Abode Property Agents director Suzanne Hibberd started on a property journey at a young age, buying her first property at 18, then her second property at 21, before building her own dual occupancy at 23.

By 1996, she was a partner in one of the oldest real estate offices in Cronulla — even though she began her career in a completely different field of IT.

With her early exposure to development, along with mentorship and passion, the director was then inspired to pivot her attention towards developments once she kickstarted her own business.

Ms Hibberd shared in a recent episode of REB’s The WIRE: “My mentor who encouraged me to buy a property when I was 18, he has a development background, so he taught me all about options, financing developments, looking at something and seeing what could be — just everything to do with real estate.

“He buys things often that other people won’t look at buying and then turns them into something miraculous. That has inspired me to get into that space.”

Whereas most would write off development as being too hard, Ms Hibberd expressed her love for “making something out of something else”.

“Rather than just people buying homes and renovating them, I just love residential luxury apartment buildings,” she said.

The process

Priding Abode Property Agents on its exemplary customer service, Ms Hibberd argued that one of the secrets to her success has been in building long-term relationships rather than simply running after short-term gains.

Within Abode, the director makes it a point to have everyone live by “small fish doctrine” — that is, no matter how big a pond they find themselves in, they never underestimate the competition, rest on their laurels or think themselves invincible.

Instead, she said she and her staff always strive to improve and take care of their customers to maintain loyalty.

“We don’t just take on every project that we’re offered... I don’t want to be embarrassed walking down the street where I’ve sold something to someone and it’s just an absolute lemon,” according to Ms Hibberd.

“I want people to see me and say, ‘Oh, Suzanne... You’ve changed our life. The apartment we’re living in, we absolutely love.’”

Acknowledging that it is a tough space to be in, Ms Hibberd still sees the value in what she does: “It brings tears to my eyes when someone does a pre-settlement inspection, and they’re crying on how gorgeous their apartment has been handed to them. They’re overwhelmed. It’s so wonderful to see.”

To be able to curate her offerings, the director revealed she spends time with developers to study the feasibility of the project and the potential of the site and the building based on basic fundamentals — from finances and floor plans to demographics and buyer preferences.

She said: “I know what the buyers are looking for in [the St. George and Sutherland Shire] area, so it’s really important that the architecture is quite coastal…. If you have a building that’s in the city, and it’s awful and concrete, people in the Shire will say, ‘When’s that building going to be painted?’”

Not only that, “it’s got to look right, it’s got to be saleable — the floor plans, the internal sizes, the mix of apartments, the orientation of the apartment are all very important to achieving that maximum gross realisation”, the director advised.

Then it’s on to actually selling the properties.

“We will get down to the ins and outs of their internal finishes. Then right through to the marketing — the angles for the CGIs, the furniture, all that marketing tactics. We’ll work with creative design companies to bring the project to life and into the market,” Ms Hibberd outlined.

Through the years, Abode has successfully sold a number of off-the-plan projects within the St George and Sutherland area, at times even going against some of the “big guns” from the city, Ms Hibberd said.

“Some of the city’s big guns we’re very competitive with, and we’ve demonstrated a number of times that even if it’s David against Goliath, we know how to win,” she said.

Tips for winning

With Abode Property Agents now geared up to establish a second office, Ms Hibberd expressed that she will continue to operate on the “small fish doctrine” — practising caution, learning from her mistakes and growing with her team.

“You’re going to make a lot of mistakes. You’ve got to learn from them and move on,” she said.

Offering some wisdom for others who may be interested in heading down the path of development, Ms Hibberd warned: “Be prepared for hard work and a competitive environment, because if you’re not prepared for that, you’re going to fail.

“And listen to stories of courage from other people and use that courage in all of your day-to-day actions. Find a mentor who you’re going to learn from… You’re not learning while you’re talking, so learn to listen.”

Listen to the full conversation with Suzanne Hibberd here: