1. 1HERSA1 J008
●8 x JUNE 24-25, 2016
Domain’s Rising Stars 2016EMILY POWER
The best and brightest
Meet our finalists, the young agents who are setting new benchmarks in the industry.
T
he new generation of real
estate agents are finding an
edge in an industry where
experience has long been
the major measure of success.
Their innovative calling cards –
buzzing Facebook business pages
and YouTube channels – are just
two ways that they are departing
from tradition.
Domain has recognised the best
young agents aged under 30 in
NSW with the inaugural Rising
Star Award.
The award celebrates the young
guns shaping the future of buying
and selling in Sydney and beyond.
With technology shaking up the
real estate craft, youthful
exuberance and digital nous count
more than ever.
As winner Shane Sullivan of LJ
Hooker and the 12 other finalists
prove, industry veterans are
passing on the baton to a bright
bunch of future stars.
Their mentors are industry
heavyweights who have instilled
values that are reflected in the very
personal way they go about
business and their own leadership
aspirations.
However, the finalists are also
balancing old methods with new
means to find buyers, who could be
just a tweet or video SMS away.
Sullivan, 27, whose market is
Drummoyne and Concord, became
a director and licensee last year,
launching his own office during
Sydney’s property boom.
He expanded his patch from
Concord to Drummoyne and said it
was considered a ‘‘cardinal sin’’ for
an agent to embark on a business
outside their core market.
‘‘It was a huge risk, but you can
choose your fears,’’ Sullivan said.
‘‘I think that in the short time
that I’ve been doing it, I’ve learnt a
lot about myself and have matured
as a person and as an agent.
‘‘I know that my family and
friends are very proud of what I
have achieved in such a short time,
but I’m still not satisfied and
hopefully I never will be.’’
Sullivan has already shown
standout leadership qualities and
has a simple mantra: honour what
you do.
‘‘I genuinely get a kick out of
helping people,’’ he said. ‘‘I care
about their situation and I
genuinely care about the advice I
give and the result I achieve.
‘‘I don’t think most agents are
aware of how much trust people
place in us to help them maximise
their biggest asset. I don’t take that
lightly or for granted.’’
Facebook is a boom tool for the
new generation of agents, who are
creating a network of grassroots
buyers and vendors, from the local
greengrocer, to the footy club
coach and primary school
principal, to interstate or
international prospects.
But highly commended finalist
Dib Chidiac has gone further by
starting his own website, with
video market updates and an
eBook. ‘‘I’m the only local agent
with a big advertising trailer, and
instead of promoting myself I am
giving free information that the
consumer wants,’’ he said.
Domain Group chief executive
Antony Catalano said the winner
and finalists were current leaders
and future captains of industry.
‘‘They are the people who will
transform the way real estate is
conducted in the future,’’ he said.
‘‘There is a lot of money
involved, a lot of your income at
stake and a lot of your wealth tied
up in it, and they are making it less
daunting by giving buyers and
sellers so much more ammunition
to make informed choices.
‘‘They are all talents for a
reason. They are starting off at an
early age, doing things that the
average person doesn’t do in their
industry, going above and beyond.’’
All of the Rising Star finalists
have a ‘‘go get ’em attitude’’ that
has translated into sales when the
odds weren’t in their favour.
Established real estate agents,
with whom they compete, have a
strong and trusted community
presence. So for a young agent
starting out, prospecting, door
knocking and cold calling are part
and parcel of winning listings and
making a name in their area. But in
10 years’ time, all see themselves in
senior roles, closing big deals.
Highly commended finalist
Kristy Syaranamual, of Elders,
said she wants to develop ‘‘a pod of
people’’ behind her. ‘‘I want to do
bigger numbers but still have that
personal customer service,’’
Syaranamual said. ‘‘I want to be a
dominator in my field and someone
a client seeks.’’
Some of the finalists have grown
within the same business over
several years.
Others have embarked on the
life-changing move of opening
their own agency or office,
including James Johnson, of
Johnson Property Agents.
He finished year 12 in 2009 and
went straight into real estate.
Johnson’s pluck and gumption in a
cutthroat industry is a quality
shared among the finalists.
LITTLE’s Christie Mortimer
has been an independent real
estate agent for only six months,
but, like her Rising Star peers, she
has a confidence that belies her
short time in the game. Mortimer
relies on social media to drum up
listings but hasn’t forgotten the
power of old-fashioned face-to-face
business. ‘‘You can have all the
technology in the world, but if a
client doesn’t feel comfortable with
you enough to trust you to sell their
biggest asset, chances are you’re
not going to get their property or
business,’’ she said.
WINNER
Shane Sullivan
LJ Hooker,
Drummoyne
‘‘The adrenalin that kicks
through is quite addictive.’’
Sullivan has come a long way
since his first sale, when his
next-door neighbour entrusted
him with their listing.
From those humble beginnings,
he has developed a
competitive nature and
desire to be the best.
His career trajectory is
still on the up, but he
views his role as
being that of a
mentor.
‘‘As a director I think
my youth brings a
lot of energy and
excitement to the
business,’’ Sullivan
says.
‘‘There is also an
opportunity to
coach some of
the younger guys,
and that is a good
thing.’’
Sullivan goes back to
basics when the
pressure is on.
‘‘I write a to-do list
everyday and I don’t
leave until I have done
it,’’ he said. ‘‘I set a lot
of goals, short term
and long term, and I
am my own biggest
enemy. It’s my only
competition.
‘‘I think my attitude, my
approach and my desire
to be the very best real
estate adviser is why I beat
my competition.’’
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kristy Syaranamual
Elders, Penrith
‘‘My greatest career moment was
continuing when all the odds of
being a mother were against me.’’
Syaranamual was told it would be
impossible to return to real estate
after giving birth to her son.
‘‘Yet my business is only growing
and I love being a mother, all in
one,’’ she said.
‘‘I can time-manage well and get
things done in a much quicker
time than most agents would.’’
She was the first employee of the
Elders Penrith office, nurturing
the business from the ground
up, and was named the
company’s best new talent for
NSW/ACT in her first year.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Dib Chidiac
Raine and Horne, Concord
‘‘The best thing about this job is closing a
deal or getting a listing – that excites me.’’
Chidiac has impressive persuasive powers.
He once talked around an eager vendor in
Concord West.
‘‘I remember turning up and the
vendor said, ‘Dib, we’ve sold the
property – I agreed with the
next-door neighbour to sell at
$2 million’,’’ he said.
Chidiac advised against it and
sold the home under the
hammer, 30 minutes later, for
$2,408,000.
He says he looks to his family
and a network of experienced
agents to steer his career.
‘‘You can give them a call
and if you are down they
bring you back up – it’s
important to have
mentors,’’ he says.
Adrian Sereni
Warwick Williams, Drummoyne
‘‘I had a great taste for an industry I’ve fallen in love with.’’
The game-changer in Sereni’s career was his ‘‘$20 million week’’.
At age 24, he sold Drummoyne’s most expensive house for $9.45
million, an apartment for $5 million and exchanged contracts on
four other properties for high-profile Australians including
Olympics chairman John Coates and billionaire Ralph Sarich.
He credits his commanding presence to a program at the National
Institute of Dramatic Art. ‘‘I signed up for 12-week acting class at
NIDA to work on my presence, tone, pace and persuasion ability
– best decision ever,’’ he said.
Adrian Sereni was unavailable at the time of photography.