Celebrating the wonderful Julie Hatch

Julie Hatch is part of the fabric of the Inner West and undoubtedly one of the area’s most long-standing and highly regarded agents. We’re immensely proud that she’s part of the CobdenHayson family and we’re delighted to mark her milestone celebrating over 30 years in Real Estate in Annandale with a chat about how she got her start in the industry and what fuels her love of real estate.

It was Chris Treuen at Ray White Annandale who gave me my start in 1989. When he bought the business from his father, he asked me to manage the office. I had my heart set on sales, however. I told him I’d give him six months and then I wanted to learn the ropes of selling. He was wonderfully supportive and became a mentor to me over the years that followed.

The real estate landscape has changed since then. We didn’t have the advanced software we rely on now. Today’s tech is such a fantastic resource however I think if we’re not careful we’ll be in danger of losing that personal touch. I prefer to phone and meet with my clients rather than sending emails – it’s so important to maintain that human engagement.

When it comes to my career I’ve always had the attitude that unless I feel like I’m getting paid for having a good time, I don’t want to do it! I still wake up excited about real estate – the new people I get to meet and the new properties I have the pleasure of experiencing. It’s forever changing and that’s inspiring. I work six days a week. It’s a wonderful job because you can really make it work for your lifestyle. The flexibility is great.

I make sure I go away for the long weekends every two months or so – somewhere different. It breaks up my working life, gives me a burst of renewed enthusiasm and really keeps me interested. I always have 4-5 weekends away booked in advance.

I’d take a guess and say I’ve sold over 1000 properties to date. Many of my sales come from repeat clients and from purchasers who bought through me. There are many properties I’ve sold 2, 3 and 4 times. Some clients have achieved $200,000-$300,000 more than they had anticipated. That’s like winning lotto for many people, which is pretty life changing.

I adore Annandale and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. When I first started out I was living in the East and didn’t know the Inner West well. I fell in love with it and decided to move here and have adored experiencing all of its changes over the years.

Being part of the CobdenHayson team is fabulous and recently I’ve had shift in direction, partnering up with Jono Hammond. It’s a great dynamic that really works and has given me a new lease on life. Clients like it too – it’s that male/female balance. I’ll continue to do what I love for many more years to come. Right now I’m as inspired as ever and eager to keep on going.