Jivanee Naidoo - New Wakefields Director
Category Director Review
From new estate agent to newly appointed director and manager of Wakefields' Malvern branch, Jivanee Naidoo has a depth of in-field experience and expertise to share.
Twenty five years ago, Jivanee Naidoo stepped through the door of Wakefields Real Estate as a brand-new estate agent. Today she's been appointed a director. She steps up to this wonderful new challenge with huge enthusiasm and excitement, she says, as she continues to successfully manage the Malvern branch which she's headed up for nine years.
Jivanee joined Wakefields from a salaried position as a public relations officer: 'I thought it was flexitime," she grins, "and that it would allow me to spend more time with my two young children. What I didn't reckon on was my personality - I'm a committed, dedicated person, and because the financial rewards were so exciting, most days I was putting in ten to twelve hours!" That was 25 years ago, and today Jivanee's talking about her grandchildren.
Her first Wakefields' branch was the Sydenham one, and from there, she moved to the Berea branch, before being appointed branch manager of Malvern.
Jivanee's earliest clientele were largely first-time buyers, and she still considers this the most rewarding sector of the market: "I love the joy you bring into peoples' lives when they can finally afford to purchase a roof over their heads, and you find one for them, particularly those buyers from disadvantaged communities who, historically, weren’t able to own property. I realised that to succeed, it took good strong ethics, integrity and a desire to build trust quickly....especially in this sector of the market where I was expected to guide the process and assist people to make the right decisions. I loved and enjoyed what I did, I had a purpose and it never felt like work....and guess what? I was also being handsomely remunerated for making a difference to peoples' lives."
Before Jivanee knew it, business was growing exponentially through referrals and repeat clients, and she was doing exceptionally well: "Unknowingly and unintentionally, in my 2nd year I made the Top 10 Brokers list at Wakefields!"
Jivanee recognised that, as a real estate agent, she'd entered a competitive industry, but feels strongly that if you have a big heart, there's enough business to go round. Ultimately, she’s a highly positive person, a great believer in property as one of the best asset classes to explore....and as a property investor herself: "The best advice I can give any youngster is to get into property ownership as quickly as possible and start building equity."
In her second year, Jivanee became a Top Ten Achiever, and shortly thereafter, was awarded Diamond Achiever status, the highest accolade for an agent at Wakefields. She was born to the job, and loved it.
She acknowledges that the transition from property broker to manager was a massive one, but she soon discovered she enjoyed the leadership role and sharing her knowledge with those new to the industry: "I put in a great deal of time and effort into training my agents to make them as independent as quickly as possible, so they could start earning a living. It gives me so much pleasure to see how many of them have become successful, and earned more than they ever dreamed of in a very short space of time."
Within five years of her appointment to branch manager at Malvern branch, she raised the branches' profile to number one in the group....and has kept it there for four consecutive years. Jivanee is quick to praise her team though: "I have a great sales and administrative team, and appreciate and value their contribution. I am where I am because of them."
Now, as a newly appointed director at Wakefields, Jivanee is excited to face up to the new challenges which lie ahead. She’s a great believer in education as the key to success, and as such, has completed numerous property-related courses to enhance her skills. But she's also a believer in self-motivation, and feels strongly that many of the attributes and skills needed to be successful in the property industry, can be learned. "Focus, commitment and the provision of excellent service takes you very far in this career," she smiles. "I've had so many great years and experiences with the group, I can't wait to see what's around the next corner."
Author: Anne Schauffer
