When Valeria Davis approaches a real estate deal, she has the experience to come at it from all angles.
She’s been a selling agent and previously ran her own agency in Sydney’s Hills District.
She’s also worked as a mortgage broker, has bought and sold her own homes and has investment properties, including in both the commercial and residential space.
But it’s the property market role she has most recently tapped into that Valeria truly feels an affinity with.
Four years ago the self-professed “finder of fabulous properties” became a buyer’s agent and started her own business, House Hunters.
“Even when I was in real estate (as a selling agent) at Davis Birch Real Estate, I naturally gravitated to the buyers,” she recalls.
“In the area where I was selling there were usually only a couple of buyers per property and, if they were cashed up and ready to buy and I didn’t have stock for them, I would find stock for them.
“I would advertise to vendors, or prospective vendors, I would knock on doors and I’d contact other agents.
“I worked very well with the other agents and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a buyer’, and we’d do a conjunction.”
In the beginning
Valeria’s career started at Ray White Parramatta back in the ‘80s and she recalls it being somewhat of a baptism of fire, noting that on her second day the principal sent her to an appraisal with the expectation of securing the listing.
“He said, ‘I want you to go to the appraisal and see this form, it’s an auction agency agreement and you need to get that signed and you need to get marketing dollars’,” she says.
“So I went out to the marketing appraisal, got on fabulously with the family and came back with the auction agency agreement signed and a cheque!
“I don’t think he expected a newbie, on my second day, to be able to pull that off.”
Over the years, Valeria says as well as working in real estate, she’s worked as a mortgage broker with REA Group, in marketing and communications for CommBank and in the travel industry.
Her own agency
But she’s always returned to real estate, including when she opened her own agency, Davis Birch Real Estate, in Sydney’s Hills district, in the early 2000s.
Valeria notes that she had been working with agents in her role as a mortgage broker and felt they were less than proactive and there was room in the market for an agent that was dedicated and different.
So she teamed up with a friend who had a strong business background and opened an agency and coffee shop.
“I opened up the shopfront and the shop was too big,” Valeria recalls.
“So I cut it in half and made one half a coffee shop, which was excellent because there was no really decent coffee shop in that little shopping complex.
“That then became a meeting point for people in the area.”
Despite veering away from real estate at various points in her career, Valeria says she’s always been drawn back to property.
The rise of buyer’s agents
She notes that buyers agents have become increasingly popular in recent years and many have turned to the profession, but while some are excellent, others don’t quite work as hard.
“I have a reputation and a name in the industry now, but it took time to establish myself and establish that,” Valeria says.
While using a buyer’s agent was once something only high net worth individuals did, Valeria says her clients now cover all price points.
Operating from her office in Potts Point, Valeria largely serves Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, Lower North Shore, the city and Inner West.
Valeria has bought properties from a bedsit at $600,000 to $4.8 million family homes.
“My clients are people who are time poor,” she explains.
“They are tired of missing out on properties or the whole process has become too confusing.
“Everyone outsources things today, from their cleaning to their dog walking, so it’s not a foreign concept anymore.”
The relationship between selling agents and buyers agents is also changing, with Valeria explaining that once good relationships are established, it’s a win-win for all parties.
She says the immediate benefit for selling agents is that she’s done due diligence on her clients.
They’re verified, genuine buyers and Valeria knows exactly what type of property they’re looking for.
“My buyers are cashed up, and ready to go,” she says.
“I can also help expedite a sale, if there’s any reluctance on one side, because I’ve done the due diligence, I’ve gone through the brief, and I can avoid time wasting.”
For the love of a good deal
With numerous connections made through her various property-related roles, Valeria says potential sellers also often come to her for advice.
She says that she’s always willing to help and refer sellers to agents that can assist them, noting that she usually then gets business herself once the client becomes a buyer again.
“I love being a buyer’s agent,” Valeria says.
“For me, it’s not about the money. It’s about getting satisfaction from knowing you’ve helped somebody find exactly what they want.
“And I love securing a ‘good’ deal.”
Looking forward, Valeria says she may look to expand her business statewide and potentially even nationwide.
“I’d like to be subcontracting some of my work to other buyer’s agents, but still maintaining control over the quality of our work,” Valeria says.
“I’d really love to get a team of ladies together, who are equally passionate, and have a gungho little team.
“That’s what I’d really love.”
