Anna Grech, Partner of Greg Hocking Elly Partners

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Resident of Spotswood

I have been a real estate agent in Melbourne’s Inner West for nearly a decade. Prior to that I ran a business with my husband Claudio buying and selling real estate in Yarraville, Seddon, Footscray and West Footscray. We would buy a property, renovate it and resell, we value added to the property therefore, homes that needed a lot of work and were in poor condition appealed to us.

There’s an interesting story to how we got into buying and selling real estate. Claudio used to run a second hand shop called ‘Gamon Bazaar’ along Gamon Street, Seddon. One day, the old lady just opposite our shop approached us and asked Claudio, “Do you think you can take all the furniture, as I need to have the property empty”

Claudio has always been a finder of treasures so he asked the lady what she was doing with the house. He got really interested when the lady said she was selling it and told her that he may be interested in buying. he suggested to “Get some quotes of the market value from local agents and come back to me.” She didn’t return for a while and we actually forgot about it.

One day, she returned after a few months and asked Claudio if he was still interested in buying the property. She asked for $60,000.

This was in 1991, and the house has been sold three times since.

I remember we had no money, and wondered how we were going to buy the house. At the time I was employed by Melbourne City Council and was on maternity leave, I was in the process of applying for retrenchment as I was pregnant with our second child. One Monday, I rang my boss and asked that my submission for voluntary retrenchment be accepted as I wanted to buy a property and getting retrenched would put me in a good financial position to secure the property. The old lady was prepared to sell it to us on the condition that I was to receive retrenchment from my employer. You don’t see this kind of blind faith or conditions on a sale now days.

We bought the house outright. As soon as we settled we immediately started doing some repairs as our intention was to rent it out and keep it as an investment. We quickly realized why the old lady was desperate to sell. The entire house was riddled with white ants and had major structural damage which at the time was virtually a knock down job. We had a building inspector inspect the property and he advised we couldn’t go back to the owner as we had already settled on the property and had to one of two choices, to renovate the property or resell it.

We took out a small loan of $10,000 to do the renovations. Claudio and I worked day and night on the house, replaced everything, weatherboards, internal walls, floor structures and roof, but kept the outside shell intact. I remember we were afraid that the council would condemn the house to be demolished.

We sold the house nine months later for $137,000. We could not believe it. We doubled our money and decided to pursue this path. We weren’t afraid to buy rundown houses that needed a lot of work and were not for the faint-hearted. We did this for approximately 13 years. During this time we learnt a lot about building, renovating and re developing.

We had 3 kids during this period, juggling work and family. Life was good. However as Yarraville and surrounding suburbs became more popular with first home owners and investors, house prices rose quickly, It started not getting lucrative enough for the work we put in. We held on to a few of them and started working on other options.

I was asked to join a reputable local agency as my experience with buying and selling homes in the area would bring a wealth of knowledge to the job. I was told women real estate agents were hard to employ due to the demands of juggling industry hours and family. Young women don’t want to do the hours and the mature women who want to get into real estate can’t do it due to family commitments. Like myself many women chose this career path once their children were older. The industry is not kind to us due to long hours and week end work.

I found my passion within the real estate industry and absolutely love it. I have recently joined Greg Hocking Elly Partners as a partner. Women can bring a lot to the industry.

One of my highlights in real estate was meeting former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. I sold her house at 9 Medford Street, Altona in 2014. Julia had interviewed a lot of local agents. My approach with the sale was to be more in tune about her concerns and not about “I’m selling her house”.

Julia had many concerns mainly about the media’s attention towards the sale; she was more inclined to sell it off market and didn’t want the house to be advertised. The way I pitched it was any Australian could buy her home and offer it to the people. Usually sales of properties with high profile vendors are often sold off-market and generally no one knows about the sale. I advised her that I would deal with the media and keep it a secret until the property was to be launched for sale. Julia moved out, and we styled her home from her humble beginnings to look its best, and indeed it did. We had a four week campaign and went to auction and had a very successful sale.

The media hounded me for weeks and offers to go on TV and radio were made. I was always mindful of my vendor and had to keep focused why I was employed as her agent in the first place.

I would never get another campaign or auction like Julia Gillard’s home. On Auction Day it was electrifying.

Going ahead, I want to take the next steps in my career. I wish to ensure young people coming into the industry are properly trained. The more experienced and mature agents have a responsibility to do that; a lot of people that go into real estate haven’t received the proper training. It’s important to give back to the industry that has been kind to me.

Real estate agents have had the greatest flak of any industry. We have been slandered, been called liars, egotistical, drive around in flashy cars, it is easy money and hear things like “never trust a real estate agent”. When I joined the industry I vowed I would make a difference and change that perception, by doing the right thing and being ethical at all times. Being female and having some life experience has been a great asset, women are generally more nurturing humans.

Being a real estate agent is extremely rewarding, as you meet different people from all walks of life. It’s crucial to understand that there are different reasons why people sell their property. They could be in financial trouble or experiencing a relationship breakdown or simply a move interstate for work reasons. Most people buy or sell a home a few times if not once in their lifetime, it’s an important event in their lives and it should be remembered as a momentous occasion. They are not only selling their home but all their memories, neighbours, familiar surroundings and a whole community. It can be a stressful and daunting time.

Real estate agents are human. A lot of people think we are a bad bunch. I want to change this perception. I really want to make a difference.

In the last few decades, my family has lived everywhere within the Inner West. We have lived in Seddon, Footscray, Newport, Yarraville and Williamstown but now call Spotswood home.

I come from a very big Italian family who first settled in Yarraville some 65 years ago. ‘La Famiglia’ is number one, and there is nothing I love more than getting together with loved ones, be it family or friends over food and wine. Together with my husband Claudio, we have three children – Giuseppina, an opera singer for Opera Australia; Angelina, a nurse in Royal Melbourne Hospital and my youngest Pierluigi, a carpenter who just finished his apprenticeship, all of whom we are extremely proud of.

My goal within the next 12 months is to build a successful team with my business partner Terry Fitzpatrick together with the support of Greg Hocking Elly Partners within the Yarraville/Seddon/Kingsville/Footscray area. My highest aim is to make the real estate experience for all our clients a memorable one that they will be boasting about in years to come.

I wake up every morning knowing I have more to give. I strongly believe I have a responsibility to my family and that of my children to be a role model to inspire them to be better human beings so they, in turn, can contribute in a positive way to their life and society. It is our responsibility to be the best we can be. No matter what your age, you still have a lot to give.

My favourite words of wisdom are “When you get to the end of the road, you want to make sure you haven’t left any of your talents behind.

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