It was only last year when Gavin Rubinstein announced he was forming his own brand under the Ray White banner.
Next off the ranks in our detailed look into how The Rubinstein Group operates, we focus on Operations Manager, Shani Asadon.
Shani Asadon is relatively new to TRG, but her friendship with Gavin goes way back.
Now she’s one of the key people ensuring each sale in the business goes through a single process.
Her official title is operations manager, and it involves liaising closely with Gavin, the sales team and vendors.
“Anything that needs to be done to get the deal done is where I step in,” Shani explains.
“Gavin will go in and pitch for a listing and he’ll see there are things that might need to be done in the house, whether it’s painting, pool compliance certificates or anything.
“Then I’ll come in and organise and facilitate that whole process before the property goes out online and that’s when Remi takes over and does all the marketing.”
Once a property is on the market, Shani steps in again, organising open homes and co-ordinating everyone’s schedules.
She is also the point of contact that vendors reach out to when something needs to be done around their house.
“Then I come back once the property’s sold and do all the exchanges. I’m there throughout that process until settlement for the valuations and all the fun stuff that happens between sale and settlement,” she says.
It’s no small role, but Shani brings a lengthy list of skills to the table.
She has a degree in international law, a background in the military, and extensive experience in the mortgage broking sector.
Her resume is impressive, but Shani also notes she’s learnt a lot since starting at TRG in September last year.
“I’ve learnt that even if you have to be in 20 different places at the same time, you have to make it work somehow. You have to find a solution,” she says.
That solution varies depending on the circumstances, but the most common areas which need attention in properties that Shani oversees include styling and painting.
“We’ll go in and get it styled, painted, fix the floor sometimes – anything that needs to be done to present the property well,” she says.
“I also find styling is one of the most helpful and important things when selling real estate.
“Lots of people can’t imagine what a house would look like with someone else’s furniture in it and also when there’s nothing in the property as well. But when you style it, people get an idea of what they can do.”
While styling and pre-sale repairs make the world of difference, Shani concedes occasionally vendors can be hesitant to invest in that outlay.
“I think when people look at other properties online, they can see the difference to our properties. We present everything in the best possible way,” she notes.
This ability to find solutions has served Shani and TRG particularly well during COVID-19.
She notes after a tough initial week, the team quickly adapted.
“There was that one week where we were unsure what to do, where we were literally from the car to our seats, didn’t get coffee, didn’t eat out, didn’t really meet anyone in our job,” Shani recalls.
“It was hard to organise anything like styling because stylists couldn’t be there if tradies were on-site or if the vendors were there.
“But that kind of just lasted one to two weeks.
“I think for everyone else it might have lasted a bit longer, but in our office and how we work here, we just had to adapt and we’re quick at that.”
Meanwhile, Shani is another member of the TRG team who is on call seven days a week and she has no reservation about the commitment involved.
“We are on 24/7. If Gavin needs something at 11.30pm, I’ll be there and so will Remi and so will everyone in this team,” she says.
“If a vendor texts me at 5am, they’ll get an immediate response. We are available at all times, because that’s part of our service.”
As for the future, Shani clearly relishes her position in a team with true energy and drive.
“I love my role. I’m learning things every day and just want to get to the point where I am the go-to, where I know everything about every possible scenario, and I’m getting there,” she says.
PREVIOUSLY: Remi Quinlivan
