As a young man, Sam Kandil realised a career in sales was going to be his pathway to achieving financial success. He is now Head of Project Marketing, NSW at Knight Frank.
As a young man selling encyclopaedias, Sam Kandil realised a career in sales was going to be his pathway to success. He now says, "If my son were to ask me what is the most secure and rewarding career, I would tell him selling!"
How did you start in the real estate business?
I started in 1993 as a sales agent. I was selling house and land packages in Melbourne for a Melbourne-based property developer across major parcels of land estate developments in Roxburgh Park, Mill Park, South Morang, and Rowville just to name a few. By 2002 I had achieved over 500 house and land packages achieving sell-out results in most estates.
Why did you decide to enter this industry?
Prior to working in the property industry I had worked for five years with World Book Incorporation selling encyclopaedias. I realised selling was the only way to achieve financial independence. Working for commission with no capped earnings was the only way to achieve my financial goals. Property was an industry that grabbed my attention basically due to the fact that every person will buy a home at some stage and I thought selling these homes in mass volume would ensure that I earn much more than any other industry I would have chosen at the time.
What do you love about your job?
Everything, every day and every moment! From listing a project – that is currently a piece of land – to driving by the project when it’s completed and feeling great to be part of the team that made it all happen! And everything in between of course – creating a marketing concept of what it would be like to live in it in the future; selling to potential purchasers who feel great about buying their dream home or investment property; and watching it being built.
There’s nothing like the satisfaction for the hard work of a successful team.
What would you say are the biggest issues facing the Australian real estate industry at the moment?
The biggest issue is consumer fear of losing, which is continually fuelled by negative press resulting in less than 10 per cent of Australians owning only one investment property other than the home they live in! Over the last 30 years property has continued to rise despite all negative alerts influencing property buyers such as the introduction of Capital Gains Tax in 1986, the introduction of GST in 2000, the financial crisis in 2009, political instability in 2011 and today talks of the property bubble in 2016. What we do not realise is that just like any other industry it’s all about supply and demand. If there is enough demand resulting from population growth and immigration that exceeds the supply, which is the case, any softness in the selling market is only temporary.
What would you like to see done differently in the industry?
I would like to see more incentives for Australians to purchase a home or an investment property. The property industry is a huge contributor to any economy. With each property built, at least two individuals are employed due to the direct impact on demand for everything that goes into a home from building materials to end-user requirements such as furnishing, appliances and personal needs. In return, it benefits these industries as well due to higher sales volume and the need to employ more people.
What’s your advice to a young person thinking of getting into the same work?
If my son were to ask me what is the most secure and rewarding career, I would tell him selling! And selling real estate is the most rewarding of all selling jobs. The fact that we are highly based on commission should be of no concern because just like any other salary-based job if you do not perform you will not have that job for long but at least if you do perform you are greatly rewarded compared to any other salary based job you may chose as a career.
What was your first home?
My first home was a three bedroom house in Keilor Lodge, Melbourne.
Where do you live now?
In a three bedroom penthouse in Newington, Sydney.
If money were no object, what would your dream property be?
I prefer apartment living and given that Sydney has the best harbour in the world I would, without a doubt, buy the best penthouse in Sydney CBD overlooking the harbour.
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