David Lu, who co-owns Area Specialist Brimbank with business partner Nick Makroglou, made the transition just over a year ago, and the results have exceeded all expectations.
“We thought we were going to be a little bit slow, but given market conditions as well, the transition was pretty good,” David said.
In their first year, the team achieved over 100 sales – a strong result for a new business.
From telecommunications to real estate
David’s journey into real estate began while he was working in retail sales in the telecommunications industry. As an investor with several properties of his own, he found himself fascinated by watching agents work.
“I thought, I love real estate, let’s give that a crack,” David said.
“It’s very similar sort of work and I’ve been in it for over nine years now, and it’s been pretty good.”
He started his real estate career in 2017, quickly establishing himself as the number one agent in Cairnlea, a position he held for eight years with the most sales and vendor recommendations in the area.
Specialising in Melbourne’s western suburbs
Area Specialist Brimbank operates primarily in Cairnlea and surrounding western suburbs, working with properties that are typically 15 to 23 years old.
“A lot of the vendors are selling, downsizing, and upsizing for various reasons,” David said.
“It’s more of an owner-occupied suburb and we deal with a lot of first-time buyers.”
One of David’s key strengths in the area is his multilingual ability, which allows him to connect with the diverse demographic of the western suburbs.
“Being multilingual is a good strength for the area because we deal with a lot of Vietnamese demographics,” he said.
His experience and negotiation skills, combined with his deep knowledge of the local market, have made him a trusted name in the community.
Making the move to independence
After years of success under a franchise model, David and his colleagues decided the timing was right to launch their own business.
“It was just the right time to grow our own business,” David said.
“Everyone had the same mindset, and we just decided to make that move.”
The decision to join Area Specialist was driven by a desire for greater flexibility and the ability to build their own team culture.
“Under the bigger brands, it’s just a little bit different – more micromanaged with restrictions on what we can do and how we want to run our processes,” David said.
“Under the Area Specialist brand, we’re able to create our own culture and stick to our own processes.”
A team-focused approach
What sets Area Specialist Brimbank apart is its strong emphasis on team culture rather than individual profiles.
The business now has a team of seven, including co-owner and senior sales consultant Nick Makroglou, senior sales consultant Steve Jusup, sales consultants Vi Dang and Christian Yao, office administrator Michelle Lu, senior property manager Tiffany Perriam, and sales specialist Taylan Guvenbas.
Four of the team members – David, Nick, Steve and Vi – made the transition together from their previous company, with the others joining in recent months.
“We’re running it our way,” David said.
“More of a team culture, and we can run our business the way we want to run it.”
While keeping more commission is certainly a benefit, David is quick to acknowledge it comes with greater responsibility.
“You work harder, there’s more responsibility, but it’s rewarding at the end anyway,” he said.
“I’m happy.”
Looking to the future
With a successful first year under their belt, David has ambitious plans for Area Specialist Brimbank.
“We’re hoping to build a bigger team and show the young kids, the next generation, how we do it,” he said.
The team is also planning to increase their community involvement, with plans to support local clubs and schools in the area.
For David, the move to Area Specialist has proven to be the right decision at the right time, allowing him and his team the flexibility and freedom to operate on their own terms while maintaining the support and branding of a corporate platform.
“The transition was very smooth,” he said.
“First year’s been great – better than what we expected.”
Area Specialist is a real estate platform for top-performing agents, providing the systems, tools and technology they need to create, grow and power their business. For more information visit beyourboss.com.au