THE bright, red door has swung open to Key 2 Sale’s Sturt Street premises, providing a new base for the award-winning Mount Gambier real estate agency.
An ambitious 12-month renovation has transformed the site into a modern office space, complete with an employee wellbeing room, while the exterior was designed to complement the character of Mount Gambier’s traditional architecture.
Pushing ahead with the major project despite the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, directors Gail Richards and Al Lamond officially launched the new premises last Friday.
“Our staff learned to adapt to working from home very quickly during COVID, and while the tech environment is critical for real estate sales, nothing replaces the information sharing that happens in an office space, where we can work as a team bouncing ideas off one another,” Ms Richards said.
Staff now have access to individual office spaces, meeting rooms and shared facilities such as a well-equipped kitchen, with the wellbeing room – a no technology zone – a surprise addition for employees.
“The Key 2 Sale team works incredibly hard and spends a lot of time at the office, so we thought it was important to have a place where we can switch off for a while, in addition to providing pleasant, collaborative workspaces,” Ms Richards said.
“The office has a homely, welcoming feel; we really want clients to feel like they are coming into our home as opposed to a corporate office environment, yet there are still those confidential spaces allowing them to discuss their real estate requirements with confidence.”
It has been a major transformation of the previously vacant site, with the new facade designed in-line with nearby buildings, including the Varcoe Foundry.
“We love local history and wanted to buy an old building in Mount Gambier, but the right property never really presented itself, so in the end, we practised what we preach as real estate
agents and went for location,” Ms Richards said.
Key 2 Sale launched as a start-up in 2016, with Ms Richards working from a desk in her laundry and on the road to sell 40 homes in the first 12 months, exceeding her target of two per month.
The agency now comprises nine staff and has been named Rate My Agent’s Mount Gambier’s agency of the year the last three years.
Ms Richards was also named Mount Gambier’s agent of the year from 2018-20.
“We are incredibly proud of our growth and our awards, but it’s not about the numbers; it’s about the people,” Ms Richards said.
