In just 12 years in the industry, Christian has gained extensive experience in sales, property management and strata management. He’s a trained auctioneer and has also worked overseas in sales, management and public relations.
Developing a diverse skill set and range of practical knowledge was a deliberate strategy for Christian, who prides himself on being an all-rounder, and is one of the keys to his success in his role as Business Development Manager and Commercial Specialist at Raine & Horne Concord.
“I’ve always wanted to be an all-rounder and fulfil my potential in every area. I’m always wanting to learn as much as I can and test my abilities, so I’ve worked in all areas of real estate to learn as much as I can about every facet of the industry,” he explained.
“For me, success is all about creating a diverse skill set and always learning. I know some people prefer to specialise, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But for me, I think there’s great value in being an all-rounder and being able to jump in and help where it’s needed. I love that I can walk into any area of the business and know exactly what I can do to help.”
Open to possibilities
Like many successful agents, Christian’s fascination with the real estate industry began at a very early age and his passion for property has only grown as his career has progressed.
“I’ve always loved property. I remember being a kid and thinking I’d like to live in a mansion – as I’m sure a lot of kids do,” he laughed. “But I was also interested in finding out how I could own a home like that and exactly what I needed to do to get there. So that’s when I started learning about listing, selling and managing. And I’m still as passionate about all of those elements of real estate today.”
As soon as he finished school, Christian landed a role at the age of 17 as a trainee strata manager. For the next three years, while also completing a media and communications degree by correspondence, he threw himself into the world of strata management determined to learn as much as possible.
Just as he was starting to contemplate the next move in his career, at the age of 20, Christian had the unexpected, but exciting, opportunity to live and work in Rome. Working for his family’s coach and tourism business as operations manager, Christian gained a wealth of experience in customer service, management and public relations.
“It was an amazing experience,” he explained. “I met and worked with people of every nationality and from all corners of the world. I learnt a lot about working with customers, including the importance of excellent service and giving customers an exceptional experience. I was thrown in the deep end in a lot of ways, but it was one of the biggest and best learning curves in my career.”
Though Christian is fluent in Italian, his role forced him to push the boundaries of his comfort zone, with his language and communication skills put to the test every day as he worked across all areas of the business.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of his role in Italy, and one he still enjoys to this day, was making customers feel welcome and doing everything in his power to ensure each customer had an enjoyable experience. Christian was also responsible for crisis management, on the rare occasion that a coach broke down while on tour, and solving other regular logistical challenges – expertise which has proved vital to the success he’s enjoyed in real estate.
Hungry for success
After two years in Italy, Christian returned to a role in sales where he worked for a number of years before later moving into property management. When talking about real estate, the opportunities in the industry and his career highlights, Christian’s enthusiasm is palpable.
“I’m always hungry for new opportunities,” he said. “I love what I do, but I’m always thinking about what’s next. I love starting something new and fresh. It’s really exciting for me. I see every day as a brand-new opportunity and that keeps me striving to make it the best day yet.
“What keeps me motivated over the long term is knowing that in real estate there’s always an opportunity to learn and no two days are alike. Yesterday I was meeting with a client at a beachside café, today I was in a factory warehouse looking at bare walls discussing what needs to be done, and who knows where I could be tomorrow?”
The variety and dynamic nature of the real estate industry is an environment where Christian thrives.
“For me, one of the highlights of this job is the amazing people from all different walks of life,” he said. “I’m constantly meeting new people every day at work, and at different functions over the years I’ve met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and a few celebrities too – and no matter who they are, they all have some interest in real estate and I really enjoy being able to speak with them and use my knowledge of the industry in this way.”
Strive for success
Christian says there aren’t any secrets to success in the real estate industry. It all comes down to discipline, dedication and hard work.
“I think one of the things that sets me apart from some other agents is that I’m very hands on. I don’t like to delegate when it comes to client service,” he explained. “I like to be there for clients every step of the way. It builds trust – and strong relationships with clients are so important in this industry. I always communicate in real time with clients and on the phone as much as possible, because I always want them to hear updates, good or not so good news, directly from me.
“My clients respond really well to this approach. It makes them feel more confident and it feels good to be able to give that level of service. I also think this level of service, more often than not, results in word-of-mouth recommendations. These are worth so much to me and it’s what I’ll always strive for.”
Christian said his focus on constant and open communication with clients also helps him when it comes to educating consumers about challenges in the market.
“It’s true that it can be a volatile market and competition is tough,” he explained. “But I think there is also a lot of misconception and misinformation out there, from the media in particular, that can be confusing for consumers and cause unnecessary anxiety.
“Clients often have preconceived ideas about the market and how best to operate in it, so I spend a lot of time educating and reassuring them that it’s not as bad as they might think. It’s important for all agents to have the expert knowledge of the market and the right skills to be able to communicate this to clients. Agents have a vital role in explaining to consumers what they need to know about the market, their options and what they can expect.”
And his advice for agents who are starting out? Stay hungry and be resilient.
“Personally, I think it’s a good approach to believe that everyone is better and wiser than you. That keeps me hungry, keeps me motivated and makes me always provide impeccable service,” he said.
“I’d also say it’s important to take things one step at a time. Remember, if it was easy everyone would do it. Keep your eyes on your goals and keep working towards them every day, one day at a time. And don’t let other people bring you down or distract you from your goals.”
Towards professionalism
With Christian’s insatiable hunger for knowledge and commitment to service excellence, it should come as no surprise that he’s an advocate of the real estate industry gaining recognition as a profession.
“We need to practice what we preach and separate ourselves from the average agents out there,” he said.
“There are still people who see agents as the equivalent of used car salesmen and for most agents that’s very far from the truth. Maybe it was different in the old days and you could be fast talking and flashy, but these days you need to be knowledgeable, be able to manage stakeholders and add value to every transaction for your clients. We need to change how our industry is regarded by the public and being recognised as a profession is key to that.
“To me, a professional agent is compassionate, humble, honest in their dealings, true to themselves, an excellent communicator, adaptive to change, resilient and versatile. As an industry, we can start by working towards these attributes in everything we do.
“We also need to prioritise education. Continued learning is very important as we become a profession and agents need to understand the value of education. Going beyond just CPD points, it’s important that we start to reach wider and look to recognised trainers and leaders in the industry – go to hear them speak, read, learn as much as we can.
“I’d encourage everyone to meet with like-minded people in the industry. Stop seeing all other agents as competitors and see them as someone you can learn from. In a changing industry we need to be looking at ways agents can work together. We need a united industry. We have a lot to achieve and we need to find common ground."