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Apr 7, 2022
How to find and create community in your neighbourhood
The importance of community on our mental health is huge – did you know research into positive psychology found the strength of our personal relationships has far bigger impact on our satisfaction with life than our income? A sense of belonging adds meaning to your life and one of the best (and most convenient!) places to find this is with people who live nearby. The accessibility of social media and the ‘stay home’ messaging of COVID-19 made the process of making real life friends a little trickier, so if you’re feeling isolated right now you are absolutely not alone. However, D Residential Group has the best community and we are here to give you some hope and ideas on how to create the same for you. If you’re new to your ‘hood or yet to find your local tribe, we have come up with our favourite ways to create community wherever you live. Take your hobby outside the home We were all for online workouts and YouTube teaching us to play the guitar while in isolation, but whatever you’re interested in – there’s a group for that! Joining a local gym was life changing for our director Diana Patrascu, who found her people at the BBR gyms in Jolimont and Claremont, so get fit and friends from your nearest fitness centre (endorphins make people happy and chatty!). If you’d prefer something slower like yoga or music, find a local studio or choir and join people who love practising what you do. Seek out local community groups via your council The council website is a great place to start for information on local hotspots like community centres and libraries plus details on upcoming events. From music festivals to author talks, barista courses or farmers’ markets – trust us, there is something for everyone. Once you take the first step, you’ll never look back. Host a welcome to the neighbourhood drinks Once you’ve settled into your new home, invite your nearest neighbours for a housewarming drink. Put on a few snacks, make it super casual and get to know a bit more about those who live around you. If you’ve been in the ‘hood for a while and yet to know the first names of your neighbours (no judgement – but you have some work to do!), host a Sunday afternoon drinks ‘just because’. Head to the nearest dog park or get outdoors If you have a dog, you have the easiest route ever to the land of new friends. Head to the local park and start up some small talk (what breed, how old, what’s his/her name just roll of the tongue!) with fellow dog owners. If you don’t have a pet, spend some time in your garden tending to your plants or even reading the paper – it’s a great way to regularly see your neighbours passing by. Get some good opening lines and just say hi We are social creatures in property management and used to having regular conversations with new people. If the thought of striking up a convo with someone new makes your blood run cold, here are some of our favourite opening lines to get you going. Always start with a quick introduction “Hi, I’m Sarah from apartment or house number 31…” then try; “I love what you’ve done with your lawn/roses/pot plants – how do you get them looking like that?” “I’ve been craving pizza/Mexican/Japanese, have you got any recommendations of the best place nearby?” “Where’s the best coffee around here?” Most people love to be helpful, so asking for any advice is usually a great place to start. Take note of whether they’re in a rush or not – if they’re dashing out the door, probably not the best time to rope them into a chat! We can’t all live on Ramsay Street, especially as Neighbours is in its last year, but community feels can be found in any location if you’re willing to put in a little effort. If you’re struggling in your current place, maybe it’s time for a new neighbourhood all together. Give Diana a call on 0402 888 550 and she’ll be able to help find the perfect place for you.
Dec 22, 2021
Happy holidays from D Residential Group
Like many industries, in property management we are all looking forward to some down time over the Christmas and New Year’s period. I’ll be spending some time with my boys and husband (who also runs his own business) and will be at the beach far more than my office! However, like any good property manager I’ll still be making sure my clients are looked after so I thought I’d let you in on how you can make it a seamless season for you and your investment property. Advise your property manager when you’re going away Just like I am, many of my clients are planning holidays (the trend of staycations is booming I’ve noticed, lots of Rottnest and Crown Resorts!) but the key thing, for both tenants and owners, is to let your property manager know if you are away, mainly for security purposes. We will still have staff looking out for your property over the holiday season and can do this more effectively if we know your schedule. Also, consider providing an emergency contact for where you are going in the unfortunate case of anything needing urgent attention such as a burglary or damage to the property. Absolutely unlikely to happen, but it’s better to be prepared! Check for office closures Office hours will likely change over the Christmas period so be aware, your call may not be answered in the usual timely manner. Check in with your property manager on who to call during office closures in case of emergency. On the flipside, non-urgent enquiries should wait until the office re-opens to respect your property manager’s quiet time. Examples of non-urgent enquiries include broken dishwashers (handwashing isn’t so bad!), a leaking tap or broken cupboard. D Residential Group is shutting the office from Thursday 23rd December and will re-open Thursday 6th January. Ask for a list of trade companies working over the festive season I have a list of go-to companies I use for all of my trades and have checked in with all of them to find out who is available over the December to January period. Check in with your property manager for their list, especially if they are closing their office, because it’s very handy to have an electrician or plumber just in case. Blocked toilet on Christmas Day with 25 guests coming? No thank you! Locked out! When keys go on an adventure without you… Is there a worse feeling than coming home, fumbling around your bag for keys and discovering they’re nowhere to be found?!If this occurs during standard business hours, contact your property manager to borrow the office keys (hopefully you still have your wallet as you’ll need to provide identification to collect the keys) and bear in mind, you’ll need to return them the same day. If it’s outside office hours or on a public holiday, contact a locksmith directly and be prepared to fork out for the cost of their service. We recommend SAS Locksmiths, contact them on (08) 9227 7727. Finally, I’d like to wish all of my clients, go-to trade service providers and supporters the happiest of holidays. I hope you’ll be having plenty of relaxing around enjoying the celebrations with your family and friends, so you feel ready to jump into 2022 with fresh energy! Thank you for all of your support in 2021, I’m grateful for every single one of you.
Aug 6, 2021
Five lessons I’ve learnt after one year of business
Happy birthday to us! D Residential is one year old and what an amazing first year in business it has been. Running my own business has been a lot of hard work and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It really has been the best thing I’ve done. Thankfully, I had the confidence built on years of working in the industry so going out on my own in property management felt right (despite the unexpected gift nobody wanted of COVID-19). There have been so many little milestone wins along the way, including hitting our targets, company brochures, building up quality client lists and my professional network, and most recently, buying a company car (a black Ford Puma – look out for us on the streets of Perth!). Alongside the wins, I’ve also learnt a lot. I’ve narrowed it down to the five big lessons of our first year and I hope they help any of you considering navigating the little bit scary, but very exciting world of business ownership. Lesson #1 – Set your hours and stick to them After working 9 to 5 jobs for someone else’s business, setting my own hours was one of the most thrilling parts about starting my property management business. Being a mum has always required a certain amount of flexibility with work, but now I design my hours every day to be there for my boys when they need me. I drop them off and pick them up every day, and make it to their assemblies – I really love this. However, to make sure I achieve all my work requires top shelf efficiency and I set up my calendar to prioritise clients in allocated hours. I then set boundaries around both work and personal life, so during my regular hours that I’m in my office or with clients, I’m 100 percent focused. I’ve learnt not to take work calls or check emails at ridiculous o’clock because it can and will get done tomorrow. This makes owning a business sustainable in the long run. Lesson #2 – Get your admin systems right before anything else I’ll admit this – I spent a lot of time setting up the back end of the business! Administration procedures do take time to set up correctly and now we have a paperless system and procedures that work seamlessly that make every transaction easier. I have a fool-proof filing system, fantastic software for inspections, plus CRM and accounting programs that keep me on track.Do your research early on and choose the right admin programs for your business – It will be so worth it, I promise! Lesson #3 – Quality clients over quantity Not all clients are equal. It can be tempting to jump in and build your client base as quickly as you can when your business is new. My schedule of fees is non-negotiable, because I provide an excellent service to my clients and the good ones know this service is worth every dollar and more. If you start lowering rates to accommodate more clients, your value decreases as you try to maintain a huge client base. So, my advice is to prioritise those fabulous clients who know your value and pay accordingly. Don’t accept less than you’re worth! Lesson #4 –Write it ALL down I have become a checklist queen, because when you have multiple clients and tasks for each of them, a checklist provides great peace of mind and ensures nothing is ever missed. The brain is a processor not a calendar – so don’t rely on it to remember everything! It’s also important to document all agreements with clients, and between property owners and tenants, because “he said, she said” gets a business owner nowhere! In saying that, I’m also very mindful of what I say because every word counts in business. Be upfront and transparent from the beginning, and your relationships will benefit (this advice works for both business and personal relationships!). Lesson #5 – Create an authentic platform on social media channels My favourite form of business is word-of-mouth, which happens for me regularly thanks to wonderful testimonials and referrals from owners and tenants. There’s nothing like growing your business organically! However, learning how to promote your business on social media is a must-do. I was very overwhelmed by this aspect of business at first and even tried to outsource my social media management. Eventually, I knew I had to learn how to do it myself to truly capture the heart of my business and what we do. I spent two whole days researching programs and teaching myself how to use them, and now I’m proud to say it’s second nature to use social media to promote D Residential. The market doesn’t notice you exist immediately, so spend some time building your brand and following. What I’m looking forward to in our second year… I run the business from my home office, which works so well as we live minutes away from the main strip. However, the plan was always to expand and lease an office, so watch this space as I’ve seen some beautiful locations recently which might become D Residential’s new home! I’m hiring too, so a fresh office is at the top of the list to progress. We’ll also continue to steadily build our portfolio as the set up is now complete. I’ve built some wonderful professional relationships and connected with other real estate agents, so it will be exciting to see the business evolve with some partnerships in action. I have set a target and will be hustling hard! It won’t be easy, but the best things never are! But first, I’m off to blow out the candles on D Residential’s birthday cake! If you’d like to hear more about what we do, call me on 0402 888 550.
Sep 3, 2020
Five habits I’ve learnt in 2020 that I’m keeping
The impact of COVID-19 on the world has been immense in so many ways and some industries will never be the same. Real estate is certainly one of those and I think we’re all still adjusting. Now, I’m in the process of designing my business to reflect the lessons I’ve learnt in 2020 because all clouds come with their silver linings. As D Residential Group settles into its ‘new normal’, I’ve been reflecting on the habits and lessons I’d like to keep from this year and wanted to share with you what’s staying. Pick up the phone more and check in If you’re a phone addict, this is not an affirmation to carry on scrolling. While we were all staying home, I picked up the phone far more to check in on loved ones and clients because connecting felt so important when face-to-face was no longer an option. I checked in with both tenants and homeowners about how they were been affected, and some couldn’t afford full rent or mortgage payment. I was able to help them negotiate great options, whether it was rent reduction or waiver, that brought them peace of mind. It was incredible to be able to help when my clients needed it, and I wouldn’t have known until I picked up the phone and took the time to have an open conversation with them. I’ve continued these open lines of communication and connecting is a priority more than ever. Working from home is amazing It’s not just about the trackies (ok, it is a little bit!), but trialling working from home made me realise I could run my own business from there. I took a leap of faith, after 16 years in the industry, and opened D Residential Group this year. The flexibility of doing things in my own time means life isn’t so chaotic anymore. I can do school drops offs and pick ups every day with my kids, and even prepare dinner early. For my business, I can be really flexible with my clients and work with them at less conventional times. It’s opened our eyes to local travel While European trips are on ice, we have so many beautiful places in Western Australia to explore for our holidays. We love going down south with the family, getting out in nature, eating amazing food at the wineries and visiting hidden gems. Dunsborough, Margaret River and Eagle Bay are some of our faces but next on the list is heading up north to Broome! It’s also made us appreciate how amazing our neighbourhood is – Mt Hawthorn is so vibrant. We’ve tried as many local cafes and shops as possible (Spritz, Birraz and Papagallo are our faves – we love our Italian food!), especially when cafes and restaurants couldn’t have dine-in. It was a great time to show our support and order takeaway as much as possible, which was a lot of fun. Seeing our community spirit flourish in these unusual times has been very cool. Family and health are my top priorities Part of the reason I started my own business was realising family (including friends that are like family) and health are everything to me. I visit my parents more often and schedule catch ups with at least one to two different friends each week. With gyms closed during the peak of COVID-19’s impact here, I really struggled with my fitness. Online classes were not for me, so I have thrived now they’re back open and won’t take them for granted again! I also love regular walks in nature now, brilliant for both my physical and mental health. Collaboration over competition at work No longer socialising at work, from eating lunch together to water cooler chat, was a big adjustment. Real estate is a competitive industry, as you can imagine, but when I moved to working from home it gave me a different perspective. I’m excited to be collaborating with another agency as they pass on property management work my way as it’s my specialty, but not theirs. This works well as not only am I referred clients, but I also have business partners to talk shop with and ensure I’m constantly achieving the best results for my clients, both homeowners and tenants. It’s also been wonderful to see owners rewarding their long term tenants in the current market. I hope my top five lessons give you some inspiration to reflect on what you’ve picked up this year and perhaps even what you’d stopped doing. Please share on our social media accounts if this year has guided you to some beautiful new ways of living. And if a new property is part of your grand plan or you’re after an excellent tenant, let’s talk.