re in, I’m connected to it and the beach is at the end of the street – but I still have a desire for the house I hope
to find.