Elite AgentFEATURE INTERVIEWS

Stefan Siciliano: Play the long game

Years in the industry?
Four years, eight months.

What’s a special place in your local area?
Greenacres shopping centre. I see so many present and past clients here. I try to pop into Coles to support the local. I also see a lot of people on my database here, and I love being able to stop, say hello, and have a chat with people.

Did you choose real estate or did real estate choose you?
I chose real estate, It was something I always thought about after school. My current boss Jason Spagnuolo is a friend-of-a-friend, so I called, we caught up and here we are today. He has become a very close friend and someone I will stay in business with forever.

First sale?
47 Fosters Road, Greenacres – in my farm area. It was on a main road so not the easiest of sales, however, I learnt a lot and still talk to my very first vendors and purchasers today. They were a brother and sister who built a new home on their late parents’ block of land.

Most memorable sale?
Tough call between two sales.

24 Spring Hill Drive, Golden Grove – a mansion in a popular estate. Broke the suburb record, the vendors were ecstatic because other agents thought it would be a tough sale and take six to nine months to sell. The vendors’ appreciation made it so memorable.

9 Woodcroft Ave St Georges was memorable because it was an online auction during COVID restrictions, and sold $131,000 over reserve with 21 registered bidders online. I think everyone was shocked; the momentum was amazing and a great sale during an uncertain time showed the resilience of the Adelaide marketplace too.

What type of business do you focus on?
I’m not picky, I will take on anything from a $150k unit/block of land to a multi-million dollar property. Obviously, I focus on my farm area a lot and love the repeat and referral business.

I love being able to build a relationship with potential sellers so I don’t rely on any ‘opportunistic’ work. Obviously it helps, but I love working the data and building the relationships over time.

What’s the most important part of your day?
Prospecting. I protect my mornings. After sales meetings and my personal team meetings, I start calling.

This starts at 8.30am; I like to get to my vendors and active buyers as early as possible and then a solid prospecting session from about 9am to 2pm. I do 95 per cent of my appointments mid-to-late afternoon and, of course, in the evening when required.

Where would you like to be this time next year?
Hoping to take on another team member towards the end of this year – that will take our team of three people to four people (including myself).

Last financial year we settled 111 properties.

It took a lot of hard work from the three of us and the goal is to get to 135-150 settled sales this financial year, which will require more work and more assistance.

My current associate Trent Dudley is starting to get some momentum so we think it’s the right time to hire again.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Long game.

I heard these two words a lot when I first started in real estate and it’s so true. Consistent daily activity is so important for a consistent real estate team/business.

It’s tough at the start, real estate requires so much work, will take every hour that you give it and a lot of work that you do you’re rewarded for in one, two, three-plus years down the track.

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