Natalie Hastings
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Summer holidays – so far as they exist for property managers – are good for two things: enjoying long days on the beach, and air-conditioned nights bingeing Netflix. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have indulged in an episode (real talk: every episode) of legendary minimalist Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’ on Netflix. In it, the genial host puts her signature…
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You can’t say when it began exactly. You were happy in your role,  and the culture of your organisation felt a perfect fit. But somewhere along the way a nagging sense of discontent has crept into your daily experience at work. Sunday nights feel depressing, and you might be feeling bored – or worse – angry. If this sounds familiar, it’s likely…
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Do you know an estate agent who’s a curmudgeon? They might be old or young – but they’re grumpy and the opposite of a team player. They think events are a waste of time. They tend to be dismissive of coaching and training, thinking that they know it all. For them, networking with other estate agents is tantamount to giving…
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Cough, cough. Splutter and sneeze. It’s not only your property managers who need to up their dose of Vitamin C and ensure they get their flu jab this season. Unbeknownst to you, your property management department may be in less than tip-top shape. A sickly rent roll may be underperforming for many reasons, potentially losing you money each month, causing…
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Inspirational quotes from famous entrepreneurs and the thought-leaders we admire might add flavour to our daily Instagram trawl, but placing great people on a pedestal can be counter-productive. Instead of adopting their wisdom we hold it apart from ourselves. Whether we use their smarts to improve the daily operations of our real estate businesses or to create a product that…
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Cast your mind back forty years to the real estate industry of 1978 in Australia. Being a relatively youthful industry, you might not remember the ‘bad old days’. They were light years from the profession we know and enjoy today. Whilst some things remain the same about success in real estate – prospecting must be part of every day, timely…
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Property management is a people business, best suited to those natural problem-solvers with a positive disposition and a flair for collaboration. But what happens when you do your very best time and again, yet find your days disturbed by an aggressive landlord who is impossible to please? Many principals are loathe to ‘sack’ a landlord – even if their behaviour is…
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From financial goals to client satisfaction, here is your cheat sheet for setting team KPIs. When it comes to setting goals and KPIs, the sales side of real estate practice is familiar with the process – successful at it, even. To be fair, goal-setting in sales departments is a streamlined deal in comparison to the complexities of property management. My…
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WHEN IT COMES TO INCREASING income into property management departments, the industry can be its own worst enemy. Often sales-focused principals apply a volume mentality to their rent roll asset, chasing relentless growth because they believe bigger rent rolls are the only way of increasing their overall bottom line. But a focus on value-adding could be a better way to…
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Our industry’s past was all about the big-brand dominance of real estate generalists – those one-stop-shops that offered everything from commercial property management to private sales, owners corporation management to holiday letting. The future of real estate is about developing a reputation for excellence in a specific niche. Your property management department may already have begun the process of specialisation,…
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Times of stress and demand, such as the start of each new year and the close of each financial year, can take their toll, both psychologically and physically, on even the most experienced of property managers. Choosing to power on without time for recuperation can quickly lead to serious illness and depression – all of which take you out of…
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Doubts around misappropriation of trust funds is one of the things that causes some people to distrust the real estate industry. It’s also a major concern that keeps principals up late at night because it could happen to anyone. Natalie Hastings highlights five signs to watch out for. Principals tend to be particularly alert to fraud when their property management…
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THOUGH THE FESTIVE SEASON and its excesses feel far behind us, it’s only now that many agencies are accounting for their holiday expenses. Client Christmas party? Tick. Landlord gifts? You know it. Company Christmas party? That’s there too. How much can you claim? Natalie Hastings has the answers. Rather than nursing a sore head over your necessarily generous seasonal expenditure,…
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As real estate professionals, we spend our days helping people move on from properties that no longer fit: too big, too small, too old, too far from the places they need to be – you name it. But what about our own needs when it comes to professional premises? Natalie Hastings shares some of her learnings from a recent office…
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