Merry Christmas to you all, from the desk of The Vivian’s My mother told me when I was young that once you turn 60 years old, you will blink and turn 70 - I am now starting to believe her. So much happened in 2024, it’s made my head spin thinking about everything we packed in this year. The number of lovely people we have met has been so good for the soul. Vivians Real Estate has had one of its best years ever this last financial year and the next year looks like it might be even better. So, what’s happening in our business? The rental market went off the chain and weekly rental prices almost doubled here in Mosman Park, with the one-bedroom apartments now achieving between $450-$550 per week – A welcomed relief for investors to fight the forever rising costs of holding property. Our property management team is now headed up by Renaye, with 30 years of experience in the industry, which has us feeling very confident that everything is going to grow in 2025. As most of our close clients know, we uphold extremely high standards and when this is not met then we often do need to change staff until we find the right fit. Painful in the short term, but better for everyone in the long term. Joining Renaye is a young gun, Ciara - she’s from Ireland and is such a fast learner. They make a great team as Renaye is an excellent teacher! On the other hand, Jodie, our Trust Accountant, has been with us for almost 10 years – such a kind, dedicated and meticulous staff member. She certainly keeps us all in line and we are extremely lucky to have found her. Gillian Hussein, our General Manager, had her one-year anniversary a few months ago. She has taken a lot of pressure off us with the “business” side of things, which has allowed us to concentrate on Sales - our true passion! Keryn is our newest recruit into the sales department, coming from a few years experience with another local company, she is a go-getter, a team player, very friendly and eager to learn. Keryn will go a long way in Real Estate, especially under the guidance of Trent and myself. Then we have Rebecca, our Executive Assistant – well, she’s from NZ so of course she is the best! Ha-ha. We love Bec, she takes care of all our paperwork, helps us organise events, she keeps us on track and totally focused. Bec helps everyone and it’s been refreshing having her in the team over the past year. Lachlan, our Buyer’s Manager, has grown in leaps and bounds since he joined, his first-year anniversary is coming up this December. Lachy is a crucial part of our team; he talks to all our buyers, matches them to properties, gets their feedback and writes up offers. We have big plans for Lachy, and I can see him having a huge part in Vivian’s Real Estate, in the future years to come. 2 4 2 0 MERRY CHRISTMAS A N D A H A P P Y N E W Y E A R 43 Victoria Street, Mosman Park 9384 4600 viviansrealestate.com.au S A L E S L E A S I N G A D V I C E What’s happening with Trent? Trent has worked extremely hard over the past year and is now a 60% shareholder of the business (no, I am not retiring yet!). Having Trent in the driving seat means I can relax the reins a little bit – he’s organised, excellent at training staff members and is very resilient and level-headed. I would like Trent to progress into my role eventually, so I can step into the role of CEO of Vivian’s and investigate other potential business ventures that we can run alongside the main business (that’s like finding a needle in a haystack, might I add). Trent’s one-bedroom apartment on AIRBNB has performed really well and he’s been using it as a “test subject” so that we can launch “Vivian’s Short-Term Management”. A goal that we initially had for earlier on in the year but are working on launching ASAP. Trent says that whilst AIRBNB does appear to make him more money than regular long-term, the time and stress are considerably higher, as with new people constantly checking in and out, you have to be a lot more involved. I’ve been banned from talking about his personal life further (ha-ha), but he is planning a 4-week holiday to Europe next year which will be exciting and well-deserved for him. What’s happening with Olivia? Olivia, well, that girl never stands still for five minutes. She’s been to America, Japan, and a cruise around Europe in the past year. She is happy, healthy and still loves doing her Ninja Warrior stuff. Channel 9 has not picked it up for the last two years, despite everyone whinging that they want it back. They should let another channel pick it up - very selfish of them! Olivia has also been introduced to our business mentor and coach “Aaron Sansoni” which has been great for her. In fact, I have never seen Olivia more energised. She is learning how to improve herself, but also how to harness the power of her reputation and how to apply that to business. Exciting times for her and the whole family, as we are all doing the same coaching program together. What’s happening with me? As for myself, well, you will be pleased to know that I took a boat cruise around Italy & Croatia with my sister Sue, and two other couples from NZ. Sue’s husband was supposed to come, but very sadly, he has contracted blood cancer (Myeloma). Very scary for us to deal with as a family, and a reminder that you need to live your life to the fullest while you can. All those years I worked without taking much of a break at all – well, those days have gone. I am planning to go back to NZ in March to see him. I will try to go every 3-4 months, even though I hate the cold, I will make the effort. I have not been to Bali for about 6 years now, so I am planning that for August next year (around my birthday). My niece, Chelsea and her best friend, Holly, moved to Perth earlier this year and within 12 hours of being here she said to me ‘This is paradise, and I am never moving back!”. Just like me when I arrived here, all those years ago. It’s been a real joy having them in the house, full of laughter and lots of late nights and early mornings – yep, we wake up at 3am and go to the gym together, can you believe it? What’s happening with Millie? Millie, our chihuahua, just turned 5 and is still as chilled as ever. She is the most spoilt, pampered and loved dog. She loves attention and is always up for a cuddle with staff or clients. She walks 10km with me most mornings! Well, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Have a beautiful time with family and make sure you laugh lots, share your stories and treasure the moments, they come and go far too quickly, so enjoy it while you can. Warm regards. Gill