Overseas work experience
BY SHANNON COOK
For some of our agents , their real estate careers began further afield than Australia or New Zealand , where the industries look much different to what we ’ re used to .
Anita Sano from Ray White Surry Hills , who has just transitioned from a property management role into sales in inner Sydney , is a Londoner born and bred and first entered real estate at 21 years old in the city ' s south-west .
“ Hearing about a friend ' s experience with a big agency , it sounded awesome so armed with my resume and charm , I visited the popular agencies along Clapham and Balham High Streets ,” Anita said .
Anita had five interviews and received job offers from four , though she felt they were all quite male-dominated and a bit intimidating , particularly since she didn ' t know much about property .
Ray White Cheltenham sales manager Grace Borg has lived across the world and boasts a real estate role in Malta on her resumè . Grace worked in the leasing department and handled the offshore enquiries coming in , matching clients to properties .
“ I would pick them up from the airport and take them around for the day looking at rentals ,” Grace said .
“ We didn ' t lease to locals , my main clientele were poker players coming in from across Europe , Asian students coming in for the English schools and summer terms and other Europeans coming into Malta for work .
“ There were no lease agreements that were signed , or ledgering or governing bodies , it was a handshake deal and a handwritten receipt .”
“ I picked the one that felt right and jumped in . Turns out , I loved it ! My manager told me " just go out in the car and get lost ,” she said .
“ I loved meeting people from different walks of life , closing deals , looking at cool ( and some not so cool ) properties . But after two years of crazy hours and no weekends , I switched to property management , handling a portfolio of approximately 100 properties in south-west London .”
Anita said unlike in Australia at the time , open homes weren ’ t the norm . She instead chauffeured prospective buyers and tenants individually from property to property .
“ It was an inefficient and potentially unsafe practice ,” she said .
“ Additionally , the organisational structure varied considerably , with property management and leasing sometimes handled separately by different agencies , including an external party handling the ingoing and outgoing condition reports .
“ Regarding legislation and accreditation , while I ' m uncertain of the current landscape , reflecting on the early 2000s reveals a notably lax entry into the real estate profession . At that time , having a driver ' s licence alone could secure a position within a real estate agency .”
Anita hadn ’ t planned on staying in Australia for as long as she did . She had been on a gap year living in New Zealand in 2013 , came to Sydney for a long weekend and fell in love with the city . Three months later she was back in Sydney and seeking out real estate opportunities !