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Local, well-established agencies in Brisbane’s middle ring have been put on notice, with an agent planning on bringing a fresh approach to a comfortably familiar market.
Canadian-born Steven Kremer launched his own real estate agency, Kremer and Co, on 1 July, stating he was paying immediate dividends in a high-growth area.
“I think this area has been undersold for a long period. You go across the highway from here to Kenmore or Chapel Hill and every listing is perfectly presented and well advertised, so sale prices each month tend to go up and up and up there,” he said.
“It’s time to have the same here in the Centenary suburbs, too.”
Having started his career in the area 14 years ago, Mr Kremer believes his past experiences have helped shape him into a stronger agent today.
“I was lucky enough to work with a big team in Brisbane’s west initially, and we did a huge amount of business. I got thrown into the deep end very early, so it was sink or swim. Fourteen years later, I’m still swimming, so I must have done something right.”
Mr Kremer said all the hard work and preparation prior to launch is why his agency has opened up in such a positive manner.
“We’d been opened for just six weeks and, in that time, listed 12 properties and sold nine,” he said.
The agent believes his early success is down to being part of the community and knowing what locals want in an agent.
“We know the area back to front. I’ve just bought a house and it’s 17 doors up from our office space.
“If I’m not at work then I’m at the grocery store or at the local shop or at the kids’ swimming lesson. Whatever we do, we do it here.”
Mr Kremer and his wife have also renovated a number of homes in the area, so they know what it’s like from the property owner’s perspective.
“I always find that’s a great strength as a local agent, where ‘we’ve done it too’,” he said.
To ensure his agency was well-equipped, Mr Kremer sounded out Dan Argent at UrbanX in mid-2019 to see if the platform’s suite of administrative support, networking and business mentorship would suit his goals.
“I don’t want to be spending hours on trust accounts and admin and all the behind the scenes stuff. I used to think if you’re an agent, you’re an agent and if you’re an office owner, then you’re an office owner, but the platform Dan’s started allows me to be both. I’m not really the office manager – all that’s looked after by UrbanX and for a fraction of my gross commission compared to other models," Mr Kremer said.
“From the day I met Dan’s team, I have not had one thing late or wrong. Everything has been perfect, and nothing has been too much to ask. There are zero pressures on me to do anything. All I have to do is list and sell. It’s absolutely streamlined.
“And the way Dan’s building a community within the platform is great. We’ve already had get-togethers with other UrbanX agents – hearing about different people’s career paths and their lives. I get more out of that than any other ‘agency event’ I’ve ever attended in my career.
“...This industry is so different from what it was when I started 14 years ago… its even different from what it was last week. Things move so quickly and if you don’t have your finger on the pulse, you’ll get left behind.”
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