Success on SA's South Coast

Success on the South Coast of SA

Sam Forde was clearly destined for a life in real estate, following in the footsteps of her father. Sam started her career with her dad in commercial real estate with Myles Pearce before going on to Barry Burrows in southern Adelaide. She then moved on to work in the domestic market with Ray White in the Clare Valley. From there, it was onward and upward to take on the services manager role at Brock Real Estate, where she was responsible for HR, IT, admin and driving culture for the 100+ staff there. Moving on again to become the financial controller for Harcourts Ouwens Casserly before purchasing Harcourts South Coast with her husband Mark in 2010.

A tough start following the GFC

‘Taking on the business following on from the GFC was really tough. House and land prices had taken a hit, finance was difficult to obtain, and confidence was low. It wasn’t till around 2013 that things really started to turn around, and we began the rise up. With robust systems in place and a strong culture, we were able to recruit great people, and it wasn’t long before we became market leaders in our area and leading the way in the state. I’m proud to say we have been the No 1 Harcourts franchise in South Australia now for the past 6 or 7 years.’

COVID, on the other hand

‘COVID for us was boom time. With people flocking to regional areas from the city and to South Australia from interstate. We saw massive interest in the south coast and huge price increases; market activity was intense, and the community was buoyant. So many holiday houses transformed to permanent living, with many owners now with the option to work from home, choosing the beautiful lifestyle the south coast offers.’

‘The market has steadied in the past six months or so now with interest rate rises, and there is a noticeable move back to what is more like the time before COVID. Prices have remained strong, but we are seeing an easing of the activity that prevailed before.

Highs, lows, and challenges

‘Our clients are quite incredible; they are our greatest advocates for the area, with many encouraging people they know to the region. There’s a lot of emotion tied up in this business and a big load of trust involved as well when selling most people’s biggest assets. There’s also a huge sense of pride when you achieve a good outcome for all involved.’

‘It’s not a 9 to 5 job, so it’s not for everyone, but for those that share our core values, care about standards, have a strong work ethic and love working as a team, it can be a very rewarding career.’

‘Recruitment can be a challenge in our space as many young people move away from the region they grew up in to begin their work life. Also, many people moving into the area often only want to work 2 or 3 days a week, which doesn’t really work for us or our clients. That said, we are getting more appropriate candidates applying now, and we will continue employing like-minded people into our amazing team.’

Super rewarding

‘Super is the reward for a lifetime of work and saving, and we as employers encourage our people to be smart about their long-term plans. Many of our team salary sacrifice I know, and several of our sales agents have to be careful not to go over the limits for contributions. REI Super has been our default fund here for good reason: support is available when needed, and returns have been strong for our people.

To relax

‘I run - and not just around the block. Marathons are my passion. Time for yourself is precious in this business, and it’s difficult to get away from the business for extended periods of time. So, I’ve combined my love of travel with my passion for running. I’ve run many domestic marathons over time, but next year will be my crowning achievement when I run in the Berlin marathon. This will complete the big 6 in the world for me: Boston, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, and London.