Meet the young guns taking Ian McNamee & Partners into the future

While their phones buzz constantly on the table in front of them, the three Ian McNamee sales agents I’m interviewing for this story seem unfazed.

They don’t pick their phones up or miss a beat in our conversation. I have their full attention; and it’s one of the best conversations I’ve had in a long time.

Lucy MacGregor, Michael Edwards and Bree Jackson are the ‘new guard’ of agents at iconic Queanbeyan real estate agency Ian McNamee & Partners: a powerful threesome of sales agents, all in their 20s, selling around 135 properties a year.

Despite their age, all three have been with McNamees for “years” and cut their teeth selling homes under the likes of prominent agents Shane McNamee and Darren Bennett. Shane taught them the power of negotiation and Darren’s relationship skills are evident in all three.

For Michael Edwards – who studied architecture before being headhunted by Shane, via family friend Darren – the first few weeks as a trainee included driving people to view homes.

“Darren left me with a buyer and said, drive him to see this listing,” he says.

“It seems like an old-school approach now, but it worked an absolute treat.”

Bree Jackson remembers dropping rent cheques into the McNamee office in Queanbeyan for her mum as a child, but never dreamed she’d work there.

“It’s the kind of agency where you can start at reception and then have the opportunity to move into different areas and upgrade your skills,” Bree says.

“I worked in strata and property management, and now that I’m in sales I’ve really found my home.”

Lucy MacGregor describes being an agent at McNamees as “the best job in the world”.

The company’s investment in its staff – which sits at 35 across two offices – and the collaboration she’s found with Michael and Bree keep her “super motivated” every day.

“I think it’s rare for sales agents to have the level of support and joint effort that we do,” Lucy says.

“Our Teams chat is insane – we work together every single day and we help each other at every stage of the process, right from appraisals to contracts.”

All three are keen to be on the frontline of taking Ian McNamee & Partners into the future. Their vision is to continue to innovate property marketing, resulting in more appraisals and more sales volume, and to evolve the classic orange brand.

“The aim is really to stay a force in the Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong markets,” Michael says.

“It’s less about growing into a giant agency and more about continuing that deep level of service, that commitment to the community that McNamees is famous for.”

Says Bree: “You’re helping people at all different stages of their lives but you’re helping them buy a big part of their future. That’s what I love. It’s special.”

View all Ian McNamee & Partners sales listings.