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Suzanne Brown stepped into the role of president of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) in mid-October, bringing three decades of experience to the position.
In a recent interview, Brown shared how she progressed from an 18-year-old working in short-term leasing to now heading the board of the state’s peak real estate body.
Though Brown’s initial plan after high school was to go into accounting, as she explained on reiwa.com.au, real estate quickly lured her away.
“I left school wanting to be an accountant and took a year off to earn some money. I worked at an accounting firm and quickly realised it wasn’t for me. By chance, I met some real estate agents at a local café, found the industry intriguing, and soon started working at a local real estate agency specialising in short-term leasing and then becoming a property manager,” she explained.
Very soon, Brown decided to pursue the career path further, and enrolled to undertake her diploma accreditation, which involved studying two nights a week at TAFE for three years, all while managing a full time job.
Not long after achieving that certificate, she cracked her next big milestone in co-founding her own agency, Brown Murray in the Perth suburb of Thornlie, all by the age of 22. It was there that she had her first interaction with REIWA.
“I remember how nerve-wracking it was when REIWA came out to inspect our office before granting us membership – it was such an elite club to be part of, and I was so proud to have that sticker on the door. REIWA has continued this influence in the industry and I am so proud to continue to help drive this into the future,” Brown said.
Over the years that have passed, Brown became increasingly more involved in the organisation leading up to her 2024 appointment as president. She held the position of deputy principal from 2022 to 2024, has participated on the finance and risk committee, and represented REIWA as one of its nominees on the property industry advisory committee.
As the first property manager to hold the role for the peak body, Brown reflected that it’s an important moment for the sector, as there’s “growing recognition of the value that a strong rent roll brings to an agency”.
Even so, she acknowledged that there’s quite a way to go in improving the job, with property managers still often overshadowed by a firm’s sales component.
“Property management is often a salaried position, while salespeople typically work on commission and are seen as revenue drivers,” she reflected on the reason that the sector’s professionals often don’t get the recognition they deserve.
But in Brown’s eyes, property management performs at its best when appreciated for the unique role it plays in the industry, and so in her next move, she sought to create business a model that played to property management’s strengths, rather than treating it as a secondary function.
“Property management is highly specialised and independent from sales and has a true focus on long-term client relationships,” she shared.
Her current business, Rentwest Solutions in the riverside suburb of Applecross, has put relationship management front and centre from day one, and now boasts the fact that 91 per cent of its business comes from referrals, having grown a rent roll of 2,200 properties with 42 staff to manage them.
While she’ll be focusing on the broad needs of the Western Australian property industry as she grows into the role of REIWA president, Brown noted that she’s particularly proud to be a representative of her sector, stressing that she feels it’s an exceptional career choice for newcomers to the industry.
“It’s more than just managing properties; it’s relationship management. You develop valuable skills in accountability, client experience, problem solving and property knowledge that stay with you for life,” she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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