PM Gems: The joy of handing over the keys

"Very recently I was able to lease a property to a gentleman and his family who were refugees. The father came over on a boat, taking a massive risk and did not see his family or wife and three children for 10 years. He spent that time working extremely hard to build a life here in Australia for his family to come over to.

He shared his story with me telling me how much he needed this home. He wanted to provide his family a home when they arrived; their VISAs were finally approved and he had not seen one of his children since they were three years old. His hard work over the past 10 years meant he was able to build an excellent application with high income, full-time work and rental history.

His story really touched me, he was so genuine and appreciative. The home could not have gone to a better person and I was extremely grateful he shared his story with me. When coming to collect the keys he brought a huge box of beautiful Afghani cakes to say thank you.

I keep thinking about the indescribable moment of him being able to pick up his family from the airport after such a long time of not seeing them and of course how insanely lucky I am to have not gone through something like this.

Last year I leased a property to someone with a similar situation who told me it was their son’s first day of school tomorrow and the Dad’s first day at work, he said "Every day is so exciting and new for us.”

My Dad works in real estate so I grew up with real estate all around me. It wasn't something I immediately knew I was going to do, until I began working as a Saturday receptionist/rental support while I was still in school. I would cover the full time staff members on school holidays, so the more exposure I had and the more confidence I grew, I felt this was an industry I could really see myself in.

Originally I applied for a sales support role at Ferntree Gully which I was unsuccessful for, but they rang a few days later to offer me a role in the marketing team. The same day I saw a position vacant for their leasing team and I asked to be put forward for the role instead.

Fast forward to now, I am still in the leasing department and now managing the team, and have been lucky enough to have achieved so much in my role.

Leasing is my passion and I struggle to see myself doing anything other than real estate, not because it is familiar and comfortable but because I really feel I am doing the work I am supposed to be doing. I love every day.

I love the change that I can make to someone’s day, both renters and rental providers. When I look at how many properties I have leased for the month, my first thought is not “Yes I have hit my KPI”, it is “I have given a home to 20 people this month”. While this is relevant in our jobs always, it hits differently this year when we are in a rental crisis and so many people are struggling. I am so fortunate to be in a position to manage a team that is supportive, hardworking and shares the same excitement I do when coming into work.