By TINA LIPTAI
Seeing potential where others don’t has always resulted in success for Amanda Gould. Whether it’s identifying an ‘ugly duckling’ with the potential to be a great family home, finding a property that will yield the best return for an investor or working closely with her team to help them achieve their goals, Amanda thrives on making dreams a reality.
After a successful 27-year jet-setting career in travel, Amanda Gould was looking to make a lifestyle change. Little did she know that her lifelong interest in buying and renovating investment properties had already set her up with many of the foundation skills she needed to launch her career as a buyers’ agent.
“I didn’t know what a buyers’ agent was at the time, but I’d developed relationships with many agents over the years and they explained it to me,” Amanda remembered. “I’d been buying, renovating and selling properties since I was 18 years old. Friends would often ask me for advice when buying property and dealing with real estate agents. I’d work with them to find the right property, help them with the negotiation process and sometimes even bid for them at auction. I absolutely loved it!”
After making some initial enquiries about the role and responsibilities of buyers’ agents, Amanda knew it was the perfect career move and took the leap to make it her full-time role, launching her business, HighSpec Properties, 11 years ago.
“Not once have I ever looked back or had a safety net,” she said.
“It’s a great feeling to know you can do something that adds value. I tell all my clients and my team they can own a slice of Sydney, but you need to have the confidence to buy something other people ignore, and be prepared to transform it and grow your wealth.”
Amanda said that the thrill of turning her first property purchase from an ‘ugly duckling’ into a real return on investment fuelled her passion for real estate – and that thrill is still a source of motivation for her today.
“I’ve always had an eye for interior design and choosing properties that need a little renovation,” she said. “My first property was a studio in Manly. I painted the kitchen cupboards, replaced the taps and put new carpet in. I could see immediately the difference and impact that these little things made.
“That’s where my passion really started. I wanted to find ‘ugly ducklings’, so I could transform them. It’s a great feeling to know you can do something that adds value. I tell all my clients and my team they can own a slice of Sydney, but you need to have the confidence to buy something other people ignore, and be prepared to transform it and grow your wealth.”
Perfect match
For Amanda, one of the best aspects of being a buyers’ agent is matching her clients to their dream home.
“When you show clients a property and you see their eyes light up, it’s a great feeling,” she explained. “We have clients with a range of different needs, because they are at different life stages. Some are looking to buy their first property and need lots of contact and support, while others are seasoned investors who need less support but benefit from our expertise.
“It’s rewarding to work closely with a broad range of clients to understand their needs, build a trusting relationship and help to make their dreams a reality.”
To find that perfect match for clients, Amanda said a lot of work must be done behind the scenes.
“It’s rewarding to work closely with a broad range of clients to understand their needs, build a trusting relationship and help to make their dreams a reality.”
“I think there’s a misconception that being a buyers’ agent is easier than being a residential sales agent – it’s not true,” she explained. “In a lot of ways, buyer’s agents have a bigger scope to cover than residential sales agents. You need to know how a transaction runs, have excellent negotiation skills, a good understanding of auctions, be a people person and have a solid knowledge about many suburbs. You also need to be willing to keep learning.
“Buyers’ agents need to do more due diligence for clients, such as checking whether there are any development applications lodged or in process with council that could affect the property. It’s also really important that you understand the nuance that’s required to estimate the price of a property. You need to be aware of underquoting and be able to negotiate the right price, so your client is paying what the property is worth. And it’s important that you have the skills and knowledge to clearly communicate to your client what’s achievable.”
Going for goals
Amanda said one of the biggest drivers in her personal and professional life is the enjoyment of setting and reaching goals.
“I’ve always loved meeting deadlines,” Amanda said. “Even when I was a little girl, I’d set goals for myself at school or sport. It’s an incredible feeling to push yourself to achieve something you weren’t sure was possible and realise what you are capable of.”
Amanda said she also gets a lot of satisfaction from helping her team to achieve and exceed their goals.
“Most of the time, you are the only person stopping yourself from achieving what you want,” she said. “Helping my team smash their goals is a wonderful feeling.
“I enjoy being the leader of the business. I’m big on support and mentoring to help people get where they want to be and I don’t think it necessarily needs to take a lot of time. I have weekly one-on-one meetings with each team member that involve 15 minutes of focus. This is when I take a deep dive into what they want to achieve and reverse engineer a plan to get them there. Then it’s about staying in touch and helping to keep them on track.”
“I think there’s a misconception that being a buyers’ agent is easier than being a residential sales agent – it’s not true. In a lot of ways, buyer’s agents have a bigger scope to cover than residential sales agents.”
Expanding to Bryon Bay
Amanda achieved one of her long-term goals in 2021 with the opening of her Byron Bay office, with the pandemic being the catalyst for her decision to take the leap.
“Byron Bay has always been calling,” she said. “I’ve been travelling there for holidays for most of my life. In the past year, I’ve seen 50 per cent growth across both the residential and commercial markets. With COVID-19 and lockdowns, there has been a mass exodus from Sydney to Byron Bay and those buyers need representation.”
Amanda said Byron Bay was a diverse market with luxury homes, unique properties and acreage. She provides clients with her knowledge of the Sydney market and an understanding of their needs, combined with the benefits of local knowledge from agents on the ground who have joined Amanda’s agency.
“No matter their budget, we can help our clients find their dream homes,” she said. “I’m well connected with agents who have excellent local knowledge, which helps us find the right property.”
Amanda said now that she’s achieved her dream of opening a second office, she’s focused on growth.
“There are a lot of exciting things happening that I can’t share just yet, but I’m really focused on expanding the business and I’d love to open a third office on Sydney’s Northern Beaches,” she said.
Why I love real estate
“I love that I get to work with clients to help their goals for their future come true,” Amanda said. “I enjoy building the relationship with clients to become their trusted advisor. I’m very client-focused in everything I do. My aim is always to have an ongoing relationship, so they don’t leave it at just one property. I want to help each client buy and build that asset, then help them upgrade it or, if they are an investor, add to their portfolio.”
Amanda said that knowing she’s helped show a client the value in a property is a great feeling.
“To be able to help clients feel confident about the decisions they’re making because they have a professional buyers’ agent by their side who is helping them to grow their property portfolio or secure their dream home is very rewarding.
“The work I do really brings me so much joy. It’s a true collaboration with clients and I want each one of them to walk away saying ‘that’s the best decision I’ve ever made’ when it comes to a property purchase.”
Amanda’s career tips
1. Be a people person
You need to be willing to network if you want to be a successful buyers’ agent. Don’t expect clients to come to you. You have to go out and find them. Know who your ideal client is and chase them by going to networking events and absorbing yourself in their industry. Understand what value you can add for them and be a problem solver. It’s all about giving to receive.
2. Be willing to keep learning
Take as many professional and personal development courses as you can, so you can keep learning. Be an expert on what’s happening in your geographical area. The best way to do this is by attending auctions and open homes, and sharing this information with your clients to demonstrate your knowledge. And always share stories about recent sales in your area. Clients want to know what you know.
3. Be persistent
Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. There’s always a way to negotiate and secure the best outcome. I’d also suggest you say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes your way. You can work out how to do it later.
4. Be ready for hard work
Like so many roles in the real estate industry, being a buyers’ agent is not a nine-to-five or Monday-to-Friday job. Sometimes it’s seven days a week and you need to be prepared to put the time and energy in to reap the rewards. There’s certainly flexibility, but you have to be available when clients need you, so you must be agile and have a strong work ethic.
The rise of buyers’ agency
As a relatively new area of the industry, buyers’ agency has evolved quickly and demonstrated its value as an essential service to help buyers navigate the unfamiliar world of real estate sales.
“Today, having a buyers’ Agent is a necessity not a luxury,” Amanda said. “When I first started out, having a buyers’ agent was seen as a luxury, but buyers deserve to have representation for the biggest purchase of their life. Vendors have an expert agent working for them, so it makes sense that a buyer would also have access to the same support and expertise with someone who can act on their behalf.”
Amanda explained that a buyers’ agent can make a huge difference to the experience of purchasing a property.
“Buyers’ agents are skilled at negotiation and, through our relationships with sales agents, we have access to off-market properties, which is an important value-add for clients,” she said.
“Sales agents are there to get the best price for vendors, so it’s hard for buyers to know who to trust. Buyers’ agents are about getting the right price for a buyer, which is why our role is so important. We have our client’s best interests at heart and are there to give accurate advice to ensure the best outcome. Our role is not about commission and it’s not transactional. It’s about helping our client reach their goal.”
Buyers’ agency continues to be an exciting area of growth for the industry and Amanda believes this will only build more momentum in the coming years.
“It’s certainly a growing part of the industry,” she said. “I believe that, as an industry, we need to be mindful that as more people become buyers’ agents, we need to ensure our standards remain high. It’s an exciting time of growth for the industry, but we need to make sure we always operate with the best interest of our clients as the focus.”