Elite AgentFEATURE INTERVIEWS

Kathy Tsai: Life by Design

When former dietitian Kathy Tsai found herself at a career crossroads, she heeded her mother’s advice and entered the world of real estate. Despite having a young family, she dug deep and wrote $340,000 in GCI within 12 months – including a $5.225 million sale to a Chinese buyer. Kathy attributes her success to two things: building credibility and believing in herself.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at RE/MAX Bayside.
Before starting in real estate I worked in various other sectors, including R&D product development in the food industry. I also owned a private practice for five years as an accredited practising dietitian. In September 2015 I started as a sales consultant at a franchise agency, and have been busy building my contacts daily. Nurturing client relationships and uncovering new listings have led me to achieve several suburb record sales. I now work at RE/MAX Bayside; this award-winning number one RE/MAX multi-office has helped me build my profile as an acreage and prestige home specialist.

What motivated you to get into real estate?
Real estate has been in my blood since I was a little girl.

I remember my mum used to say to me, “Invest in real estate as long as you can afford the mortgage payments.”

After giving birth to my two beautiful girls, I arrived at a career crossroads. I thought perhaps I should try real estate as I had accumulated abundant local market knowledge and met so many real estate agents before and after the property booms in Brisbane since the 1990s.

What is the market like in your area right now?
Redlands, the market in the Bayside of Brisbane, is such a hidden gem that property prices have been so affordable. Enjoying lovely bay breezes and slightly lower temperatures than Brisbane makes life a haven. Currently we are seeing some corrections in prices all over Australia, and it is also evident in my area. The stock levels in 2017 were 20 per cent lower, which makes a huge difference in the real skills of good real estate agents in putting the deals together. I believe the market will steadily improve in the next few years as we should see a property boom in my area.

Who or what inspires you?
Tom Panos. I have been very fortunate and grateful in following him ever since I started real estate. He is so real, and cares about seeing agents excel. In addition, my wonderful little family of four has inspired me along this tough journey. My little girls always ask me, “Mummy, how many houses have you sold? If you sell 100 houses, do I get 100 toys?” Seeing the beautiful smiles on my clients’ faces is also very inspiring. I love the feeling of being helpful in people’s lives, being the trusted property advisor.

In your ‘briefcase’ right now is…
My iPhone, a powerbank and my planner! I use my iPhone for everything, to save/screenshot some new marketing ideas, and make sure my phone is charged twice for the daily hustling. A big breakthrough is that I am starting to combine my online diary and print planner to plan my family life, real estate milestones, marketing, and so on. Writing things down makes them sink in and ticking them off produces dopamine, aka the happy hormone.

Something (or someone) you couldn’t live without?
I couldn’t live without sunshine and a good diet! I love the energy and radiation of the sun when I wake up in the morning. Having been a dietitian, I try to eat a healthy diet while running a busy lifestyle.

What do you enjoy most about Elite Agent?
I love reading the cover story and features. Success leaves clues! There is always something I can learn and resonate with the wonderful human beings who contribute to this sensational magazine.

What apps do you use most at the moment on your iPhone or iPad?
I use RP Data Pro App to get a snapshot of the estimated property values when I am out and about. Homeowners appreciate that they can be shown real-time information.

What advice would you give someone starting out in real estate?
Be prepared to work hard. Some seeds you sow today may or may not sprout tomorrow, but keep on planting and watering, and you will be pleasantly surprised to see a farm ready for you to harvest in due time!

Any words to live by?
Firstly, be the architect of your life. Live by design, not by default. Yes, life does throw its curve balls at us, but it’s how we react to things and people that matters. Secondly, people buy energy; consider whether the energy you exhibit is positive or negative. Before you know it, you could be attracting like-minded people to help build your world of paradise!

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To contact the editorial team at Elite Agent email editor@eliteagent.com.