Award-winning Surfers Paradise specialist Sam Mansy has explained how @realty’s support model for independent agencies gave him the confidence to forge his own path.
Mr Mansy, who owns and operates Surfers Paradise-based Mansy Estate Agents, spent five-and-a-half years with a major franchise before deciding to join the @realty OASIS platform.
OASIS – which stands for Online Agency Support and Integrated Systems – enables boutique real estate agencies and sole operators to access @realty’s national database and administrative services, while still operating under their own brand.
“When I saw the OASIS package with @realty, I saw that I didn’t have to worry about dealing with trust accounts, CRM systems or any of those things because it was all taken care of,” he said.
“When you’re part of a major you can’t make changes to artwork or branding because it’s not allowed, and you’re restricted in what you can do. With OASIS I get all the support and more of a major without having to compromise on my brand.”
Mr Mansy turned to real estate six years ago after spending 15 years as a chef, which included travelling around the world for 11 years to places such as England, France, the Channel Islands and Canada.
He said getting out of the gruelling hospitality industry was a “big motivator” for leaving and joining the real estate sector.
“I’d start work at 9am in the morning and finish at 10pm. If I got a break I was lucky,” he said.
“It was a bad lifestyle to be in without travelling – it’s not fun. I remember the [Gold Coast] tram being built and I never even saw it go up – that was how much I was working.”
When a friend suggested real estate, he decided to give it a shot, and juggled a full-time job working the breakfast shift at a restaurant with seven-days-a-week at a major franchise, working on commission.
Mr Mansy said he found he was a natural and after a year won a major worldwide award for highest commission for a rookie agent.
“When I jumped into it, I had a real knack. People wanted to list their properties with me, they wanted to buy from me,” he said.
“I made approximately $350,000 in commission in my first year.
“I had to work very, very hard, but it wasn’t as hard as having to work in the kitchen.”
Mr Mansy said when he decided to branch out on his own with Mansy Estate Agents, he looked for a partner that could provide all the support he needed while enabling him control over his branding and marketing, explaining he thought “@realty fits the bill in every way”.
“Marketing and design at a major franchise is not tailored to individual agents but to the company as a whole,” he said.
If you do want something unique to you, you have to outsource this work and still seek approval from the company to use the logo, which makes for a very costly exercise.
“This means it’s hard to stand out and you look the same as everyone else. @realty has a dedicated marketing team that not only turns around work quickly but makes sure it is exactly what you want for your unique brand.”
He said that control extended to property management. With @realty he oversees his own rental portfolio.
Mr Mansy said he is looking to grow his team, something he would not have been able to achieve at a major franchise.
Managing director of @realty, JJ Taylor said more and more independent agents are realising they can get more from @realty and keep their brand compared to going with a major brand.
“Independents are realising the OASIS model is one that perfectly aligns with their business going forward, and we expect more and more will join in the future as word spreads,” he said.
