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When people ask <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/mark-mccann/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mark McCann</a> about buying or selling a home in Wanniassa, they can rest assured he knows what he’s talking about. Speaking to us from his home in Wanniassa, the agent and founder of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/mccann-properties/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McCann Properties</a> has sold well over 100 properties in the suburb alone. The Scottish born agent fell in love with the leafy southside town during a series of property appraisals. He has since bought a home in Wanniassa and opened McCann Properties in 2015, which is located in Erindale – the main shopping precinct in Wanniassa.“I grew up in Scotland and moved back and forth between the Canberra region and the UK in my younger years, until settling in Sydney’s northern beaches for a while. Because my family is here, I decided to move back to Canberra and came to know the Wanniassa area well while doing property appraisals.”“Wanniassa Hills is particularly beautiful, with amazing views and block sizes much larger than you’ll find elsewhere in Canberra. You don’t feel hemmed in or have to spend your time staring into your neighbour’s yard. I also love that you can drive in from any direction and see green everywhere, with the Brindabellas in the background.”<img alt="McCann-3.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/McCann-3.width-800.jpg" width="800">Mark decided to buy a home in Wanniassa Hills and says it was the perfect decision for his family. “We don’t need to leave Wanniassa at all if we don’t want to! Everything is here – my kids go to school here, play sport here, and we have many friends here. When I decided to start my own agency, it made sense to focus on Wanniassa. It meant I could get to know the market really well and keep my finger on the pulse in terms of what was selling or about to become available for interested buyers. “Specialising in this area helps me provide a better service to my clients, which was always very important to me.”There is no doubt Mark’s recent vendors are extremely happy with the service from McCann Properties. A couple of weeks ago, <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/10-maltby-circuit-wanniassa-act-2903-45753/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">10 Maltby Circuit in Wanniassa</a> sold for a whopping $1,307,000. Just a couple of months beforehand, <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/26-maltby-circuit-wanniassa-act-2903-41869/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">26 Maltby Circuit, Wanniassa</a> landed its owners an impressive $1,070,000 sale price. <img alt="McCann-6.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/McCann-6.width-800.jpg" width="800">“Maltby Circuit is highly sought after because of its location. It offers very easy access to the local shops and main road to Woden and Tuggeranong, and it’s also in the Wanniassa Hills school zone which is a very popular public school. Many of the blocks are over 1000sqm, so it appeals to families who want a decent-sized yard so the kids can play outside instead of being inside on devices all day.”Mark says lockdowns have not impeded sales in the slightest, with many buyers happy to bid on properties they have not physically visited. “We had 15 registered bidders for 10 Maltby Circuit, and only 2 had actually been inside the property. To help interested parties decide if it was the right home for them, we did a thorough video walk-through and the feedback was that the home had a great, comfortable vibe. “The sale price was well over the reserve and the vendors were over the moon. Our team has sold several properties at auction since lockdown started which all ended up significantly over reserve; one owner cried because she simply couldn’t believe it.”<img alt="McCann-7.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/McCann-7.width-800.jpg" width="800">Mark and his team have also recently sold properties in other southside suburbs with results that far exceeded client expectations. This includes a property in Banks where 7 registered bidders competed for the 3 bedroom home until the hammer went down at $794,000.“Regardless of what’s happening with COVID, Canberra is very fortunate to have a stable public service workforce. While some people are sitting on the fence to buy, I believe the growth we’ve seen in property values will be sustained – especially on the southside and in such beautiful and conveniently-located suburbs like Wanniassa.”

Knowing his own backyard, Local Wanniassa agent Mark McCann achieves another stellar result

When <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/marion-nielsen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marion Nielsen</a> started her career in real estate in 1981, the industry – and our nation’s capital – looked very different to how it does now.After growing up in a small country town, Marion had moved to the “big city” to find work. She landed a role as an assistant for a little agency called Kouvelis and Stefanou Real Estate, and became the owners’ go to for everything.Marion recalls the process to obtain a licence to work in real estate was a lot more complex back then; requiring at least 2 years of night courses at TAFE while working in the industry.“It wasn’t like it is now – registration was a huge badge of honour and showed you had put in years of training and study,” says Marion. “Then you had to sit before a panel of agents and answer questions about the Act before you could get a licence to practice. I was only 21 at the time, so I was one of the youngest agents to get my registration which was a big accomplishment.”Marion continued to work for the same agency for an impressive 38 years, until Philip Kouvelis decided to sell the business to Maloneys.“Now I am with <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/maloneys-property/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maloneys</a>, so I have only ever worked for the same company. It’s been a privilege to be part of its growth. In 1981 we had a rent roll of about 20 properties, which became over 600 properties at one point. I have worked as an assistant, property manager, and business manager overseeing all the property management staff. It’s been an exciting and engaging career, and I even have landlords from the 1980s who are repeat clients which is something I truly value.”Of deciding to work in property management over sales, Marion says she absolutely loves the relationships she builds with landlords and tenants.“Housing is very important. It gets into your soul, because it’s an essential part of life and wellbeing. In property management, we help knit it all together by forming relationships with landlords and tenants and helping them make it work.“We ensure tenants have a safe home to live in, and give landlords assurance that their asset is well maintained. I consider us the glue that tries to keep everybody happy!”<img alt="Zango Website_News Articles_Hero &amp; Sub Image_Marion2.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Zango_Website_News_Articles_Hero__Sub_Image_Ma.width-800.jpg" width="800">Over the years, Marion has watched as the industry has completely evolved – from paper and ledgers to computers and internet.“I still remember when we got our very first computer in the agency. There was one for the whole office, and it was only there to manage accounts. Looking back, I wonder how we did it. There was no bond office back then, and no ACAT, and the legislation was quite different.“What hasn’t changed though is the value of relationships and the stability of the Canberra market. Being a government town, we are creatures of habit. So even if the national market slumps, we don’t really do anything – we just wait. Then when it goes up, we act.“But I’ve not seen a market like the one we’re in now. So many people are selling because of high values, and buying because of low interest rates. This is edging us towards a rent crisis with very little stock to offer. As always, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.”When it comes to property advertising, Marion has seen it all. She still remembers frantically crafting property descriptions on a typewriter to hand into the Canberra Times by 4pm on a Friday, ready for the Saturday and Wednesday newspapers.“They were absolutely tiny ads and cost a fortune! There was no ‘open for inspection’, just a number for people to call. You made inspection times with everyone who was interested, and took them through the home one by one.“Now it’s a dream to be able to take great photos and share them online, then run open inspections. Online marketing has been a huge and important change – it’s saved us and our customers so much time.“Especially now with Zango, I feel the Canberra market isn’t so captured and we have more choice. Zango is easy to navigate for me and for tenants and buyers. It’s the new kid on the block, but it’s definitely getting out there and we get great coverage and enquiry from it.”For anyone contemplating a career in real estate, Marion says absolutely give it a try.“This is a great industry and career path for somebody young who wants to see it through to the end. My retirement isn’t for a while, but it’s been a terrific career so far with no need to chop and change to be satisfied. It’s very rewarding.”

2 news articles with tag real-estate-agent

Knowing his own backyard, Local Wanniassa agent Mark McCann achieves another stellar result

Huge achievement! Celebrating 40 years as a PM in Canberra