It’s not often that people associate the real estate industry with culture and the arts, and you may in fact wonder what these two industries have in common. Well, in Byron Bay, the answer is simple- Chris Hanley.
Having dominated the real estate market for over a decade, Chris Hanley is an avid arts lover and has devoted many years to the growth of the arts industry in Byron Bay. You may think after all his hard work Chris would be starting to sit back and enjoy his success, but if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that Chris is showing no signs of slowing down. Profile by Lara Martino.
For a man with just one name, Chris Hanley is certainly a man with many titles. Principal of Byron Bay First National, Chairman of the Northern Rivers Writers Centre, teacher, business coach, writer, father, Chris is needless to say, a very busy man. So how did this arts student, turned teacher, turned real estate guru begin his remarkable journey to success?
“I grew up in Sydney where I completed a Bachelor of Arts with majors in History and Political Science,” Chris explains.
“I then went on to complete a Diploma of Education and further studies in Australian Literature.”
After six years in the tertiary education system, Chris began teaching at colleges all around Sydney.
"I’ve always believed education in itself is a very good thing and that’s why I found teaching to be hugely rewarding,” he says.
“However, teaching was not my primary source of income, it was more something I did because it gave me great satisfaction.”
So to earn his living Chris made a decision that ultimately marked the beginning of an incredibly successful, 25-year real estate career.
“People often ask me how I got into real estate, and the answer is very simple. I saw an ad in the paper and decided to give it a go.”
Although his decision to enter real estate may seem a little unplanned, his efforts that followed certainly were not.
Within the first year Chris was achieving remarkable sales results and was quickly working his way towards becoming one of the top players in the industry.
“Real estate is only about two things,” Chris explains.
“It’s about getting people to trust that you are the right person to sell their property and then it’s about finding qualified people to buy the properties.
“I guess the key to these two things is forming good relationships with people and this is something I have been able to do from a young age.”
Deciding it was time for a sea change, Chris moved to Byron Bay where he continued to excel in the real estate market.
When the opportunity arose to become a business partner in Margaret Robertson First National Real Estate, Chris jumped at the chance.
“My partner Margaret (Robertson) was an exceptionally good sales person and a very inspiring woman, and together we created a very successful business.”
And if you’re wondering exactly how successful, the figures can do the talking.
Their company became the market leader in Byron Bay, a position it still holds today- some ten years later- with a market share varying between 30 to 40 percent.
“Margaret has since retired but I still have an exceptionally high calibre of staff and business partners working with me.”
Today, Byron Bay First National has about 32 to 33 per cent market share, meaning every third house in the town is sold by their company.
“The main premise of our business is ethics and honesty and this is how we maintain long term client relationships,” Chris explains.
“85 per cent of properties that we sell are for people we have done business with in the past.”
During his rise to become one of the industry’s top business leaders, Chris surprisingly still found time to pursue his passions for teaching and writing.
“Whilst working in real estate I was also teaching at various colleges in Byron Bay,” he says.
“I’ve taught a variety of subjects including Australian literature, history, business communications, auctioneering and English.
“I also started a not for profit organisation called the Northern Rivers Writers Centre, which incorporates the annual Byron Bay Writer’s Festival, a writing centre and a writing school.”
Although the worlds of art and real estate may be seemingly unrelated, Chris believes his success in real estate is due to his cultural activities.
“When working in real estate, I believe it’s important to have some other outlet to get satisfaction from,” Chris says.
“Real estate has a tendency to gobble people up hook, line and sinker, and a lot of agents place all their self worth on whether or not they make a sale.
I believe my success has been due to the fact that real estate has never been my entire world. I have other passions, my writing and my teaching, to keep me motivated.
“I strongly believe it is these outside interests that have allowed me to succeed in real estate and stay in the industry for 25 years.”
The Byron Bay Writer’s Festival is now in its 10th year and continues to attract more and more writers from around Australia each year.
Chris is also busy growing both his writing centre and writing school both of which run programs, writing courses and mentorships for its 700 plus members. All the while, still running his market-leading real estate company.
You may wonder how Chris stays on top as a one of New South Wales’ most successful business leaders. Well, according to Chris, the answer is people.
With a reputation for his amazing listening skills (which see him recalling past conversations almost verbatim), Chris has a unique approach to dealing with people and he is known for his ability to relate to his staff as a friend first, and employer second.
“In every business that I am involved in, I have surrounded myself with excellent people whom I genuinely like.”
“One rule of business I have learned is to never have anybody working for you who you don’t like.”
“I engage with my staff as much as I can, I love talking to them, helping them out and listening to their stories.”
“As a result I work with excellent people who are a large part of my businesses’ successes.”
As a long time teacher and coach of others, Chris also believes in continually being trained himself.
“Once you’re on top in business, you can’t stay there. You’re either going to move upwards or downwards.”
“The way I move upwards is by constantly studying and training.
“My staff and I attend sales courses and seminars, I work with different training organisations, I listen to CDs, I read books, all with the aim of improving my business model.
“I’ve always believed in the value of training and education, and there is so much available these days, you just have to be willing to learn.”
There’s no doubt that this willingness to learn has led Chris to become the highly respected and successful business leader he is today.
As for the future, Chris will continue believing in and using the “power of people” to help him make significant contributions every day to the real estate and arts industries in Byron Bay.
