About Me - My Biography

Canberra born and bred, I’ve been passionate about local real estate for as long as I can remember. On Saturday mornings, I’d claim the real estate section of the newspaper (showing my age here) and devour its contents over breakfast. The early signs were there.

I began my working career with a big-4 accounting firm only to find I didn’t really want to be an accountant which was pretty scary to face up to at the time, to be honest! I’d spent years (and tens of thousands of dollars) to study and enter the field, yet I had to trust my gut and I walked away. It was a tough decision but I’m forever glad I had this solid foundation.

It was while on maternity leave that I had time to get stuck into our own property portfolio in a very active way. I’d have my son on my hip while leaning on the council desk submitting a DA, or drive out to the work site and direct the tradies then hop back into the car to breastfeed. It was a pretty lonely time though, so I set up a monthly meetup for Canberra property investors to catch up at the local library and found accountability and friendship through this. I’d arrange speakers to cover a vast array of topics throughout the year for attendees, from getting the low-down on contracts and legal jargon to having builders come in to explain contracts and avoid common pitfalls.

I recall buying an investment property in Queanbeyan at auction, and it was the first time I’d purchased property this way. After weeks of researching, nothing prepared me for the heart-thumping emotions of bidding on a property that I wanted to buy. I had my eldest son with me in a pram and was feeding him a series of bananas to keep him quiet while I tried to focus on the task at hand. It was me against three other developers, but also up against several selling agents intent on getting us all to bid. And bid I did, as did they, but no amount of research prepared me for the physical and emotional experience. We bought it, three bananas and helpful neighbours later, but I remember feeling a definite sense of imbalance as a lone buyer trying to figure out what all the jargon meant when my head was spinning and the theatre of an auction was in full swing.

Over time, I became the go-to property person in my circle. I’d help friends strategise and populate feasibility spreadsheets over a glass of wine of an evening, and it was a fateful date night when my husband gently suggested that perhaps this ‘property thing’ could be a full-time gig. No doubt, friends were making money and I felt comfortable with the idea of charging for my input, but it took a further twelve months of planning and formal study to give birth to Capital Buyers Agency.

I’m delighted to say I’ve been going since 2014 and love my clients to bits. I’m largely referral-based, often closing my books to work with referral clients only. In 2018 I hired my first staff member, and together with Harry the cavoodle (official Office Manager) who sleeps under my desk, I am truly thankful to work in a field I am passionate about, with clients who become friends, in a city that I love.