There's no doubt we are in a changed world and it's becoming clear that we will not be going back to the old ways any time soon, if ever at all.
REI Super member, Jeanette Laffan, of Nutrien Harcourts Kilmore shares her story.....
Working remotely (from home) for instance. How does that look? Would our people be effective? In the past it had a bit of a stigma attached to it. Nobody ever became CEO working from home. Well that is well and truly a thing of the past now. While it may not be the first choice for everyone, it is working - sales figures are up and business is thriving. At least one of our team members is going so well and enjoying the situation so much, she is unlikely to come back to the old structure of coming into the office every day ever again.
It's clear, working remotely will form a big part of future working life in real estate, that's for sure.
The biggest challenge…
The big challenge has been keeping our people informed and together. Our Monday morning Zoom sales meetings and Friday afternoon round ups have been critical for sharing information and updating the team. Without the interaction of office life, the lunch conversations, the overheard phone calls and the coffee breaks, the meeting structure has become just so important. It’s challenging but we are getting better and better with it.
A noticeable shift in the market
Lifestyle properties have definitely become the flavour of the day. Coming out of lockdown the first time I had beautiful properties on the books, lifestyle properties, open spaces, views and country life. They had gone on the market in spring but had been very quiet. All of a sudden there came a rush of interest and they were all snapped up. It was obvious, when you are working from home a lot more, you can come out to somewhere like Mitchell shire where you get great lifestyle and great value for money after selling up in the city. Our problem now is convincing vendors to go on the market. We have way more buyers on our books than sellers at the moment so it’s very much a sellers market in the country.
Super even in these times is a great investment
With employer contributions and the tax advantages of savings in super, it very much stacks up. I’ve always had a balanced portfolio. While it may not be the time to be taking great risks or shifting to cash when markets are down, you still have to look to the future. I’m glad I’m with a super fund I can trust to have a conservative approach to investment and still maintain a strong position to take advantage when markets improve. My attitude to super is the same as it is for property – you have to be in it for the long haul to be most successful.
My shout out to government
While I understand there needs to be strong controls around super, there is one really important change I’d like to see. That is the ability to contribute more in the latter stages of working life. Particularly for women who, by and large, have longer career breaks and often work part time with a young family. It’s the one time in life when the big ticket items of mortgage and raising a family is under control and you can seriously prepare for life after work.
Inspired by Jeanette's story? Read more stories from our members here.
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