Stone Macarthur: How one PM team turned feedback, culture, and stability into a high-performing department

In property management, it’s easy to accept turnover, burnout and reactive service as “just part of the job”. But at Stone Real Estate Macarthur, Head of Property Management Gemma Patterson and her team have taken a different approach: build a department that people want to stay in, and clients want to stay with.

This year, that approach has earned Stone Macarthur recognition as a finalist in the REB Awards – a result Gemma is quick to frame as a reflection of the wider team.

“My role is to support our people through the tough days so they can keep showing up with professionalism and care. I’ve had the privilege of building and retaining a team I’m incredibly proud of – talented, resilient professionals who bring heart and grit to every part of the job.

In an industry known for high turnover and low engagement, we’ve built something different. Our culture is strong, our team is stable, and our results speak for themselves.

It’s not always easy, but it’s deeply rewarding. We’ve helped landlords grow their portfolios and tenants settle into safe, stable homes.”

A performance culture built on stability

One of the defining strengths of the Stone Macarthur property management division is experience and retention.

The team averages 12.8 years’ industry experience, supported by a structure that prioritises capability, wellbeing and longevity. Portfolio sizes are tailored based on experience and lifestyle, and the business has maintained a 100% parental leave return rate – a rare achievement in a high-pressure sector.

Rather than chasing growth at the expense of people, the department has focused on building a stable, high-performing team that can handle scale without sacrificing service.
That stability also reinforces the culture the team has built – one grounded in being trustworthy, striving for excellence, putting family first, and backing each other through teamwork.

Turning client feedback into a daily driver

At Stone Real Estate Macarthur, Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a relatively new tool for the property management team – but it’s already had a meaningful impact.
Instead of waiting for complaints, lost managements, or annual surveys, the team now receives real-time feedback that can be actioned quickly. This has helped the department:

• identify communication gaps early

• upskill property managers based on patterns in feedback

• strengthen service delivery across the team

• retain more landlords by addressing issues before they escalate

• recognise high-performing PMs and celebrate what’s working

In short, it’s helped turn client feedback into a practical, daily driver of improvement – not just a score on a report.

(For those unfamiliar: NPS is a simple loyalty metric that measures how likely a client is to recommend your service.)
And the results have been significant.

The current industry average NPS sits at 56.7. Stone Macarthur’s PM team sits at 77.3 – placing them firmly in “world-class” territory, especially for an industry where landlords often only speak up when something goes wrong.

Their NPS representative put it simply:

“An NPS of 77.3 places Stone Real Estate firmly in world-class territory for customer experience. Results like this don’t happen by accident. They reflect a team that actively listens to customer feedback, takes action, and genuinely values long-term customer relationships.”

Gemma’s view is that this is only the beginning.
“It’s a strong result, but we’re just getting started. The value isn’t the score – it’s what the score teaches us.”

Systems that support people, not replace them

The department has invested in operational improvements designed to reduce friction for both landlords and tenants.

This includes implementing new maintenance reporting tools, expanding virtual assistant support to reduce admin load, and creating clearer internal workflows across two office locations.

But Gemma’s leadership philosophy remains consistent: tools only matter if they protect the team’s ability to deliver human service.

In a sector where speed often comes at the cost of care, the department has focused on building systems that make it easier to deliver both.

Practical lessons for other PM leaders

While every business has different constraints, Gemma believes there are a few principles that can be applied anywhere:

• Retention is a growth strategy: protecting your people protects your clients.

• Feedback needs a system: collect it consistently, act on it quickly, and use it for coaching.

• Training must be ongoing: capability doesn’t come from a once-a-year CPD tick.

• Culture is operational: the way the team supports each other directly impacts service outcomes.

It’s a practical approach, but one that requires discipline – and a genuine commitment to doing the work behind the scenes.

A finalist result that reflects the whole team

For Gemma, the REB finalist recognition is meaningful – but the real achievement is what it represents: a department that has moved from surviving to leading.

A modern PM model built around performance, stability and care.

And a reminder that in property management, doing the right thing is not only possible.

It’s also a business strategy.

About Stone Macarthur A team of experienced and passionate real estate professionals have grown the business from one office in Camden, to now welcoming clients across all of the Macarthur region – all of this since 2019.