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Suzanne Hibberd, director and licensee at Abode Property Agents, has secured a place in the REB 2022 Top 50 Agents NSW, Top 100 Agents, and Top 50 Women rankings.
Ms Hibberd – who services the Sutherland Shire and St George areas in Sydney and was ranked 49th in the 2021 Top 50 Agents NSW rankings – climbed to eighth rank this year.
She almost quadrupled her total dollar value of property settlements between 2020 and 2021 from $114.2 million to $403.0 million and had one of the highest number sales (206) across all the rankings compared to the other top agents.
She placed fourth in the Top 50 Women rankings this year and posted the highest total sales volume, along with one of the highest number of sales and listings.
Expressing gratitude towards her team for her achievements, Ms Hibberd also attributed her results to her three decades of experience in the real estate sector, which has refined her ability to foresee property market trends and adopt her strategies to capitalise on them.
“It’s about being very instinctive with what’s going to happen in the marketplace. I can always feel when the market is going to get harder and perhaps change strategies,” Ms Hibberd explained to REB.
“For example, if open houses aren’t attracting quality buyers, we’ll change it up and do private appointments. That way I can screen the clients better.”
Alongside this, Ms Hibberd has attributed her success to her sound knowledge in council planning and zoning, which has allowed her to specialise in amalgamating development sites.
“I advise developers on what they should do on a site. I help design floor plans. I work with architects and interior designers,” she said.
“I’m generally involved in the whole process, from selling the site all the way through to nurturing the site, the development application with the developers, and helping them design it in a way that is going to sell well on site (we call this the mix and size orientation).
“We then help with designing strategies for project marketing and how to get the best traction in off-the-plan sales.
“This is what I think has enabled me to achieve such strong figures.”
She continued that the process is significantly more complex than a single residential property sale and requires transparency with clients.
“You’ve got to think about the fact that you’ve got to get multiple owners to agree to sell in two different apartment buildings at the same time. That is difficult,” she said.
“It does require a lot of transparency with clients. You need to convince them why now’s a good time to sell.”
She also sells high-end apartments, townhouses, and duplex projects to luxury downsizers.
Don’t be afraid to say no
Ms Hibberd ensures that she only accepts new business if she is comfortable with the projects and the key personnel delivering them.
“If I don’t think something is going to be a great project, I don’t take on the business,” she asserted.
“I choose not to work for developers that I think are going to do a very poor job. Don’t be afraid to say no if you don’t think you’re going to be a good fit or someone is not going to deliver a fantastic project.”
She said her agency had implemented a robust process to list a property, execute the marketing strategy, and utilise the database effectively to ensure that the vendors are well informed throughout the process.
“I don’t want vendors contacting me and asking me for more information or feedback. I want to ensure that I’m on the front foot when servicing the client,” she asserted.
“The vendor should only be ringing me back when they want to make an offer. That’s why we have strategies in place to ensure our vendors are up to speed at all times.”
Be a human being to clients
Ms Hibberd also credited her achievements to her work ethic and dedication to her clients, stating that “real estate is more than a full-time job”.
“It has to be a lifestyle,” she emphasised.
Indeed, when her clients were apprehensive about selling their property during the COVID-19 crisis, Ms Hibberd ensured that she listened to their concerns with patience and understanding.
“It was about trying to take the fear and panic out of your current vendors while assuring the buyers that we wouldn’t see a train wreck with the prices. I told them that the areas I’m working in are very tightly held and as such, they should look to push forward,” she said.
Ms Hibberd also constantly updated all her vendors on her database, wrote blogs, and checked in on owners.
“It was about trying to be there as a human being and taking the fear out of our clients,” she said.
Ms Hibberd – who has six agents and a few members on her administrative team – is aiming to grow her team this year by two or three more staff.
For other agents aspiring to replicate her success, Ms Hibberd advised them to identify the area of real estate they are passionate about and become an expert in it.
“That’s what I say to my young agents. Keep your head down in your lane and stay in your lane. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. It can throw you off and distract you,” she concluded.
For a full view of the Top 100 Agents 2022 rankings, click here.
To view where Suzanne Hibberd and her peers ranked in the Top 50 Women 2022, click here.
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