By KATHY SALTER
Longstanding members of the real estate industry talk about their career journey and what REINSW membership means to them.
Stanton & Taylor Real Estate
Born and raised in Penrith, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who knows much more about the local area than Greg Taylor, who is the Principal, Director and Licencee in charge at Stanton & Taylor Real Estate. But when it’s a question of the latest industry news, Greg relies on REINSW to help his team keep on top of the changes.
“COVID-19 was the perfect example of this,” Greg said. “Everyone was clamouring for information, and the service that members received from REINSW was first class – for example, with the Keeping it Real bulletins and videos every day. This meant that we knew what we were supposed to do. I don’t know anywhere else we could have gone for information that was so up-to-date and readily available.”
It was Greg’s father, John Taylor, who first opened Stanton & Taylor in 1960 with his business partner Alec Stanton. The agency is Penrith’s oldest real estate business and still maintains the same focus on local knowledge, local relationships and good service that have characterised it since the early days. Alec retired in 1972, leaving John in charge until his retirement in 1997.
Although Greg had always known he wanted to work in real estate, his father encouraged him to find his own path outside of the family business. Greg studied accounting and spent eight years with PwC before joining Stanton & Taylor in 1983, later buying into the business along with his sister Michelle when John retired. With Greg in charge of sales and Michelle looking after property management, the siblings grew the business together until Michelle retired, leaving Greg in charge.
“She’s younger than me and she’s already retired,” Greg said. “I must be doing something wrong!
“Today my two children, Michael and Amanda, have also followed in the family footsteps and are members of the team.”
I’m a little disappointed that membership of REINSW isn’t compulsory. The lobbying that REINSW does is important. If membership became compulsory, with more people lobbying, the industry would have a much louder voice.
Greg Taylor
Stanton & Taylor Real Estate
Over 50 years of membership
Stanton & Taylor has been a member of REINSW for more than 50 years, since 1968. Greg has personally been closely involved, with over a decade of service, initially as Secretary and then as President of the REINSW Nepean, Blue Mountains & Hawkesbury Division.
“In my time as Secretary and Chairman, we lobbied both State and Federal members. We got REINSW in front of important decision-makers. It's always useful for them to know that we're there.
“I’m a little disappointed that membership of REINSW isn’t compulsory. The lobbying that REINSW does is important. If membership became compulsory, with more people lobbying, the industry would have a much louder voice.”
Information you can count on
Although the need for daily COVID-19 updates are happily behind us, Greg said that the team at Stanton & Taylor still depend on REINSW for information on real estate.
“For us, it’s all about having that source of information you can count on,” he said. “It’s reliable and it’s timely.
“We regularly use the Helpline and they’ll be able to answer your questions on the spot, or they’ll take the time to find your and back to you. We also attend the training sessions and the annual Roadshow. They are all essential for us. We use REI Forms Live as well, which is great value.”
H+D Real Estate
When he took the helm of H+D Real Estate in 2020, Matthew Wrigley knew that he was joining a business with a reputation for innovation, resilience and an entrepreneurial flair that had guided the agency through its hundred-year history.
He also knew that he would need to call on those same values as he made the changes needed to forge a way forward for the business into the future.
Hore & Davies was founded in Wagga Wagga in 1920, when friends Herbert Hore and Frank Davies, saw the need for a reliable and professional real estate agency and decided to go into partnership together. The friends built a reputation over the ensuing years for integrity and honesty, eventually passing the agency on to the sons of the Davies family, Robert and John. Next came an era of shareholder ownership, before Matthew Wrigley bought into the business and became CEO in 2020.
“Our brand has undergone a transformation to H+D Real Estate, with a fresh and modern appearance,” Matthew explained. “Today, H+D Real Estate is a future-focused full-service agency with three offices in Wagga Wagga, Sydney and Melbourne – and we’re excited to announce the opening of a new sub-branch in Vietnam.
“Our team have invested significant effort into modernising a century-old business. We achieved this by introducing new software and processes that eliminated the need for paper, ensuring the business’s longevity for another hundred years.”
For me, advocating for the industry needs to be at the forefront of what REINSW does. We need to make sure that real estate is well represented, with a strong voice in the decisions that impact us.
Matthew Wrigley
H+D Real Estate
Members since 1965
Part of H+D’s history is its long-standing relationship with REINSW, with membership dating back to 1965. Today, for Matthew one of the most important benefits of membership is being updated about the latest changes in legislation.
“At H+D, we need to make sure we are adhering to any new rules consistently across all of our portfolios,” he said. “We also use the REINSW templates, agreements and forms, and I always read the Journal when it arrives.
“For me, advocating for the industry needs to be at the forefront of what REINSW does. We need to make sure that real estate is well represented, with a strong voice in the decisions that impact us.”
Future focus
Looking to the future, Matthew predicts wide-reaching changes are ahead for the sector.
“I think we’ll see more smaller players and less franchises than we have now,” he said. “We need more focus on strata and property management. To me, this should be at the heart of a real estate business, rather than sales.
“Property managers, in particular, can’t keep going with the same workflows. We lost 30 per cent of our property managers over the course of the pandemic and we need to automate some of their tasks. I believe that it’s the smaller, more agile businesses that are going to do that more quickly than the bigger players.
“Technology will be a huge factor and I see blockchains coming into our sector more and more for document and record storage. Before too long, we’ll be using digital wallets and keychains. The days of handing someone the physical keys to their new home are numbered.”