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A boutique Sydney agency is doing things very differently for its clients — and value creation sits at the heart of it all.
In conversation with REB, the co-founder of Sydney agency BadgerFox, Marco Fabrizio, has explained how his business is “not really selling real estate like a normal agency”.
“We’re more so about giving memorable experiences, unforgettable information, helping them build wealth through property,” he continued.
“I’m not here to make bucks on people’s head, and just open the door and let the house sell it, make a commission and never speak to the person again.”
It’s an attitude to real estate that’s paying off for the agent, who now has two successful offices, one in Double Bay and one in Padstow, after launching the business back in 2017.
Explaining that real estate isn’t always about the price and commission, he commented “it’s not even really about the agents, to be honest”.
It’s why he and his two business partners initially decided against associating their names with the brand and instead “just two animals put together”.
Even in recruitment, Mr Fabrizio said he makes it very clear “that it’s not about them”.
“Wherever you came from, your business might have had your face on it and your email signature would have had your face on it, and it’s all about you. There’s none of that.”
Adding that there’s no property for sale in our windows in any of the BadgerFox offices, he commented: “We’re not trying to sleep with anyone on the first date, we’re not calling up people before they’ve even said good morning, [asking:] ‘Do you want to buy, sell, lease? Anything new’?
“I’m more so interested in providing so much value that they never forget who I am, and I help them change their position and direction of where they’re going in their life. Because there’s a lot of people that are stuck and they don’t know where to go or what to do.”
The agent prides himself and his team on the level of investment they place into the property buying and selling journey, and their ability to provide an end-to-end customer solution, instead of just opening up a door, styling a property to “tell a mum and dad over a cup of coffee that they’re going to get them the best price in the world”.
“I can guarantee you, a majority of the agents out there, they don’t even know about the building and pest report, and they couldn’t care less about it. Because they’re not invested in it. They don’t care about it,” he commented.
“They don’t invest in their business, they don’t invest in themselves, they don’t invest in property.”
Following on from his values around buying and selling, Mr Fabrizio sees property management as an integral aspect of his client relationships.
He believes it’s an area that provides “significant value” to his clients — and not the other way around.
“The things that we get done for our clients, I don’t see many property managers doing that. We do everything for a client’s property,” he said.
Acknowledging that he has owned property for a long time, Mr Fabrizio said: “Before I even came up with BadgerFox, I had property managers in all these networks who would rock up, not have a clue, not take photos, not give me any information and just churn out 5 per cent for nothing, really.
In his own agency, Mr Fabrizio said “they do it our way”, with an emphasis on inspecting properties, taking photos and providing detailed reports to landlords.
That value extends to the cost.
“I’m not so gung-ho and focused on slugging someone with a 5 to 6 per cent management fee,” he added.
With BadgerFox using Managed App for its property management platform, the agent conceded they aren’t charging clients “even half of that”.
He said: “Because I don’t really care about a couple of $30 to $40 per month, or whatever it’s going to generate.
“I care about providing so much value that I know for a fact this person is going to turn around and tell their whole family about their experience.
“It’s more about just being real people, giving serious value, and it’s not about us. It’s about the customer at all times. I don’t care about anything else.
“We’re not really marketing property anymore. We’re marketing our clients’ experience and trying to leave memories behind, you know what I mean?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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