Agents express support for south-of-the-border colleagues

Date: 21 September 2020

Written by: Grace Ormsby

A number of NSW-based agents have shown their support for their Victorian colleagues in a new video message.

With Melbourne-based agents facing particularly tough restrictions amid industry calls for a return to real estate operations, Bespoke Media Management’s Nic Fren said he came up with the idea for the video after seeing and hearing how badly the lockdown was affecting his colleagues and clients across the border.

“I couldn’t do anything other than just be there and listen to their struggles. Sometimes that’s all you can do,” he said. He acknowledged that the Victorian real estate market has seen agents endure tougher conditions than their NSW-based colleagues, with the pressure for business owners to remain operational and agents to maintain functionality “in what was once a booming real estate market [leading] experts to have major concerns for mental health and wellbeing”.

Mr Fren was able to band 30 agents and associated industry figures together to create a six-minute video of support, with a number of prominent agents and industry figures involved in the production, including Raine & Horne Double Bay’s Michelle Brooks, Stone Real Estate Newtown’s Andrew Kanawaty, Star Partners’ Derek Stone, Viking Realty’s Kelli Bell, and One Agency CEO Paul Davies, among others.

At the beginning of the video, NG Farah’s Adrian Bo said he hopes common sense prevails, and that “the politicians allow you to show property very soon. Hang in there, guys.”

The original song “Out of Love” that accompanies the video was written by Sydney teenager Rian Cobb, with Mr Fren calling it “the perfect song to bring it all together. It’s about not losing hope and reaching out.”

Full list of those who contributed;

Nic Fren - Bespoke Media Management

Adrian Bo - NG Farah

Paul Davies - One Agency CEO

Lou Vico - Viking Realty

Oscar Nicholls - Raine & Horne Lane Cove

Jon & Edith Byrne - No Bull Real Estate

Slider Guy - #1 agent in the world

Derek Stone - Starr Partners

Kelli Bell - Viking Realty

Aimee & Zoe Tink - Tink Recruitment

Steven Barkho - Prime Estate Agents

James Henry Real Estate Team - James Henry Real Estate

Michelle Brooks - Raine & Horne Double Bay

Andrew Kanawaty - Stone Real Estate Newtown

Shelley Bays - Plan A Property Group

Liz Wiggins - Wiggins Keenan Real Estate

Danny Doff - Laing + Simmons Double Bay

Marnie Beauchamp - Marnie Beauchamp Luxury Property

Simone Azzi - Belle Property Annandale

Stu Davies - Davies McLean Property

Mitchell Angel - Hive Consulting Co

Silvia Vitale - Laing + Simmons Potts Point

Pancho Mehrotra - Frontier Performance

Michelle May - Michelle May Buyers Agent

Marshall Cobb - Stone Real Estate - Projects

Chris Rigney - 2.0 Real Estate

Craig Taylor - Stanton & Taylor Real Estate

Jo Black - Black Book Solutions

Lisa Novak - Novak Properties

Matt Lahood - The Agency