From Family Road Trip to Real Estate Superstar: Lyndall Allan's Extraordinary Journey
It’s been an extraordinary trajectory for Lyndall Allan, Director of Salt Property, since opening her real estate business in January 2022.
Since then, she has broken sales records, spent a week with the highest sale in Australia, was nominated for the Australian Small Business Awards for Real Estate Agent of the Year nationally and recently won Outstanding Real Estate Agency of the Year at the Hunter Local Business Awards. Her business has moved from a home-based business to a two-storey office space in Merewether, and her staff has increased from one to 13 – all in the space of two and a half short years.
Lyndall puts her success down to hard work, a great team that focuses on providing the best service possible, her honest approach and the support that she has received from her community.
“I have been so grateful for the level of support I have received,” said Lyndall. “After over two decades working in real estate for other people, the desire to branch out on my own came from a realisation that it was time to do things the way I wanted to do them. I am a passionate person who is not afraid of hard work, and I believe in the power of authenticity.”
These personality traits were undoubtedly generated from her upbringing on an acreage in Western Sydney where, as one of four siblings, she liked to ride motorbikes, be outdoors and play sports. Her parents ran a very successful plumbing business – her father as a plumber, and her mother working the books.
“I think watching my parents work so hard has given me my strong work ethic,” says Lyndall.
“My father passed away in 2013 from prostate cancer. He worked hard all his life and was taken too soon without enjoying his retirement. It changes the way you look at things.”
Lyndall is married and has three children, aged 11, 13, and 15. In 2017, the desire to not let life pass them by and to enjoy their kids while they were young led the couple to throw in their jobs and take off around Australia and New Zealand for two years.
“It’s the best thing we ever did,” said Lyndall.
“I have absolutely no regrets. It was a great adventure, and the timing was right. I took a hiatus from my career for the duration, which was scary, but my fears were unfounded. In our modern world, which is full of stressors, you don’t have the time to relax fully. Our trip enabled us to create memories 24/7 with our kids, and I’m so grateful we could do it.
“The kids loved it; they still talk about it now. It’s given them a love of exploration and travel, which they’ll have forever. They were forced to make new friends almost daily, so they developed strong people skills; they’re adaptable, flexible, resilient and just all-around incredible little human beings.
“We home-schooled them while we were away, and that aspect was horrific - we were terrible teachers! It wasn't easy to keep the kids motivated to learn. All they wanted to do was explore, dig holes and climb trees. Ultimately, we had to return so the kids could return to school, and get back to a normal life. I could have kept going forever!”
In her typical high-achieving way, Lyndall started a travel blog while they were on the road, Ten Itchy Feet - Travelling Australia and New Zealand with Kids, which ended up with over 20,000 followers on Facebook. Upon their return to Newcastle, it took Lyndall another two years before she made the decision to start her own business, and again, that was because she wanted to spend more time with her children.
“That’s how it started, but the universe had other ideas, and you have to trust your gut and run with what's in front of you. Now, we’re a family-run and focused business; my husband and kids are part of my business world. We are setting up a separate kid’s area in the office with a TV so staff can bring their kids when needed. It’s important to me to honour the fact that a number of my staff are mums, and I want to be super flexible for them.
“I know what it’s like as a mum of three, and I want to give that to my staff. I want to give confidence to women in the real estate industry. If I can do it, they can do it. I love to help motivate and mentor people – I get a kick out of it. I would like to create a legacy for female agents in this town. I want to change perspectives on real estate and bring more integrity into it.
“The business has expanded rapidly, and now it's time to establish a solid foundation. We’ll continue to grow naturally, and we’re open to opportunities. Through hard work and creativity, I’ve developed a brand that can be trusted. Customers have a good experience; they enjoy the down-to-earth nature of who we are. We don’t want to be the biggest, just the best in terms of service and communication, and we’re built on referrals and repeat customers.”
Recently, Salt Property added property management to their five-star services, and it’s already proving incredibly popular. Focusing on providing a premium service, they use professional photos, floor plans and scriptwriters to make the properties stand out. There is a strong marketing focus with the same level of service in property management as that of sales.
In terms of the current status of the market, Lyndall believes we’re over the worst.
“It’s been relatively challenging, especially in the last six months. Everyone is waiting to see what’s going to happen with interest rates. The likelihood is that they’ll start to go down, and there will be more positivity in the marketplace. Properties are spending more days on the market, longer than we’ve seen in many years, so marketing and pricing are crucial.
“The other big change we’ve seen is that fewer boutique developers are in the market. The days are gone when everyone was buying and flipping. With the increased costs of building materials and labour, not to mention the scarcity of tradies, it’s become too difficult.” In response to the more difficult market conditions, Lyndall and her team pride themselves on their honest appraisals, communication, marketing and decades of experience.
“Our communication style is more personal than you may usually find. If a vendor needs a hug – they’re likely to get one!
"We create an honest and genuine experience."
"My staff are genuine people who align with our company values of respect, integrity, honesty, and passion. They have to want to be here. We’re team-oriented, down-to-earth, and we support each other. We’re also here to work and then get home to our kids. We can laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously. We’re very determined.”
When asked what advice she would give her teenage self, Lyndall said she would tell herself not to sweat the small stuff.
“I think I’d be kinder to myself,” said Lyndall. “I’d back myself more.”
And from everything that she has achieved, that would be good advice!
