Edwina Smith has a reputation for being transparent and honest and she never takes for granted that she is looking after a person’s greatest asset - their home. She advises any new business owners to be brave, and fearless, back themselves, and run their own race.
Tell us about Signature Properties Mudgee
Signature Properties Mudgee is an independent, boutique property investment firm, servicing the beautiful Mudgee region. When my husband Derek and I founded the business in 2015, we initially identified a niche market to offer a specialised service for investors, and we established Mudgee’s only real estate agency solely dedicated to property management. In 2021, we added real estate sales to our portfolio. We now proudly offer clients a fully connected property management, sales, and investment suite.
What makes your Signature Properties Mudgee stand out from all the other businesses in your industry?
We have built our reputation on being transparent, honest, and “hands-on” in all our dealings. As the proprietor and sole agent, our clients know they deal exclusively with me, every step of the way, and they like that there is one experienced, professional agent managing their investment. We also pride ourselves on providing a tailored, personalised service - no property is the same, so we are committed to ensuring we offer a customised service for every client.
How do you build a successful customer base?
We always strive to provide excellent service, offer effective, responsive communication, and achieve outstanding results. When we deliver for our clients, they tell their friends, families, and colleagues - and our customer base has grown from there! Word-of-mouth is still our biggest source of client referral, and our numerous testimonials and positive reviews are a testament to our outstanding service offering.
What do you enjoy most about being the Director and Licensee of Signature Properties Mudgee?
No two days are the same - every day is different with new challenges, new tasks, new clients - it keeps me on my toes and I love being able to do different things every day. I love working with clients. Being able to deliver a high-quality service, where we’ve secured and retained great tenants and delivered a well-maintained home, is the best part of my job.
I never take for granted that we are looking after a person’s greatest asset - their home - so being able to deliver a really fantastic service and receive feedback on a job well done is wonderful. Since moving into sales, I’ve loved being able to be part of a client’s sales journey - seeing them sell their house and move onto their next chapter, but also witnessing the excitement of new owners moving in; we really get to witness some landmarks in people’s lives, it’s wonderful.
What would you say is your greatest accomplishment as a woman in business?
Establishing and continuing to run a highly successful business, while also raising two children. When we moved to Mudgee, we didn’t have an established client network so we had to build our rent roll from scratch. Now, after eight years in business, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and the many clients we continue to service. Being able to do all of that while raising two children has been a juggle, but the best kind of juggle.
What’s the best piece of business advice that you have ever received?
Look after people, provide exceptional service and the rest will follow. This is really the ethos that the business is founded on, and it’s advice I’ve followed across my whole career. There’s something to be said for looking after people and going above and beyond for them - it’s what continues to set us apart from other real estate agencies.
Another piece of advice I always follow is to run your own race and only worry about the things you can do something about - I’ve always played to my strengths in business and in life and focused on what I can change. It hasn’t set me wrong yet!
What advice would you give to the next generation of women in business?
Be fearless and run your own race. It can seem incredibly daunting to start your own business, apply for that promotion, or negotiate better conditions, but sometimes you just have to be brave, and go for it. I think it’s really important to focus on your own business too - sometimes it’s so easy to get lost in the sea of Instagram and Facebook posts about what other people are doing and think “am I good enough”? I’ve always done things differently and it’s worked to my advantage, so I definitely advise people to run their own race.
What would you say is your personal definition of success?
Exceeding expectations. I love going above and beyond for clients and knowing we’ve done everything we can to deliver. It’s continuing to provide that outstanding service we’ve built our reputation on that is a market of success for me.
What’s on the horizon for Signature Properties Mudgee in 2023?
Continuing to grow the business’ rent roll and deliver for our clients. We will also focus on developing our sales arm in the coming months.
Location: MUDGEE | NSW
Website: signaturepropetiesmudgee.com.au
Instagram: @signaturepropertiesmudgee_ Facebook: Signature Properties Mudgee Photographer: