For Stavros Ambatzidis, the moments that matter most are often the ones spent doing the work alongside other people: boxing Christmas donations, helping a local family or getting a team together to support children who have been displaced.
In Track 04 of The Edit, the OBrien Real Estate co-founder and chairman sits down with Samantha McLean and Chris Hanley to explore a question every agency can ask itself: would we still do this if no one was watching?
Stavros has worked in real estate since 1991 and called more than 4,000 auctions. His starting point for community involvement is straightforward: successful businesses have been supported by their customers and their local communities. Giving back comes with that success.
“The ones that are able have a responsibility to help those that aren’t able.”
Get on the other side of the counter
Stavros’s involvement with motor neurone disease began after his father, who later died of the disease, was diagnosed. Alongside the search for a cure, he saw a need to support people already living with the disease.
He says the fundraising efforts raised more than $1 million over the years. The challenges included the Great Wall of China, the New York Marathon and Kokoda.
The OBrien Foundation grew from that work, with support extending into local communities. A $50 contribution from each sale across the group’s offices gave people a shared stake in the effort, alongside fundraising events, donations and volunteering.
Yet when asked what has meant the most, Stavros returns to participation. He remembers people from different offices coming together to pack backpacks with essentials for children, and teams boxing food and presents at Christmas.
He describes this as getting on the other side of the counter: seeing the people you are helping and taking part in the work.
Chris makes the entry point clear for agents who feel they do not have money to spare. There are three ways to contribute: raise money from others, give your own money, or offer your labour and skills.
An agent’s ability to organise an auction, make a phone call or introduce two people can be useful long before there is a large budget.
Build giving into the way the business works
Stavros does not describe community as a marketing choice. It shapes how he wants to work, lead and be seen by his family.
“Community isn’t a marketing strategy, it’s an operating system.”
Goodwill, he says, isn’t an invoice. “You’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”
That also means questioning whether the structure around giving is helping money reach the people who need it.
In the episode, Stavros explains the group’s move from the OBrien Foundation to the OBrien Community Program. He says the change is intended to give individual offices more flexibility to respond directly to local needs, including urgent support for a family after a house fire.
Chris offers several practical ways to decide where to help: listen when a team member brings forward a cause, support local schools, and divide a budget into smaller contributions that can reach more people.
Sometimes the next step is simply to call a local organisation and ask what it needs.
Start with one useful act
The conversation also asks whether generosity can be taught. Sam recalls introducing a “Give to Give” challenge in Elite Agent’s Transform program: participants had to perform an act of kindness in their community that cost no more than $20.
The constraint encouraged people to pay attention. Who nearby needed a hand, an introduction or a small practical favour?
Stavros’s view is that the example a leader sets matters. You cannot demand that everyone changes, but you can change how you behave towards them.
And while publicity can help a cause, he offers a useful test for the motivation behind it.
“Would you still do it if no one’s watching?”
For anyone wondering where to begin, Chris suggests choosing one school and finding a way to help. Run an auction, support a fete, make an introduction or ask what needs doing.
Real estate agents already have networks throughout their communities. The challenge is to use those connections to find people they can help.
What you’ll take away
- Why community involvement starts with responsibility to the people who support your business
- Three ways to contribute, even when you have little money to spare
- How hands-on participation gives teams a shared experience of helping
- Why OBrien is changing the structure of its community support
- How to spread a giving budget across smaller, useful contributions
- A simple test for your motivation, and a practical place to start
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
This is The Edit
The Edit is Elite Agent’s real estate mixtape: honest conversations with people who have done the work and have something useful to share. Each track starts with a question facing agents and principals, with Samantha McLean and her co-hosts exploring what it means in practice.
Explore more episodes of The Edit.