When Elsie Corby and her husband arrived in Australia more than forty years ago from Rhodesia, (modern day Zimbabwe), they had just $6,000 and two young daughters. It was a new country, a new life, and an entirely new beginning.
“It was quite a challenge,” she recalls. “Everything was so different, even simple things, like walking into a supermarket and seeing 40 types of cereal when we only had two back home. I’d walk out in tears because I didn’t know what to choose.”
That sense of determination, to learn, adapt and work hard, has defined Elsie’s career ever since.
Today, she leads Ray White Corby & Co, a family-run, Chairman’s Elite business in Western Australia, spanning three generations and a thriving sales and property management division.
She is also keen to mentor new agents on the fundamentals that shaped her own success – this includes building strong habits, setting measurable goals, and maintaining the discipline to follow through.
She says mentoring isn’t about shortcuts or quick wins; it’s about teaching agents how to work consistently, serve their clients well, and create lasting careers grounded in trust and accountability.
A career born from curiosity
Elsie’s path into real estate wasn’t planned. She had always been interested in self-development, reading books such as Think and Grow Rich and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
When selling her own home years ago, the agency owner noticed her bookshelf and told her, “You should be in real estate.”
“He told me to do the course and said there’d be a job waiting,” she says.
“I did it, and I loved it from day one.”
Her early days were defined by sheer effort. Without the technology or databases that today’s agents rely on, she built her reputation the old-fashioned way, by hitting the pavement.
“For eight hours a day, I’d walk the streets doing letterbox drops,” she says.
“People would see me up and down their neighbourhoods, and over time, they began to know me. If I saw someone in the garden, I’d stop and chat. I didn’t have formal training, but I prospected from day one.”
While the methods have evolved, Elsie says the fundamentals haven’t changed. She continues to teach new agents the importance of consistency and visibility.
“Door knocking is still very important,” she says. “People need to see your face again and again. Don’t just do a street once and move on, go back every few months. Eventually, they’ll invite you in because they recognise you.”
For Elsie, technology is a great tool, but quite simply it can never be a replacement for human connection.
“We’ve got all these digital systems now, but I always say: the more belly-to-belly, face-to-face time you have with people, the faster you’ll grow. It’s about trust.”
She encourages her team to aim for 500 pieces of personal data: names, addresses, phone numbers and emails, as quickly as possible.
“The quicker you build your database, the quicker you build your business,” she adds.
Without a mentor early on, Elsie learned by observing.
“I’d watch the top reps in the office and mimic them,” she says.
“They were always doing more home opens, making more calls, being more active. I figured if I did what they did, I’d get their results – and I did.”
Later, she credits training from Myf Porter at Ray White for sharpening her skills. “Her training was fantastic,” she says.
“But even before that, I believed that success leaves clues. You just have to pay attention.”
A family affair
Real estate has truly become a family business for Elsie. Her daughter began as her PA before becoming an agent in her own right, and now her grandson has followed the same path.
“We’ve got three generations in the business,” she says with pride. “It’s amazing to see.”
Leadership, for Elsie, means leading by example.
“Everyone in the bussines, family or not, watches how you behave. You have to have high standards and treat everyone with respect.”
She’s also a big believer in goal-setting – not the vague kind that gathers dust in a desk drawer, but specific, measurable targets that keep people accountable.
“I’ve got a vision board in my office,” Elsie says. “On it are all the things I want to achieve – personal, spiritual, financial. And over time, I’ve ticked most of them off.”
For her, that board isn’t just decoration; it’s a tool for mentoring.
Every agent who walks into her office sees what discipline looks like in action.
“When they see that I’ve set clear goals and followed through, it shows them what’s possible,” she explains.
“It’s not about telling them what to do, it’s about showing them that you can actually achieve the things you write down and stay on track.”
Mentoring the modern agent
Elsie’s approach to mentoring is equal parts structure and accountability – even with family.
“You’ve got to hold people accountable,” she says.
“Goals have to be measurable. And customer service has to be second to none.”
She finds today’s generation is better at maintaining work-life balance than previous ones – but there is still plenty to learn.
“They value their personal time, which is a good thing,” she says.
“But I remind them that real estate is still a results-driven business. You have to knuckle down in the first few years to build credibility.”
Her golden rules? Answer your phone. Respond quickly. Be kind – always.
“Whether it’s a client, a shop assistant or someone at the checkout, treat everyone well,” she says.
“You never know who might need an agent one day.”
Building relationships that last
Her final piece of advice for new agents is simple: keep in touch.
“When I started, I had an index card system,” she says.
“We’d note when someone bought a house so we could call on their anniversary or birthday. These days it’s easier with technology, but the principle is the same. Stay in contact, genuinely.”
Even in the digital age, Elsie insists there’s no substitute for personal contact.
“If you can meet in person, do it. Don’t just send a DocuSign; let people see you, talk to you, remember you.”
