The best and brightest young agents in NSW

The new generation of real estate agents are finding an edge in an industry where experience has long been the major measure of success.

Their innovative calling cards – buzzing Facebook business pages and YouTube channels – are just two ways that they are departing from tradition.

Domain has recognised the best young agents aged under 30 in NSW with the inaugural Rising Star Award.

The award celebrates the young guns shaping the future of buying and selling property in and around Sydney.

With technology shaking up the real estate craft, youthful exuberance and digital nous count more than ever.

As winner Shane Sullivan of LJ Hooker and the 12 other finalists prove, industry veterans are passing on the baton to a bright bunch of future stars.

Their mentors are industry heavyweights who have instilled values that are reflected in the very personal way they go about business and their own leadership aspirations.

However, the finalists are also balancing old methods with new means to find buyers, who could be just a tweet or video SMS away.

Sullivan, 27, whose market is Drummoyne and Concord, became a director and licensee last year, launching his own office during the pressure of Sydney’s property boom.

He expanded his patch from Concord to Drummoyne and said it was considered a “cardinal sin” for an agent to embark on a business outside their core market.

“It was a huge risk, but you can choose your fears,” Sullivan said.

“I think that in the short time that I’ve been doing it, I’ve learnt a lot about myself and have matured as a person and as an agent.

“I know that my family and friends are very proud of what I have achieved in such a short time, but I’m still not satisfied and hopefully I never will be.”

Sullivan has already shown standout leadership qualities and has a simple mantra: honour what you do.

“I genuinely get a kick out of helping people,” he said.

“I care about their situation and I genuinely care about the advice I give and the result I achieve.

“I don’t think most agents are aware of how much trust people place in us to help them maximise their biggest asset. I don’t take that lightly or for granted.”

Facebook is a boom tool for the new generation of agents, who are creating a network of grassroots buyers and vendors, from the local greengrocer, to the footy club coach and primary school principal, to interstate or international prospects.

But highly commended finalist Dib Chidiac has gone a step further by starting his own website, with video market updates and a free eBook.

“I’m the only local agent with a big advertising trailer, and instead of promoting myself I am giving free information that the consumer wants,” he said.

Domain Group chief executive Antony Catalano said the winner and finalists were current leaders and future captains of their industry.

“They are the people who will transform the way real estate is conducted in the future,” Catalano said.

“There is a lot of money involved, a lot of your income at stake and a lot of your wealth tied up in it, and they are making it less daunting by giving buyers and sellers so much more ammunition to make informed choices.

“They are all talents for a reason. They are starting off at an early age, doing things that the average person doesn’t do in their industry, going above and beyond.”

All of the Rising Star finalists have a “go get ’em attitude” that has translated into sales when the odds weren’t in their favour.

Established real estate agents, with whom they compete, have a strong and trusted community presence.

So for a young agent starting out, prospecting, door knocking and cold calling are part and parcel of winning listings and making a name in their area.

But in 10 years’ time, all see themselves in senior roles, closing big deals.

Highly commended finalist Kristy Syaranamual, of Elders, said she wants to develop “a pod of people” behind her.

“I want to do bigger numbers but still have that personal customer service,” Syaranamual said.

“I want to be a dominator in my field and someone a client seeks.”

Some of the finalists have grown within the same business over several years.

Others have embarked on the life-changing move of opening their own agency or office, including James Johnson, of Johnson Property Agents.

He finished year 12 in 2009 and went straight into a real estate career.

Johnson’s pluck and gumption in a cut-throat industry is a quality shared among the finalists.

LITTLE’s Christie Mortimer has been an independent real estate agent for only six months, but, like her Rising Star peers, she has a confidence that belies her short time in the game.

Mortimer says she relies on social media to drum up listings but hasn’t forgotten the power of old-fashioned face-to-face business.

“You can have all the technology in the world, but if a client doesn’t feel comfortable with you enough to trust you to sell their biggest asset, chances are you’re not going to get their property or business,” she said.

Agent profiles:

Winner: 

Shane Sullivan. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Shane Sullivan
LJ Hooker, Drummoyne

“The adrenaline that kicks through is quite addictive.”

Sullivan has come a long way since his first sale, when his next-door neighbour entrusted him with their listing.

From those humble beginnings, he has developed a competitive nature and desire to be the best. His career trajectory is still on the up, but he views his role as being that of a mentor.

“As a director I think my youth brings a lot of energy and excitement to the business,” Sullivan says.

“There is also an opportunity to coach some of the younger guys, and that is a good thing.”

Highly commended: 

Kristy Syaranamual. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Kristy Syaranamual
Elders, Penrith

“My greatest career moment was continuing when all the odds of being a mother were against me.”

Syaranamual was told it would be impossible to return to real estate after giving birth to her son.

“Yet my business is only growing and I love being a mother, all in one,” she said.

“I can time-manage well and get things done in a much quicker time than most agents would.”

She was the first employee of the Elders Penrith office, nurturing the business from the ground up, and was named the company’s best new talent for NSW/ACT in her first year.

Highly commended:

Dib Chidiac. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Dib Chidiac
Raine & Horne, Concord

“The best thing about this job is closing a deal or getting a listing – that excites me.”

Chidiac has impressive persuasive powers. He once talked around an eager vendor in Concord West.

“I remember turning up and the vendor said, ‘Dib, we’ve sold the property – I agreed with the next-door neighbour to sell at $2 million’,” he said.

Chidiac advised against it and sold the home under the hammer, 30 minutes later, for $2,408,000.

He says he looks to his family and a network of experienced agents to steer his career.

“You can give them a call and if you are down they bring you back up – it’s important to have mentors,” he says.

Christie Mortimer. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Christie Mortimer
LITTLE, Darlinghurst

“The ability to adapt quickly is very Important in real estate.”

Mortimer is new to property, but her warm and tenacious nature is translating to early runs on the board.

She has tailored her use of technology to have a personal touch, and sends all prospective buyers a video SMS.

“Everyone who comes through one of my properties gets a video text of me saying ‘thank you for taking the time’,” she said.

Mortimer once styled a property with items from her own parents’ house, following an urgent dash to a department store, to bring it up to scratch.

Jack Sou. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Jack Sou
Belle Property, Pyrmont

“Be seen, be relevant, be tenacious.”

For Sou, the trick of selling real estate is to hit the street.

“This business is an attraction business and people need to know how you are doing what you do, so you get out there,” Sou said.

“Real estate isn’t about sitting in an office in front of a monitor. Having your name card at the most popular eatery can generate more awareness.

“Real estate is about people. Anyone is a client, (so) treat people with respect and integrity. Word of mouth is a great listing tool.”

Marina Makhlin. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Marina Makhlin
Richardson & Wrench, Bondi Junction

“Real estate is no easy feat – give yourself a profile.”

Makhlin’s advice to other young agents entering the industry is to create connections by getting involved with the local community, including charities, and harnessing social media.

“Mix the new age with the traditional stuff, like getting on the phone. It is very important to appeal to a new market and as a new style of agent.

“It is a huge honour that people allow us to step in their homes and be part of their lives – I don’t take that for granted.”

James Johnson. Photo: Scott McNaughton

James Johnson
Johnson Property Agents, Sans Souci

“Starting my own business has been an adventure.”

Johnson said it took courage to launch his own agency last year at age 23, and some doubters advised against it.

“I just couldn’t accept that, and sink or swim I was going to give it a shot,” he said.

He trusted his instincts and abilities and is now head of a flourishing firm.

“It was something I had always wanted to do.”

Johnson said that 12 months on he has learnt the value of long-term relationships.

“The ins and outs, everything that I didn’t get to see working for someone else, I now have to do myself.”

Tim Mumford. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Tim Mumford
Stone, Manly

“Every listing I get, I sit with my team and ask ‘what record can we break?’ “
Mumford believes in the “corporate athlete” and  is keen to help his staff strike a positive office/home life balance.

“I am always pushing my team to exercise and have a healthy mind, and have a lot of fun at work,” Mumford said.

Mumford set a price record for Fairlight last year with a $5.5 million apartment sale.

Elliott Shoebridge. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Elliott Shoebridge
Cunninghams, Balgowlah

“Auctioneering has always been a passion of mine.”

Shoebridge has worked for Cunninghams for nine years, starting as a teenager.

He recently caught the auctioneering bug.

“One of the greatest achievements to date was probably winning the REI Novice Auctioneers competition (Northern Beaches Division) and then going on to finish runner-up in the state final,” he said.

Shoebridge has raised $100,000 over the past year at charity auctions for groups including Kids Cancer Project, Headspace, Lifeline and St Vincent de Paul.

Jeremy Hodder. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Jeremy Hodder
Belle Property, Wollongong

“My goal is to become a great leader.”

Although still in the early days of his career, Hodder is already thinking about how he can pay forward his good fortune.

“I want to help mentor and grow young agents like myself and give them a great career,” he said.

“I think the main thing that makes me memorable to clients, and the main reason I receive the amount of referrals I do, is that I deliver on all the things I promise at the time of pitching for the business.”

Katie McLeod. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Katie McLeod
Professionals, Pottsville and Hastings Point

“I was committed to being a real estate agent at 18, with a determination that I would be successful.”

McLeod and her fiance have renovated three properties together, and she shares that experience with vendors.

“I believe I have an uncanny problem-solving ability when a property doesn’t quite fit the initial description of what the buyer is looking for, by being able to turn it around with informed suggestions, which results in a sale,” she said.

“I also am very savvy with taking my own property photographs and editing, which saves my clients money.”

Heber Carvalho. Photo: Scott McNaughton

Heber De Carvalho
McGrath, Revesby

“My ambition is to be recognised as one of the top performing agents.”

De Carvalho said young agents bring an energy and cutting-edge marketing style to the industry.

A combination of the two helped De Carvalho set a $2.5 million-plus house price record in his office’s area.

He said the best advice he has been given is simple: be humble and work really hard.

“I now have local business owners and parents who regularly send business my way,” he said.

“I also ensured that every property listed had high impact marketing campaigns, particularly online, which grew my profile.”

Adrian Sereni
Warwick Williams, Drummoyne

“I had a great taste for an industry I’ve fallen in love with.”

The game-changer in Sereni’s career was his “$20 million week”. At age 24, he sold Drummoyne’s most expensive house for $9.45 million and an apartment for $5 million, and exchanged contracts on four other properties for high-profile Australians including Olympics chairman John Coates and billionaire Ralph Sarich.

He credits his commanding presence to a program at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

“I signed up for 12-week acting class at NIDA to work on my presence, tone, pace and persuasion ability – best decision ever,” he said.