Drawing on the positives of a year that taught us all so much, at OC we are moving into 2021 with a new appreciation of the importance of flexibility and agility as well as strong strategic planning and leadership.
Importantly, we also move into the new year with an incredible appreciation for everything our teams, our clients and our industry has achieved in 2020. From the rapid, head-spinning moments of the initial lockdowns in March through to the ‘new normal’ and back again to our reminder in November that our lives can and will be rapidly disrupted at any moment, our people have demonstrated resilience, adaptability, empathy and leadership.
2020 was a year unlike any other
To demonstrate this here are some key stats from OC’s 2020 – a year which, in March, seemed very few people would be focusing on buying or selling property:
While the market was softer than we anticipated this time last year, the above figures demonstrate it certainly was not all doom & gloom. Within our property management sector, OC achieved a customer satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5, with 98.5% of all tenants paying full rent throughout the COVID lockdowns – this is an incredible achievement at a time when uncertainty was rife in so many other areas.
The integral component to our success has undoubtedly been our people, underpinned by strong business planning and preparation. The team-first attitude of every single person at OC during this once-in-a-lifetime world event was just incredible and truly demonstrated how everyone genuinely lives the OC values of authenticity, optimism, passion and precision.
From Sales Consultant Cynthia Sajkunovic’s exceptional work on our highest selling property of the year – the $4.42M home at 393 The Esplanade, Henley Beach – to the incredible commitment of our team to helping others via a number of fundraising events and initiatives, we could not be more proud of the professionalism, generosity and heart of everyone at OC.
In return, we hope we have been able to give our team the security and confidence to shine. Despite the many unknowns 2020 threw at us, OC has maintained a strong focus on training and empowering our people. While other businesses and agencies made redundancies, our focus remained firmly on the future and our long-term strategic goals, which meant we grew our team by five per cent and now have 114 of the best sales consultants and admin support in Australia. One of the instrumental hires was our new COO John Thompson, whose role will ensure OC’s strategic and people-first focus will continue through 2021 and beyond.
Amongst all the challenges and successes of 2020, perhaps the moments that have been the most rewarding have been the times where our teams and our clients have come together even while we’ve been forced to be physically apart.
No one is going to forget the shift from formal work meetings to Zoom calls dominated by shorts, activewear and even pyjamas. Where family members wandered into the frame, and where everyone became well acquainted with each other’s pets. The speed at which we have all adapted to QR Codes, video conferencing, virtual tours, and the importance of hand sanitiser has been astounding – the success of our first-ever virtual OC Careers Night clearly showcases this.
So, despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, we move into 2021 with a strong sense of optimism, team spirit and gratitude for the many and varied successes of 2020 and we look forward with genuine anticipation to a strong and prosperous 2021.
SNAPSHOT: Ouwens Casserly Real Estate 2020 highlights
- Market share up by 20%
- $590M worth of property sold
- $740K average sales price
- 650 properties leased
- 1700 properties under management(net growth of 51)
- Launched numerous projects under the OC Projects banner including the Glandore Townhouses, Johns Road Prospect, Mesa at Aldinga Beach and North x East
- 80 Fresh Home Loans settled, representing $38M
- $22,500 raised for people in need by the OC Community Committee
MAKE IT HAPPEN™
Alex Ouwens and Nathan Casserly have a genuine passion for real estate and love to help people achieve their goals and dreams through property. Find out more about OC here.
Interested in a career at Ouwens Casserly Real Estate? Check out our opportunities here.
