Making the transition from high-end fashion retail to real estate 11 years ago, Laura quickly found her stride in the industry but knew there had to be a better way to operate than the traditional agency model.
“I was managing high-end fashion retail when one of my VIP clients, who was managing a large real estate company, suggested I make the switch,” Ms Voinea said.
“I was already studying my marketing degree and had a good understanding of the property industry, so it was a natural progression.”
After working in a traditional agency model, Ms Voinea joined Area Specialist 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back.
“Area Specialist offers a true business model without the stress and time commitment of managing one,” she said.
“You don’t have to commit to a business partner or buy in a certain share – you’re 100 per cent in control of how much you want to scale up.”
Operating in Noble Park and Keysborough, Laura has carved out a niche helping vendors prepare their properties for sale.
She has also opened up an Area Specialist Projects Division and expanded on that over the years from Home and Land Packages to townhouses retail.
“I’m really good at presenting homes and getting them ready for sale, with lots of attention to detail and buyer feedback,” she said.
“We’ve got access to lots of affordable trades and can put together great dynamic marketing campaigns.”
Rather than chase volume, Ms Voinea prefers to work with a select group of clients.
“I might be running seven or eight listings at a time instead of 20 for the same commission outcome as some of the regular agency’s setup.
“This allows me to directly manage all my campaigns, making sure feedback is sent on time and both vendors and buyers are managed adequately,” she said.
“I have time to call around and bring buyers from other listings to my current stock instead of just relying on internet advertising enquiries, which increases the results for my sales; this would be very hard to do that when you’re juggling 20 properties at a time”
This approach has led to an impressive 97 per cent success rate with her listings.
Noble Park has seen significant changes during her time in the area, with numerous development opportunities thanks to large block sizes.
Ms Voinea is also heavily involved in the local community, organising local markets and supporting neighbourhood watch programs.
“I love organising community events and have found a really good group of people here,” she said.
The Area Specialist model has allowed her to balance work with family life.
“I can take my kids to classes, drop them off and pick them up from school, and never miss their events,” she said.
“I even took a two-and-a-half month holiday to Europe with my family last year.”
Working with just one assistant, Ms Voinea said the support from Area Specialist has been crucial to her success.
“The relationships formed are very personal and genuine, even though it’s a large company,” she said.
“Each agent wants their colleague to do well as it reflects on them and their brand.”
She believes the traditional real estate model forces agents to compromise.
“You either compromise on money or free time, but with Area Specialist you don’t have to make that choice – you can have both,” she said.
“That’s what has changed our family lives, especially mine.”
Area Specialist is a real estate platform for top-performing agents, providing the systems, tools and technology they need to create, grow and power their business.
For more information visit beyourboss.com.au
