ONE AGENCY has announced the appointment of industry leader Mindy Powell-Hodges as Global Head of Membership a key strategic move aligned with the group’s commitment to growth, innovation, and exceptional support for its members. Ms. Powell-Hodges will assume her new role in 2025, bringing extensive expertise in network development, brand enhancement, and real estate leadership.

Ms. Powell-Hodges joins ONE AGENCY following a successful career in senior network leadership roles, where she played a pivotal part in driving growth, enhancing franchise operations, and supporting thriving networks. Known for her ability to foster network expansion and deliver high-impact growth strategies, she is eager to bring these experiences to ONE AGENCY, delivering fresh initiatives and strategic guidance.

Paul & Annie Davies, Co-Founders of ONE AGENCY, expressed their confidence that Ms. Powell-Hodges will be instrumental in leading the network’s next growth phase.

ONE AGENCY announces a series of strategic expansions and new additions that set a robust tone for the new financial year.

The network welcomes three new offices and celebrates the significant growth of existing ones, reflecting its unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in real estate.

Karen Mitchell and Kath Blake now head ONE AGENCY Yarrawonga Mulwala in Victoria, bringing their extensive experience and local market knowledge to the network. In Sydney’s West, Mahesh Raj has launched ONE AGENCY Your Property, further expanding the network’s reach into Western Sydney.

The network also celebrates the expansion of established offices. ONE AGENCY Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland is a second office for Danny O’Donnell from ONE AGENCY Burleigh Miami, as a result of growing demand for the area.

Additionally, Judy Celin has taken the helm at ONE AGENCY Wodonga. Located on the border of Victoria and New South Wales, succeeding Rob Groat, formerly ONE AGENCY Albury Wodonga, Judy’s leadership is expected to bring fresh energy and continued success to the office.

Paul Davies, Founder and CEO of ONE AGENCY, attributes the network’s rapid growth in 2024 to the group’s innovative media and marketing portal ‘ONE PLACE’.

Just like a prize aged wine, in an ideal world employees should be considered appreciating assets, meaning they produce more and more value over time.

Granted, sometimes poor hiring might leave you happily shuffling a mismatched team member out the door with a sigh of relief but in the majority of cases, it’s employee dissatisfaction that is the number one cause of retention failure.

And so it is in real estate, where the revolving door of staff turnover could give you whiplash on any given day.

Domonic Thompson, National Head of Real Estate with Macquarie Business Banking states;

Four years on from the Covid apocalypse, the real estate industry has moved forward in leaps and bounds, hardly wavering under the crippling uncertainty of a global pandemic.

Whilst agents were seconded with a jarring immediacy to their digital bunkers, they were quickly buoyed by the fact they could still efficiently conduct business.

With this revolution in ways of working, emerged a renewed understanding of the power and reach that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok could have.

Today, these platforms remain an increasingly essential tool for promoting listings, generating leads, and building a competitive brand.

It’s proven, agents quickly lose visibility in the marketplace if they aren’t adopting the most current advertising trends and keeping their image fresh. 

But let’s face it, it’s a full time job!

Have you thrown your hands up in despair trying to stay ahead of the curve?

….Floundering in obscurity, whilst your competitors are creating slick visual content and spruiking their personal brand like a BOSS?

Having been in the industry for over 50 years, nobody knows the importance of an effective digital presence like One Agency CEO, Paul Davies.

Paul understands not everyone has a marketing mind so he has made it his business to offer his members the best resources to keep them on track.

The holidays may have become a distant memory, and for some of us the enthusiasm for the shiny goals we set for the year may also be fading. 

If one of your goals for 2024 is launching your own real estate business or switching brands – but you have started to think it might be too hard to do it alone, this might re-ignite your enthusiasm. 

At One Agency there’s NO no fee splitting or reporting to head office. Imagine how that would positively impact your life!

Imagine a business that’s simple, effective, and economical – that’s what One Agency offers. 

Have an office or choose not to, it’s up to you. Utilise apps and outsourcing, or have staff. Grow a rent roll to build an asset, and pay no other fees to head office – or not. It’s up to you.

You do business the way you like to do business. Make it enjoyable and make it profitable.  

This is what Paul Davies, Founder and CEO of One Agency has to say about setting up for yourself. 

“For twenty years, I was a franchisee and there were lots of restrictions and fees –  I called them a success tax. I only wish One Agency had been around twenty years ago when I was setting up my own real estate offices because honestly it’s a no brainer.”

Perpetuating the nail-biting suspense of a horror movie, it’s a silent enemy that could infiltrate your business at any moment.

Increasingly active in the Real Estate space, cybercrime is wreaking havoc with more and more unsuspecting victims.

But why the property sector and why you?

The reality is, the property industry has a unique set of weaknesses that open doors for criminals to skim data, redirect funds and disable computer systems with raging success.

In early 2023 Sebastian Mill, leading Australian SaaS technology platform ‘InfoTrack’s  Chief financial Officer, outlined the growing risk to the industry, not only for business owners but their clients as well.

We’ve all heard the buzz words- AI, prop tech, and digital optimisation.

 Whilst it feels like these concepts are kernels of space-age innovation predicted for somewhere far off in the future – they are in fact, already at work everywhere – particularly in the real estate industry.

 Things are developing at warp speed. The question is, are you keeping up?

Andrew Colagiuri, CEO and founder of Australian digital document management system ‘FLK it over’ noted how the occurrence of Covid awakened the Australian property industry, pushing it to pivot more urgently to digital tools.

He stated that those that remained attached to ‘their paper’ struggled to keep up and were left behind by the more flexible operator.

Real estate is a competitive space, and success hinges on lead volume and quality – driven by high brand visibility. 

ONE PLACE, is a platform that delivers all the tools agents need to drive their success. It was envisioned by ONE AGENCY founder and CEO, Paul Davies, during the Covid lockdowns of the early ‘20s, and was built by Nic Fren’s Bespoke Media Group. 

Award Winning Platform

Since being launched to the network’s members it has emerged as the unrivaled platform in its space. Evidenced by picking up numerous industry accolades including a 2024 Real Estate Business (REB) awards’ finalist position for ‘Training & Education Program of the Year’ (Bespoke Media); and winning the Social Media Marketing Institute of Australia & New Zealand’s ‘Best Social Media App or Tool’ at their 2022 Awards.

As a real estate principal, you’ve invested time and passion to grow your business. However, with client expectations, increasing numbers of established businesses rebranding as independents, and the explosion of prop-tech, has your current brand reached its sell-by date?  

One of the most significant post-Covid changes to our industry is being powered by the explosion of prop-tech. We have seen a wave of agents and businesses leaving established brands to launch independently. 

If your current situation is feeling a bit stale, then starting afresh by hitting your market with a rebrand may be something, you too have considered. 

For some, it’s an exciting idea. Leave the fee splits, reporting, and other head office decrees about how your business must be operated behind you and finally be free ‘to do things your way.’

However, it pays to be mindful that a full rebrand comes with a lengthy to-do list detailing what your brand stands for: your logo, colour scheme, and all the marketing elements. A brand requires you to create an impactful presence across online and print media, not to mention shops, signage, flags, pointer boards, stationery and motor vehicles. And, that list comes with a hefty price tag!

Invariably, the reality of completing an effective rebrand doesn’t hit home until you’re neck deep in the process. You will be working through tens (if not hundreds) of creative templates across a myriad of marketing and advertising mediums before you even consider office requirements.

This is, of course, an expensive and time-consuming process that takes you away from all-important dollar producing activities. 

Instead of having your focus on your team and client needs, your attention will be taken up keeping abreast of a complex project with multiple stakeholders. From brand experts and advertising specialists to graphic designers and copywriters. If you operate as a single office or small independent network, it’s a BIG undertaking.

The good news is, there is an alternative to the full-on approach of a full-on rebrand.

The One Agency network was designed to be an easier and more cost-effective alternative to going it alone with a full re-brand. As Founder and CEO, Paul Davies said,

Whether you’re starting out in the industry or trying to build-up an existing real estate business, success is not much about luck but everything to do with smarts and effort. You need to be clear and focused on your vision –  what success looks like for you. Then set some milestone goals and work towards them.

Here are some of our tried-and-true tips to achieving success, and profit.

1. Use your time doing what you do best

When businesses are in their infancy, owners can fall into the trap of wanting to ‘do it all’ themselves to avoid expenses.

However, chances are that it’s either listing and selling or people management that are your core skills ‒ focus on them. For the rest of the tasks that need doing – either find part-time help or outsource. These days there are also a lot of apps that can fill in the gaps in your skill-set and save time. 

2. Know your stuff

As a real estate professional, it is crucial to ‘know your stuff’. Sure you know what’s going on property value wise in your area but it’s also important to understand social and demographic insights locally and more broadly. It’s this knowledge that will help you cement your place as an industry expert.

Real estate industry professionals are an incredibly generous group of people so choosing just one winner for a Community Service Award is always a tough gig! At our last awards, the submissions were so incredible the ONE Agency group’s international network couldn’t split two of the finalists so the award went to both offices, for their wonderful efforts.

One Agency Mildura, and One Agency Gympie.

If making more sales this financial year is your number one goal,  I challenge you to reconsider.

Instead, set yourself the goal of making more profits,  because it’s the amount of income that makes it into your pocket that determines the quality of your life.

Try this exercise and see how it makes you feel.

Below these words you will find an income calculator. Punch in last financial year’s GCI. Wait a nano second and you’ll find out how much of that gross income would have been available to you IF you were running your sales through One Agency.

INCOME CALCULATOR

Significant difference, isn’t it!

From its inception, amidst the challenges of the 2008 global financial crisis, One Agency’s unique business model (envisioned by Paul and Annie Davies), has grown organically across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Our pioneering brand is best known for introducing Australia’s first fixed-fee real estate model, and providing agents with the flexibility to operate from a shop front, private or home office. At the time, this positioned One Agency at the forefront of industry innovation. 

Now, as we start 2024, our network is home to over 700 industry professionals. 

In 2023 we continued to lead the industry with the introduction of “ONE PLACE.”  A platform provided for our members that empowers them with all the marketing tools, service provider access, lead generation, and training they need to grow their own thriving businesses, CEO Paul Davies said,

Welcome to 2024, hope it’s a brilliant one for you.

So, how did 2023 finish up?  Hopefully you smacked the goals you set this time last year out of the ballpark.  But if you didn’t score as many goals as you’d have liked, take heart – you probably did better than most considering that 65% of people give up on a goal within a month.

One of the things that helped me grow my real estate businesses – and there’s been a few over my working life – was utilising quiet time during the summer break to reflect and review my goals.

What do you want?

Knowing what you want to achieve in the longer term, and then setting targets along the way is key to remaining motivated and in control in any area of your life – fitness, health, relationships, wealth building, business and career. However staying the course – particularly if we are in pursuit of something that lies beyond our comfort zone, is invariably the hardest part.

Taking the time to regularly review your progress against milestone targets  – even just a ten-minute brainstorm with a pen and piece of paper can keep you motivated or help you get you back on track.

Have you thought about stepping up from agent to business owner? An exciting and scary thought, right?!  Here are 5 tips to help you on your way.

First, if you have been in the industry long enough to understand ‘what it takes’ to win listings and maintain excellent relationships with your clients, then you have what it takes. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need years and years of experience. 

Second, you need to be open to seeking advice from those who have ‘been there and done that’. An obvious way to do that is to join a brand. By joining an established brand, you’ll receive assistance to get set-up and running. This will allow you to focus on growing your business and maximising your profits. Hiring a business coach and a property management consultant are also smart ways to become a better, more successful principal.

Third, consider building a rent roll. A rent roll can become the foundation of your business. It provides consistent income, regardless of market conditions. Plus, a rent roll is a saleable asset. You’ll also benefit from the extra signage in your local market – more signs, more marketing and more exposure, thereby growing your brand. 

Fourth, you need to remember the saying that One Agency founder and CEO Paul Davies has become famous for

We are delighted to share the news that ONE AGENCY has been selected as finalists for an impressive NINE awards at this year’s Real Estate Business awards (REB Awards)!

In 2023, our dedicated members have been consistently recognised for their outstanding contributions throughout the industry. We are proud to announce our finalist positions:

Industry Thought Leader of the Year 

Paul Davies – CEO of One Agency 

Innovator of the Year – Company 

ONE AGENCY

Sales Office of The Year – Regional 

One Agency Gympie

BDM of the Year – Property Management 

Tim Castro, One Agency Port Macquarie Wauchope 

Office Administrator of the Year – Regional 

Alyssa Morris, One Agency Port Macquarie Wauchope 

Property Manager of the Year – Regional 

Simone Fogarty, One Agency Orange 

Cherish Hobman, One Agency Port Macquarie Wauchope 

Rising Star of the Year 

Jacob Hurrel, One Agency, One Agency Port Macquarie 

Sales Agent of the Year – Regional 

Lisa Russell – Duncan, One Agency Port Macquarie 

Heading into 2024, business owners and agents will have to examine expenditure in order to maximise what they get to put-in-their-pocket. 2023 saw the cost of living and doing business increase, and listings and managements became more hard-fought for.

This meant there was a bigger bite into the traditional industry success metric of GCIs and our incomes didn’t go as far –  and 2024 won’t see that change.  It’s times such as these that it makes sense to be more excited about what you keep NCM (Net Commission Me) rather than GCI. Sure GCI is a wonderful vanity metric because it sounds so BIG but it’s not what pays your bills and enhances your lifestyle.

Founder and CEO of One Agency, Paul Davies has highlighted a clear distinction between sales and profit. His mantra has long been “It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep that counts”.  It was a driving influence on the design of his flat fee model when he created the One Agency brand in 2008.

For over 15 years he has encouraged business owners and agents to keep their focus on their profits, and not just look for more sales in order to improve their disposable incomes.

Paying closer attention to your profits means evaluating your ongoing expenses. Taking the time to determine what’s essential versus what’s ‘nice to have’ is a great way to reduce outgoings thereby instantly boosting profits – your NCM. 

One of the biggest impacts to increased profit an agent or business owner can enjoy is to switch to a flat fee model. And One Agency network members do just that– increase their profits substantially by making the switch, without working longer or harder. This is THE reason One Agency was created in the first place.

We’ve been asked a lot lately  –  what is the value our established brand provides?

Apart from enjoying the support of an internationally recognised brand, and the flexibility to run your own named business, you also get to keep much more of what you make.

Want to know what else? Read on… 

Established during the financial crisis of 2008, and being one of the first flat-fee modeled brands in the industry, the One Agency brand broke new ground by providing all the branding and marketing assets your real estate business required to put up an ‘open for business’ sign. 

As well as:

Recognition and Brand Awareness:

Being part of a proven brand gives a business instant recognition and awareness. We have invested significant resources in building an attractive, impactful, and memorable brand, with a positive reputation –  and we’ve captured market share. 

Eight years ago, I was where you are now. Nervous and fearful about making the step up to principal, even though I had 15 years of being a successful agent under my belt.

But, at nearly 50 years old, this was my ‘now or never’ moment – and I didn’t want to live a life full of regret. So I gathered my courage and leapt.

“I’ve never looked back.”

It hasn’t been easy. There’s long hours and hard work involved. But the reward has been second to none – and I’m not talking about the financial gain.

Running your own business is empowering. Every day, I get to put the key in my front door knowing that I get to do things my way. I love how my team is proud to come in and work for me.

And, as a result of the culture we’ve created, One Agency Lindy Harris is a resounding success. We’ve got a phenomenal 50% market share in Singleton, a small town in NSW.

So what’s my advice for those of you looking to make the transition?

Shaun O’Callaghan joined One Agency in 2016 after intially hearing about the brand at AREC and has since progressed from being a sales agent, to business owner and grew to be awarded International Office of the Year at the 2021 One Agency International awards.  Fast forward to 2023 and Shaun hasn’t looked back.

Prior to AREC he had no idea that the One Agency model existed. He had, however been considering starting his own real estate brand or partnering with an existing Victorian based franchises. Self-doubt about leaving his PAYG sales agent role and the expense and overwhelm of launching his own business meant Shaun considered his options very carefully.

“I didn’t want to have to create a real estate brand from scratch and really liked that One Agency have fixed monthly fees, no financial reporting to head office and great transparency around the business model,” he says.

Without the One Agency brand behind us, it would have taken so much more time and money to get started.

One Agency is leading the lead generation mission by already attracting over a 100 leads each month, using a strategy that’s not yet been adopted by many other networks.  With innovative new marketing collateral this number is increasing rapidly.

This accomplishment showcases the company’s dedication to equipping its agents with cutting-edge tools and resources to facilitate meaningful conversations with homeowners across various platforms.

One Agency’s Founder & CEO, Paul Davies, emphasises that effective lead generation extends beyond merely posting ads on social media and waiting for results. It hinges on the deployment of practical tools that foster increased interaction between homeowners and our members, as these conversations can be future listings.

“Our members are driven to accelerate their businesses,” says Mr Davies. “We have strategically implemented tools across multiple channels, including print, SMS, email, and social media, to ensure no opportunity goes unnoticed. All this without our members incurring any additional costs.”

In a recent development, One Agency unveiled an innovative initiative that allows homeowners to instantly access property reports on their mobile phones or devices.

With a firm focus on agents’ success, CEO Paul Davies has spearheaded this strategic move to revolutionise the industry when it comes to lead generation & delivering a client focused experience.

Mr Davies expressed the organisation’s dedication to meeting agents’ core needs: “We know what our agents want, it’s more business.”

In response, ONE AGENCY has made substantial investments in enhancing their ONE PLACE platform, which equips agents with the tools they require to not only win more business but also appear highly efficient in their competitive marketplace.

Returning to the fundamentals of marketing, Mr. Davies revealed that the ONE AGENCY network has experienced a resurgence in print marketing and an intensified focus on social media activities.

In recent weeks, the group has implemented a brand new lead generation strategy that Mr. Davies describes as groundbreaking:

According to One Agency CEO Paul Davies, winter provides the perfect time for real estate professionals to reflect on their goals and achievements for the current year, using the slower months to assess progress and make any necessary adjustments or improvements to their business. 

Drawing upon his five decades in owning and operating real estate businesses, Mr Davies emphasises the importance of using the quieter months to set clear goals for motivation and a clear direction for the final quarter. 

“With the demanding nature of the real estate industry, establishing and tracking goals is instrumental in driving success,” he says. 

According to statistics, 25% of people give up on their goals within a week, while 65% abandon them within a month. To combat this trend, Mr Davies recommends using the relative calm of winter to engage in a brief yet impactful goal-setting exercise.

Despite the downturn in the market, One Agency has managed to expand their presence throughout Australia & New Zealand, bringing 41 new Licenses to the group in 2022 with an additional 6 ready to launch in the new year, taking the international brand toward the 200 Licences mark. 

It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep that counts has been the mantra of One Agency’s CEO, Paul Davies since the network was established in 2008. 

Reflecting on his 50 years in the industry, Mr Davies commented to REB that whilst the vast majority in the industry are focussed on GCI the important number is NCI (Nett Commision In). He added that it’s been a recurring experience to witness the ‘light bulb’ moment when agents realise that GCI isn’t the most important thing, as many are taught to believe. 

The international brand is showing no signs of slowing down as they announce four new offices to the network in key locations throughout Australia, opening before the end of 2022. The network’s set-up concierges are also preparing new members who are committed to launching in the early months of 2023. 

November has seen the network welcome Principals, Amber Hazel-Panay &Theo Panay (OIEC) who head One Agency Westside, providing substantial inner Melbourne expertise gained at an independent agency. Andrew Seaman with his Business Manager, Patricia Murphy, has rebranded after 25 years from a major franchise group to One Agency Goulburn. Melissa and Michael Verschuur leaving Stone Real Estate Logan and launching One Agency Verschuur Property Group in Queensland. And, Deborah Low who is returning to the network after 10 months with another network.

The four new real estate businesses are in addition to the recently announced record number of new principals added to the network over the 2022 calendar year.

Speaking on the pleasing growth of the network, One Agency Founder and CEO Paul Davies said

There are two big differences between the real estate professionals who are doing it tough right now and those who are thriving, according to One Agency founder and CEO Paul Davies.

“I know a lot of principals and agents are doing it tough right now. But I also know, from speaking to One Agency licensees across Australia and New Zealand, that some are thriving. The two big differences are that their businesses are lean and their minds are sharp,” he said.

Mr Davies said that, on the business side of things, successful principals and agents regularly review expenses. They also look for lower-cost ways to achieve the same outcomes.

“For example, they’re renting premises in secondary locations rather than main streets, cancelling subscriptions they’re not using, outsourcing jobs rather than hiring staff to do them in-house, refinancing to lower-rate loans and switching from high-commission franchise groups to no-commission groups like One Agency,” he said.

In terms of mindset, Mr Davies has noticed that successful real estate professionals tend to be level-headed.“They stay calm, no matter what the market and economy are doing. As a result, they make clever decisions,” he said.

Mr Davies urged principals and agents who are struggling right now to take action immediately, to stop smaller problems growing into larger ones.“In an emergency, businesses often cut staff because that’s the fastest way to reduce costs. Unfortunately, it’s also the fastest way to reduce revenue, and so should be avoided if possible. If you make smaller cost savings today, you hopefully won’t need to make larger ones tomorrow,” he said.

Mr Davies also noted that when you’re in a desperate position, it becomes harder to win business, because it shows through in your body language during listing presentations.

Furthermore, as your financial position deteriorates, so does your mental health.

New real estate listing feature makes Open for Inspections more accessible for people with mobility challenges like veterans or parents with prams

Four property industry leaders have come together to advance inclusivity for people with mobility challenges such as veterans, the aged, parents with prams and the physically disabled with the introduction of an easily identifiable mobility friendly filter and wheelchair icons for agencies to add to suitably equipped properties. 

One Agency is the first real estate network to offer the new “Mobility Filter” on eligible property listings, and popular real estate search portal Homely.com.au will carry the mobility icons on properties listed from One Agency for sale & rental properties which went into effect last week.

One Agency, Homely.com.au, Bespoke Media Group and MRI Box+Dice joined forces to create an integrated and scalable way to increase visibility on mobility-friendly properties in the marketplace in response to feedback from aspiring buyers and tenants.

Founder and CEO of One Agency, Paul Davies is urging those who can affect change in the industry to think about how tiring and exclusionary it must feel, and how these updates will make a world of difference. The addition of a ‘Mobility Friendly filter gives One Agency properties a point of difference initially. But it’s my hope this Mobility Friendly filter and other inclusivity features will one day become industry standard.