A couple marking three years of agency ownership have shared their strategy for growth and navigating the evolving market while maintaining the fundamentals of the industry.
Coronis Bracken Ridge co-owners, Cassandra and Dion Saab, have shared the importance of investing in future growth, prioritising genuine connection, and going back to the basics.
In their time at the office, the pair have sold more than 300 properties, taken their rent roll past 250 properties under management, and grown their team to 13.
Cassandra and Dion, who are marking three years since the opening of their Brisbane office in August 2023, said that those who didn’t evolve with the industry would be left behind.
“When we think back to our early days in real estate, the way we market properties, communicate with clients and generate business has changed dramatically,” they said.
Be proactive, not reactive
Early on, the couple learnt that being principals meant being proactive, not just reactive, by investing in future growth rather than waiting for success to force change.
With this mindset, they decided to increase the size of their property management team so their current members wouldn’t be burdened when their workload increased.
“We didn’t want our people constantly putting out fires; we wanted them to have the capacity to communicate, build relationships, identify issues early and deliver the level of service we expect from our business,” they told REB.
By employing an office director, they were also able to delegate some of the responsibilities of operations, systems and team management so they could focus on leading, mentoring and supporting their staff.
“It has also allowed us to remain present as parents, which is incredibly important to us. We want to build a successful business, but not at the expense of our family or our team,” they said.
“For us, sustainable growth isn’t about doing more with less. It’s about building the right structure, putting the right people in the right roles and creating enough capacity for everyone – including us as owners – to perform at their best.”
The role of technology
Cassandra and Dion said technology can make agencies more efficient, improve systems and foster better communication, but it can never replace genuine connections.
“We absolutely embrace technology and will continue to evolve with it, but we see it as a tool to support relationships rather than replace them.”
“If technology can give our team more time to have meaningful conversations, provide better service and be more present with our clients, then that’s where we see its real value.”
The pair said they kept connected and built trust within the market by living locally and attending community events, regularly seeing buyers and sellers outside of real estate transactions.
“Technology will continue to change how real estate is done, but we don’t believe it will ever replace the importance of being visible, accessible and genuinely connected to the community you serve.”
Go back to the basics
As the market slows down, the couple said one of their biggest areas of focus will be helping agents sharpen the fundamental skills of negotiation, prospecting and buyer management.
“As conditions change, agents will need to become much more proactive.”
“It will be about finding the buyers rather than waiting for the buyers to find you, understanding their motivation, matching them to the right properties and having the skills to bring both sides of a transaction together.”
Cassandra and Dion said another valuable lesson was that while agents can’t control the changing market, they can choose how they prepare to respond to it.
“The agents who continue learning, prospecting, building relationships and developing their negotiation skills will be the ones who can adapt regardless of the conditions.”
“Our approach will be the same as it has always been: adapt with the market, keep developing our people and never lose sight of the responsibility we have to deliver the best possible service, experience and outcome for our clients.”
Working as a couple
The pair said working as husband and wife had significant advantages, but it required navigating nuanced challenges at the beginning of their professional partnership.
“In the early days … we had to learn where the boundaries were between husband and wife, colleagues, and eventually business partners,” they said.
However, one benefit was that they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses well, and how their personality differences complemented each other.
“Over time, we’ve become much better at recognising what each of us brings to the table. There are things Dion is naturally much stronger at and things Cass is stronger at, and rather than competing with that, we’ve learnt to lean into it.”
Additionally, they said they shared the same goals for success and were both committed to building the business and their lives together.
“We can strategise together, challenge each other and, probably most importantly, give and accept critical feedback from one another. There’s a level of honesty between us that can be incredibly valuable in business.”
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