By CATH DICKINSON
For buyers’ agent Michelle May, there’s nothing more satisfying than helping her clients achieve their property dreams – and she’s determined to raise awareness of the vital role of buyers’ agents, so more buyers experience the benefits of having a professional on their side.
How long have you been a buyers’ agent?
I started in 2008. A lot of buyers’ agents make their start in the real estate industry on the selling side and then make the switch, but my path was different.
While I’m originally from Holland, I lived in the UK for 12 years. During this time, I worked as a purser for British Airways. It was a job that gave me a lot of downtime and, in my time off, I flipped properties. I really enjoyed it.
When I moved to Brisbane in 2007, I was ready for a fresh start. Pursuing my passion for property, I boldly knocked on the door of Scott McGeever, who was the President of the Real Estate Buyers’ Agents Association of Australia at the time, and asked him for a job. He took me on and he trained me from the ground up, giving me a strong foundation on which to build my career as a buyers’ agent.
I moved to Sydney at the end of 2009 and, since then, have worked for a number of high-profile buyers’ agencies. Then, in May 2017, I launched my own buyers’ agency – Michelle May Buyers’ Agents.
Today, I couldn’t imagine being anything other than a buyers’ agent. I absolutely love it!
As a buyers’ agent, I use my knowledge and expertise to guide clients through what can be a very emotional process. Being able to help my clients understand what is possible, how I can help them and then achieve a successful outcome is hugely satisfying.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
For me, it’s all about people – their motivations, intentions and emotions.
Buying a home is so much more than just a transaction. There’s a lot of emotion involved. What does it mean to buy a home? For some people, it means they can now start a family. For others, it’s about security. Especially after COVID, the value that people place on where they live has never been more important.
As a buyers’ agent, I use my knowledge and expertise to guide clients through what can be a very emotional process. Being able to help my clients understand what is possible, how I can help them and then achieve a successful outcome is hugely satisfying.
What’s the most important part of your day?
Definitely my morning routine, which involves exercise. If I don’t exercise in the morning, it’s a completely different day for me. Moving my body has become an integral part of my life and it makes a huge difference.
Sometimes I’m at the gym with a trainer. Other times, I’m on my own. I enjoy going for a walk with my puppy to clear my head and have those internal conversations with myself. What do I need to do? What is my day going to look like? I’m fortunate that I live close to Sydney Park in the Inner West, where I can take a walk and soak up the city at 5.30am before everyone is up and about.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Being a finalist in the Buyers’ Agent category for the 2022 REINSW Awards for Excellence was definitely a highlight. Also, being elected to the REINSW Buyers’ Agents Chapter Committee, which allows me to have a bigger voice within the industry.
Growing my team to five is something I’m really proud of. Starting my agency with just me, I thought “if I can just work with a couple of clients at a time, I’ll be happy” – then it snowballed. As an agency, we now cover a wider area, and we handle more and more clients each year. When I look at what we’ve achieved, particularly making it through the challenges of the last few years, I couldn’t be happier.
What’s the biggest challenge buyers’ agents are facing in the coming year?
As an industry, our challenge is to raise awareness of our role, so using a buyers’ agent becomes the norm. We need to better educate consumers about the vital role of buyers’ agents in the transaction. It’s essential for us to answer all those questions that consumers are asking. What does a buyers’ agent actually do? What are the benefits if I use a buyers’ agent? What is it that I’m paying for? Will I be at a disadvantage if I don’t use a buyers’ agent?
As an industry, our challenge is to raise awareness of our role, so using a buyers’ agent becomes the norm. We need to better educate consumers about the vital role of buyers’ agents in the transaction.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given during your career?
Pay for expert advice and don’t try to do everything yourself.
I learnt early on that the best thing I can do is to do what I’m good at – and that’s working with clients. A number of years ago, I was fortunate to participate in a business mentorship program. Over three months, I was matched with a marketing coach, business coach, finance coach and a number of other coaches. This experience allowed me to take my business to the next level and I realised that it’s worth paying the right people to do certain things so I can focus on other aspects of the business, such as talking to clients and networking.
What’s the most challenging part of your role?
Inflation, cost of living pressures, rising interest rates and more are all impacting the real estate market – and, every day, there are more and more commentators voicing their opinions. The challenge is to choose the right voices to listen to. As a buyers’ agent, I need to ensure the information that I’m passing on to clients is correct, because they’re using it to make big, life-changing decisions.
What are your goals for the next 12 months?
For me, it’s always about fine-tuning our processes. As a team, we reach out to our clients after they purchase and ask them how they found their experience with us and if there is anything we can do to improve that experience. The feedback is really welcomed. My goal is to keep evolving our processes and make them better. I want our team to set the standard for service.
I’m also looking to grow the services we offer and potentially the size of the team. I’ve always grown the team slowly; for me, it’s about getting the right people, rather than simply more people.
When you’re not at work, how do you spend your time?
I have two teenagers, as well as a puppy and a kitten, and they all keep me on my toes.
I love being outside and enjoy paddleboarding, walking, hiking and horse riding. For me, it’s about being out in nature – even though with my fair complexion, I tend to burn to a crisp!
When at home, I like to spend time in the kitchen. Flicking through a cookbook with a glass of wine in hand deciding what to cook is always fun. Curling up with a good autobiography is also a source of joy for me.