With experience making development sales off-plan, property management, selling local real estate, Alicia Ross-Ryan grew up with real estate in her blood. Her father Roy Ross has been a practising agent in the Manly region for more than 50 years.
Now at the helm of the Ray White Manly agency, Alicia Ross-Ryan has been serving as managing director and project sales manager for the past 12 years.
Our Manly: The US is experiencing a meltdown in the real estate market and that has worldwide repercussions. Yet, there are corners that remain relatively unscathed, like the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. and the Northern Beaches in Australia.
Alicia Ross-Ryan: The Northern Beaches are quite insulated. Manly in particular and the surrounding suburbs have so many different demographics wanting to buy into the area. It’s not like the suburbs where you have predominately families or blue collar workers, but retirees want to move here, wealthy investors, you’ve got business executives. The rental market is extremely strong because you’ve got ferry and JetCat services to the city.
It’s a strong area for investment so you’ve got young families moving here. The lifestyle they are seeking is here in Manly.
Our Manly: What’s hot?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: Properties under a million are a very strong market. And in the top end there are very good sales despite these tumultuous times.
Our Manly: Australian buyers or foreign investors?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: Australian buyers. Private, astute buyers.
Our Manly: How does the longevity of your family in this business help you weather fluctuations in the market?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: We know the market so well. We have a good rent roll. We’ve seen a couple of downturns. My father has been here 52 years, I’ve been here on and off for 26 years; we know that because money is so cheap right now, people are buying in Manly because it bounces back more quickly than other areas. We know how to relate that fact to the nervous purchaser. Manly is resilient.
Our Manly: Tell me more about the Manly rental market.
Alicia Ross-Ryan: Rents are very strong. The rental market is growing and in some cases rents are becoming positively geared, which is unheard of in Manly.
Our Manly: What about the team at Ray White Manly?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: I’ve got a very experienced team of different ages, ranging from 25 right through to 65. They have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. They have a confidence in knowing the market is still chugging along. We’ve had 3 very strong sales months in a row.
Our Manly: Has the internet assisted the business of real estate?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: The internet has changed the face of the industry- how people buy, the immediacy of information about properties, the quickness with which people can respond. We are able to make animated walk-throughs for un-built products.
We do more and more movies where we film the actual home and make it available on the internet. We’ve made sales sight un-seen to buyers overseas through the use of internet movies of a property.
Our Manly: How is Ray White Manly different?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: We offer honest advice. We don’t inflate the value of homes.
Our Manly: You take mentoring young salespeople seriously.
Alicia Ross-Ryan: I’ve trained a lot of green sales people from the ground up. I like that young people can partake of my knowledge in the industry. I’m not afraid to share my experience in all facets of real estate and development. It is in the nature of reciprocity. I am happy to teach.
Our Manly: Speaking of reciprocity, what kind of community involvement is essential to Ray White Manly’s success?
Alicia Ross-Ryan: We support all types of charities, community structures. It’s important because it’s sharing, isn’t it? I am a strong believer in karma. In general, most Australians are quite giving and supportive of people in need.