Real estate principal Kathy Sweeney is taking ‘Jamie’ down the A.B.C. path of property ownership through an initiative launched in her local community north of Brisbane.
Kathy explains, “The concept of the Asset Building Club really began around three years ago. I was looking at my own staff at RE/MAX Living and realized that I wanted to empower the youth in my office, but I didn’t want to simply help them buy a home, I wanted them to learn how to run a ‘program’ of investing in property.
“I held an event, which didn’t have a name, and had 15 young people attend.”
One of those was Kathy’s son William Sweeney, who was then working in the office and is now an agent on the Kathy Sweeney Team. Another was Melanie Wilks who has since joined the team and works in sales support.
The success of Kathy’s initiative comes from the establishment of three ambassadors – 21-year-old William, 21-year-old Melanie and Kathy’s PA, 23-year-old Chanae Roma.
“It works so well because these three ambassadors are live examples of people on their real estate journey,” says Kathy.
Chanae is at stage 1, saving for a deposit. Kathy calls this the ABC stage – someone who has made the decision to get on the property ladder, that it is time to budget and save, and is serious about changing their life to accommodate this.
Melanie is at stage 2 – ABC+ – has saved the money for a deposit and needs to now know the process. She has put in a couple of offers, with guidance, but not yet purchased.
William is at stage 3 – ABC-$mil – He has acquired two properties and targets $1million in property assets by age 25.
So, what about ‘Jamie’?
“I wanted to recreate the experiences of these three ambassadors and what they were learning on their property journey – and pass this on to other young people in the community.
“We came up with ‘Jamie’, an 18- to 30-year-old male or female currently at stage I, 2 or 3 in their journey. These were the people to invite into the Asset Building Club.
“We pondered on how to best deliver the message to youth and came up with a Q&A format in a relaxed non-threatening environment and keep the delivery short and punchy.”
Along with the three ambassadors, Kathy invited property manager, Amanda Webb, and Matt Andrews and Anish Prasad from Pivotal Financial.
“My purpose was to break down the barriers, take fear out of the equation and show that brokers and real estate professionals are not scary and unapproachable.”
The 17 young people attending the most recent session were a mix of demographics, according to Kathy, with singles and couples at different stages of their real estate journey, and included trades people, sportspeople and an engineering student about to graduate.
An Asset Building Club event will occur every six months and there is a dynamic, engaging Facebook page for the group.
“We are specifically thinking about ‘Jamie’ and delivering every message in a way that is in touch, with immediacy and technology.
“With the Asset Building Club, we are there for the entire journey,” Kathy explains, “from the moment they consider buying property, through the pre-sale phase when they are researching, inspecting and making an offer, through that offer being accepted and the property changing hands, and then post-sale. We cover all the implications of this process and the allied services and professionals involved. There is no finite end to our support and assistance.”
Kathy Sweeney has lived in the Moreton Shire for more than two decades and has very strong community links. She has held senior management within the sporting industry and was an international Touch Football referee for many years.
“Developing the Asset Building Club concept is like an extension of the coaching and mentoring I’ve done in the sporting arena over many years, and it is incredibly rewarding to work with young people in assisting them to buy property and create a sound financial future for themselves and their families.” She has had positive feedback from the community too.
“I had a Dad who sent along his 19-year-old and 21-year-old send me a text saying ‘They finally got the message. Funny that… when someone else tells them!’ but that is so often the way.”
RE/MAX Living services the Moreton Bay and Somerset Regions on Southeast Queensland. If you want to know more about Kathy Sweeney and the Asset Building Club, contact her on mobile 0427 374 117 and email ksweeney@remaxliving.com.au.
Contact for media:
Lyn Cox, Public Relations, RE/MAX Australia – M. 0418 793 096
About RE/MAX: From a single office that opened in 1973 in Denver, Colorado, RE/MAX has grown into a global real estate network with more than 140,000 sales associates in more than 115 countries and territories. Its entrepreneurial culture affords its agents and franchisees the flexibility to operate their businesses with great independence.
