Words of Wisdom – with Recruit RE and guest Roger Wardy

From the age of eleven Roger Wardy’s father had encouraged him to get into real estate and then at 16 after work experience in an office, he was hooked.

Now as a standalone agent with Ray White Touma Group, Roger is creating a legacy in the industry through hard work and determination.

Tell us about your career and how you started in the industry

I had work experience at an agency in the in the West and then after three months I decided to get my diploma and got into the industry at 22. I got my first job in sales at Di Jones with Kylie Walsh when I was 23.

Di Jones is a great company, and after two years there I moved on. At the time I was very ignorant and believed the hype I was told about the new agency which unfortunately didn’t turn out.

I knew Charles Touma before I got into real estate, and he was giving me tips and encouragement. I told him what was happening, and he had decided to open Bresic Whitney in Roseberry and then went to Ray White, and I’ve followed to both offices. 

What made me get into it was wanting to challenge myself and looking at others in the industry and knowing that I could do it too.

Is real estate being the only industry you've ever worked in?

My dad was in development and construction, and I’ve always been around property from the age of five. All my friends were playing games and I was jealous of it, but I was picking up bricks.

Looking back now, at the time I didn't like it, but I realise why my dad did it. It's helped me to operate and work. I don't work on a start time and choose to work on a task until it’s finished and have a different mentality around my work.

What qualifications did you complete to get into the industry? 

I've got my real estate licence and am also an accredited auctioneer.

How would you say that your friends and colleagues would describe you? 

Like a bulldog. Honesty, loyalty, and integrity are big things in my mind . hey would also say that I’m hardworking.

What is your proudest career moment? 

Not following the crowd. There's a difference between agents and if you're not in the game, you won't understand it but if you come across as a traditional agent, car salesman type of approach, you’re going to be looked at like everyone else. If you separate yourself in terms of the work ethic and how you operate with people, then there is no comparison.

What is the most rewarding part of your career? 

Selling property at a price I know none of my competitors can get. 

You're learning every day and I like to construct deals. I don't think other people do it that way. It's about finding the solution to the problem. If you've got two parties that agree to it, then you can put it together. 

How has your company helped you reach your career goals? 

It's based on picking bits out of everyone’s advice. Everyone is different and every sale agent is different. You can't operate like someone else, but you take ideas that you feel are going to work for your path and you apply it.

I've picked knowledge from everyone and then molded it my own way. 

There are two paths you can choose, the easy route or the path of the most resistance. 

I've always gone the path of the most resistance and I think too many people choose the easy route but that gets you nowhere. You start becoming like everyone else. If you choose the path of the most resistance, that's where you push past barriers of growth.

Advice for early career professionals

If you want it bad enough, you can get it. If you don't, you will make an excuse for why you can't.

You’ve got to keep going and don’t stop because the second you stop your competitors will get ahead of you. It really depends on how much you want it.

What advice do you have for maintaining good mental health

I'm very big on mental health and I have challenges too. I’ve got a life coach, a psychologist and real estate coaches.

There's a lot to it but first look at it from an authenticity perspective, not an ego perspective. Everyone has an ego perspective, but the key is to get yourself out of that mentality and ask questions on how to get better and not think that you know everything.

The devil in you is where it stops you from growing and being better because it makes you think that you're not good enough or you don't need to change or evolve.

You need to dig deep into your triggers and your traumas and look at why you feel certain way so you can adapt it to whatever you're doing.

You can't keep stuff bottled in and you have to talk about it. Talking about it doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong.

It affects your emotional state, which then affects your progression and if it’s going to compromise your progression, you’ve got to find a solution straight away. 

You need to learn to surrender, overcome your ego and learn. When you surrender from there that's when you can grow. Until then you won't grow. 

What do you think the biggest recruitment challenges are in the industry? 

I think a lot of people aren’t authentic. When I interview someone, they'll say they can do certain things, but their behaviour suggests something else. When I look to recruit someone, it's not based on what they know, it's based on their behaviour. 

There's no one in my team does that does not have a similar mindset to mine. I can't teach behaviour, but I can teach skill set.

It gets to a point where you want to get serious about progression in your career and

if you want to progress, you need to be switched on for when that time comes.

My team, we talk every day. We've got group chats and we speak in early mornings, late nights and its continual communication. It’s not a nine to five role.

How do you find the best talent to join your team?

In my team, one messaged me on Instagram when I posted an ad, the other I've known since I was 7 and he introduced me to my EA.

One thing they’ve all got in common is their behaviour. They were all green when they came on, so I've taught them everything they know.

If you are disciplined it helps you understand that you can't just expect something because you're breathing. If you work hard, you deserve it.

What is your opinion of the current real estate market? 

Markets go up and down and your role as a sales agent is to sell no matter what. 

In every market, people need to sell. You’ve got to do the best job you can at that time and maximise price at any given time. If you do that, they’ll make the decision on whether it's worth selling. 

If it goes up or down, things happen. The difference is that when it goes down it becomes a lot harder, and you need to triple down on the work. But if you're used to it and you understand it, then it becomes second nature. 

Discipline is big in this role and adapting to the environment. If you can't adapt, you’re finished.

Advice for anyone that's looking to buy or sell

I tell them to buy because everyone usually follows the herd. Right now, there's not a lot of buyers out there, so you get the same product at a discounted rate, but people usually want to buy when everyone else is and you just pay more for the same product.

The key is to reverse and go against the grain. That's how people make money.

If you’re looking to sell, by the end of the year the market is tipped to drop maybe another 10 to 12%. If someone is looking to sell, they'll exit at the top of the ladder right now and re-enter the ladder. Towards the end of the year when it comes down, they would make 10 to 12% on the purchase.

A top tip for anyone to flourish in the real estate industry

Continue progression of your own journey don’t stop. All the time that you get invest it in the journey and if you do then you'll come out on top.