REI Super Employer Profile
Karen Herbert, Founder and CEO of Arrive
Brisbane owners have trusted their properties with Karen Herbert for 20 years, and now she’s managing their Airbnbs, too.
REI Super: What do you enjoy about working in real estate?
Karen: Mostly I love dealing with people on all levels every day, whether it’s assisting a tenant or a buyer in finding their new home or guiding lessors on how to maximise their investment portfolio. My true love, however, is leading, training and inspiring team members to become the best that they can be.
REI Super: What are the challenges of working in real estate?
Karen: I guess our biggest challenge lies as a result of us specialising in property management. In any one day we wear around ten hats; ranging from a debt collector when having to collecting rent, a handyman in having to be across how to fix all sorts of maintenance issues, to a counsellor when it comes to domestic disputes that affect a tenancy, just to mention a few!
Mostly though, we deal with people all day, so our greatest challenge is to deliver the best customer service that we promise.
REI Super: Can you tell me about the Arrive history?
Karen: Arrive was born after I left my previous real estate company of 15 years. I then consulted to agencies who needed assistance in property management land mostly and advised principals on how to run a better agency. I soon realised that I missed where my heart really belongs, and that is in running and leading a successful agency brand. Arrive was the first name that I came up with – after all, isn’t it all about destinations?
REI Super: What’s behind the growth and success of the business?
Karen: Easy one – the people whom we have on our journey and then probably diversity. In order for our business to continue to strive forward, we sought out other opportunities where we could incorporate our services, hence, Air-rive was born, which sees us manage Airbnb properties on owners’ behalf. Its’ been a great thrust in improving our income streams.
REI Super: International Women’s Day is approaching March 8. What des this day mean for you?
Karen: Ah, dear to my heart on so many levels. My first career was as a manager at McDonalds, where nearly all the head office and management teams were men. I remember having to work harder than most in order to get recognition and as it turns out, I became the youngest female manager and first Store Manager in Queensland.
IWD is a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world globally.
A day where we can come together in unity, to celebrate, reflect and do our bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding. I’m actually attending the Great Debate luncheon on March 6!
REI Super: Women account for around 65% of the real estate industry, but you only find a handful working in the top jobs. What barriers are women still facing in the industry? What changes have you seen?
Karen: I know that women are starting to dominate the face of real estate, but unfortunately CEO positions are mostly still held by men. Associations such as Women In Real Estate are championing change in the industry through their national breakfast events. I’m looking forward to the 2020 event. On a more local note, however, we are fortunate to have an inspirational woman, Antonia Mercorella, as CEO for the REIQ, who is a true ambassador for women in the real estate industry.
REI Super: What do look for when you’re recruiting staff?
Karen: When we look at hiring people to join our business, we think firstly, will they fit into our culture, do they have a ‘can do’ attitude, will they champion our challenge to be the best? If they have those qualities, the rest we can teach.
REI Super: Do you talk to staff about super?
Karen: Well, I Googled the average age of people working in the real estate industry in Australia and according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it is 39 years of age. So, while I understand that at 39 it might be hard to fathom compulsory super contribution, I like to point out to my team members that their super contribution is vitality important as it creates an incentive for individuals to accumulate wealth that is intended to support them, or at least assist them throughout retirement.
REI Super: As an employer, what has your involvement been with REI Super?
Karen: As the industry super fund, we recommend REI Super as our nominated default fund. With strong returns, low fees, and many member discounts, it’s simple to see why this is a great choice when it comes to selecting a reliable, performing super fund.
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