As a working mum with four children, Jaymee Le knows a thing or two about hard work and trying to find some sort of work-life balance.
Ms Le had to fight her way into the industry as a single mother, door-knocking agencies and even working for free in a bid to get a start.
“I said to one of the offices, ‘Would you take me on if I worked for free for a few weeks? That way you can see if I’ve got it or not’,” Ms Le said.
The agency immediately took her up on the offer, and soon realised her potential, hiring her as a director’s PA before she transitioned into sales.
Ms Le got her start at a franchise, but ultimately she didn’t feel they were bringing out the best in her or getting the most value for her clients, so she made the move to Area Specialist six years ago.
“At other companies, it was all about turnover,” she said.
“I came across Michael Choi and we’ve just done really well in the last five or six years.”
The move to Area Specialist has allowed Ms Le to flourish, both professionally and personally.
She operates in Noble Park in Victoria, focusing on first-time buyers in the $600,000 to $800,000 price bracket and selling around 60-70 homes per year.
Ms Le puts much of her success down to her unique skill set and life experiences.
As a mother of four children ranging from 5 to 23 years old, she can relate to a wide range of demographics.
Her Vietnamese background also gives her an edge in the local market.
“Speaking a second language does help,” she said.
“Noble Park, Springvale, Keysborough are predominantly Vietnamese; I grew up with parents that didn’t speak English, so the culture’s still there. I also understand the culture of the older generation.”
Throughout her career, Ms Le has achieved numerous accolades, including Novice Auctioneer of the Year when she first started and Salesperson of the Year multiple times at Area Specialist.
One of her proudest achievements came when she was pregnant with her daughter.
“I got salesperson of the year when I was pregnant for three-quarters of the year,” she said.
“I closed my last deal about four days before I went into the hospital.
“I did my last auction at eight and a half months, and I was back on the phone closing deals about five days after giving birth. Women are powerful when they want to be.”
The flexibility offered by Area Specialist has been crucial in allowing Ms Le to balance her thriving career with her family life.
“You can have as many kids as you want and be able to do real estate because real estate is very flexible,” she said.
“I think it’s the only job in the world where if you need to go on an excursion with your child, you don’t have to ask anyone.
“You just reschedule your appointments to work around it.”
This flexibility extends to her colleagues as well.
She said many of the working women in her office work from home while managing two or three children, and still write over $500,000 in commissions annually.
Financially, the move to Area Specialist has been transformative for Ms Le as well.
“Definitely, you’re taking home more money,” she said.
“Flexibility is there, and you can have a family and have a really successful career as well.”
Looking to the future, Ms Le is content with her current situation, both personally and professionally.
She’s even started to involve her older children in the business, with one working in the office and another expressing interest in sales.
“Obviously, you know, in the future when they’re a little bit more established, they might want to do their own thing,” she said.
“I want to retire in about 10 years, so start travelling and do all the things that I want to do.
“Hopefully, they can take over the business one day.”
Area Specialist is a real estate platform for top-performing agents, providing the systems, tools and technology they need to create, grow and power their business. For more information visit beyourboss.com.au
