As a Relationship Manager, Natalie get’s to see how much property investment changes everyday lives. She shares why she thinks she has ‘One of the best jobs in the business’…
Nat, what do you do at OpenCorp?
I’m a Relationship Manager at OpenCorp. Which is essentially the one point of contact for clients as they move through their investment journey.
What does a normal day look like for you?
Well, for example today one of our clients is about to get tenants in his investment property for the first-time. So I’m calling the clients so that we can make sure that the tenant has moved in safe and sound and that the property has handed over from the builder with no fuss. Additionally, we will deal with all arms within the business; such as finance, build, acquisitions and the consultants to package and communicate all information the clients might need. I think we have the best job in the company, we get to spend the most amount of time with the clients. That’s the fun bit.
You see clients from start to finish in their investment journey. What’s that like?
Well, there are many stages of the process. One of the most tense stages is during finance approval, and my job is to help them through this stage. But once that’s done, the excitement kicks in. They then watch the land settle, construction of the house begin and ultimately the final touches of the build commence. At this point, you get to send the client pictures of a tangible end product. But the really special moment is when there is a tenant in their property, that’s when it hits home for both myself and the client, a dream has really been created and it shows in their excitement. Adding on to that when they start to see increased equity in their property, you can obviously imagine that gives a real kick to the client.
Can you think of any inspiring moments?
I remember very early on I had a client who was really nervous about the process. Their investment journey was filled with uneasy moments and some second-guessing. But we worked together and pushed ahead and as we got through the process I could sense an ease in their emotions. They began to become comfortable. Even to the point where they quickly wanted to move onto their second investment property. They knew not to expect any hurdles. During their duplication into their second investment property, they sent me an e-card thanking me for helping make their dreams a reality. That was an inspiring moment, seeing someone become comfortable with the way we work and being so thankful for it.
Have there been some challenges along the way?
For me, the biggest challenge has been the changes that occur in the world of finance. Trying to keep up with what APRA and the banks are doing with lending criteria can at times be a challenge. We need to be constantly on top of how the banks are looking to lend to clients. This transfers to communicating these changes to clients if it affects them, we need to tailor the information to each individual client along with an action plan of how they can continue to invest in property whilst still meeting the criteria of the bank.
I’ve noticed with some of the relationship managers that relationships with clients go beyond professional and will even become a friendship. How does that happen?
I suppose it’s just a matter of understanding the goals of the client and what they want to achieve, we need to understand these things for our job. I guess this understanding makes the relationship very friendly and relatable. We all try to keep in touch with clients, even when they are not actively investing because we have spent a lot of time together and you get to know each other. They still might have questions about the process, and we are here to answer those questions. We look at it at OpenCorp as having a big family, so we look to support our clients, and friendship comes out of that sometimes.
