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Melrose Estate Agents’ growth stage has resulted in the brand emerging from being a small start-up and bursting into 70-plus open homes each weekend, according to chief executive officer Marco Fabrizio.
Back in April, Mr Fabrizio told REB that the business is “not just plug and play” but rather it’s “get in and get your hands dirty and build something for yourself”. At that time, he also outlined the team’s goal of reaching 30 personnel, a feat recently achieved.
The brand has a number of key outposts in its core growth areas throughout Sydney’s south-west and northern suburbs, which includes an office in Ryde — which is “close to hitting a team of 20” — a south-west posting in Padstow that also boasts 20 staff, a potential set-up in Strathfield, which he admits his heart is set on opening next.
Admittedly, several factors have been utilised in building out the business’s growth. Mr Fabrizio credits the agents who run and work in the company, including Steven Cirillo, Ahmad Malas, Paul Tassone and Laura Raneri, who have driven all facets of business growth during their Melrose tenure.
However, it has not always been smooth sailing down the growth path. Expectations for “it to all happen overnight” needed to be tempered, as did the mindsets of everyone who joined the business to savour the journey rather than crave the prize.
“It takes time,” Mr Fabrizio confessed. “It’s rewarding to see the minds of the Melrose team become more about the journey.”
“Enjoy the struggles, enjoy building the foundation, because like with a child, you will blink your eyes and boom — you will have an office jam-packed, 50-plus opens every weekend and a busting rent roll.”
He explained that to maintain employee performance during this period, he hired a performance director tasked with tracking and working with every agent across the country, which has “brought to light a lot of small issues that, if they were not picked up, would have become major issues”.
The group is investing heavily in management and support, including the appointment of Phil Lianos, who sits under the executive team and utilises his 30-plus years of industry experience to assist all team members, resulting in a “huge improvement in performance”.
He concedes that “it’s a work in progress”, but at the same time acknowledges just how far the brand has progressed.
“We are now at a point where for two years, I spent my days prospecting agents. A lot didn’t believe. Now we have plenty of believers in us, and we are now prospected. Everyday, resumés get dropped off at our offices,” he said.
He plans to “expand into Strathfield,” as well as get Ryde and the Padstow offices to double their staff to 30. Once this is achieved, and all four offices are running at capacity and award-winning, Mr Fabrizio detailed that he would “restart the expansion and go again”.
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