Holly Komorowski, Thomas Hathaway: Meet Canberra’s real estate renegades

Big companies may dominate the real estate industry, but boutique agencies are punching above their weight. Meet the agents shaking up Canberra’s real estate industry.

The real estate industry is dominated by well known franchise-based companies, but among the big players, boutique agencies are finding their niche, and doing business their way.

We spoke to five Canberra real estate agents who are shaking up ACT’s property market.

home.by holly: Holly Komorowski

The home.by holly team are shaking things up.

It’s hard to miss home.by holly’s pink “buy me” signs and heart-shaped #sold stickers popping up around Canberra.

Founder and principal agent, Holly Komorowski, was inspired to move into the real estate industry after buying her own home.

“Even after I bought a home I was one of those people that would love to look at the real estate websites and see what’s on the market,” she said.

This was a big change for the former primary school teacher and mother of six who was hungry for new career opportunities as she embarked on re-entering the paid workforce.

Ms Komorowski started her real estate career as a licensed agent at Luton in 2010.

In 2016, she made another leap of faith by establishing her own agency - home.by holly.

The proudly female-led agency soon gained a reputation for bringing a new spin to property in the ACT.

“If you looked at different agencies at the time in Canberra everything was corporate,” she said.

“Meanwhile, our colour scheme was very feminine which is something that’s unique about us … we’ve stepped away from that corporate look.

“I think we’ve genuinely and authentically presented ourselves differently.”

Ms Komorowski said she and her staff aim to be approachable to customers to make the house buying experience more comfortable.

“(Buying a property can be) high stress, there‘s a lot of investment in buying a house both financially and emotionally,” she said.

home.by holly has won numerous awards, including Realestate.com’s National Agent of the Year in 2019 and Canberra Women in Business’s Small Business of the Year in 2019.

“We’re not the biggest and we don’t have the most agents,” Ms Komorowski said.

“But we certainly get the best results and outcomes for our clients.”

Hathaway Real Estate: Thomas Hathaway

Tom Hathaway and Nyankor Ador of Hathaway Real Estate.

Tom Hathaway had his real estate calling in 2008 after attending an industry event as a plus one.

“A joke was mentioned across the table that I should come work for their office,” Mr Hathaway said.

“The following Monday I made the call and moved from my Access Canberra position at that time, into my first Property Management role in 2008.”

In April 2017, Mr Hathaway made another bold career move by establishing his own agency - Hathaway Real Estate.

“(We were) working remotely from our bedroom – at a time when that was taboo. Yet now we are all doing it,” he said.

In that same year, Mr Hathaway won AllHomes Rising Star award in the property management category.

After nearly five years of working out of his bedroom, Hathaway Real Estate opened its office in Reid in mid 2021.

The agency currently has two staff members, with plans to hire a third staff member in 2022.

“I have felt quite proud from the purchasing, designing and then styling our very own space to call HQ,” he said.

“Prior to lockdown we had almost completed (moving in) and were ready to throw our first client and networking nights.”

“Hopefully, we will be back in there to enjoy the new paint smell soon enough.”

Seminara & Co Properties: Lou Seminara

Lou Seminara of Seminara & Co Properties has a passion for customer service.

Lou Seminara has worked in the real estate industry for 21 years.

He established Seminara & Co Properties in 2020 after selling his share of a real estate franchise.

“I think the boutique agency can give you better customer service,” Mr Seminara said.

“When you are a franchise, there’s a lot of red tape. There’s a lot more fees involved in a franchise system for very little return.”

Mr Seminara said he was passionate about property management and is eager to assist owners and tenants alike.

“I love liaising with tenants and owners and every conversation is something different,” he said.

“When you’re in a larger or a franchise system, I think owners and tenants lose that personal touch,” he said.

“I’m always on. If I miss a call from you, you’ll get a call back. Even on a Saturday night, you’ll still get that call back.”

Mr Seminara said he believes there are exciting times ahead in Canberra property market as the city matures.

“Canberra – I’ve seen it grow. We’ve come a long way over the last 20 years,’ he said.

The expansion of Canberra just makes me excited, there‘s more opportunities to get into the market and deal with a lot of homeowners. Its great.”

“(Canberra) is a very a clean cut city and a great place to live”

BORIS. : Boris Teodorowych

BORIS. founder Boris Teodorowych

Boris Teodorowych says he’s always had a passion for property.

“My father was originally an architect, so I had design in my blood,” he said.

So, when the opportunity arose to move from his teaching career into real estate he dived straight in.

“It was a sudden decision to leave the security of a permanent teaching position,” he said.

“I was 40, I had a big mortgage, and a new baby. I jumped into the unknown.”

Over a decade later, the gamble has paid off.

Mr Teodorowych worked for Colliers International from 2008 and moved to PRD in 2012.

During his time at those agencies Mr Teodorowych began to specialise in luxury apartments.

“Part of that experience is that you get investors who need really good property management but I found it hard to find people that understood apartments,” he said.

“I realised I wanted to do things better, by myself, without the risk of reputation being tarnished by other people.”

This led to the establishment of BORIS. in 2015.

“We’ve got a strong reputation, we’re nimble, we’re agile,” he said.

“We’ve got mobile phone numbers, there’s no office line, so we’re personal. You can ring us, we’ll pick up and make it happen.”

Mr Teodorowych said BORIS.’s focus on apartments reflected the future of ACT’s property sector.

“I’ve seen Canberra change from a sleepy garden city to a much more sophisticated city,” he said.

“The apartment boom that we’ve seen over the last five to ten years has changed the nature of the city and its skyline.

“We now have much more dense living with more people living in town centres. We’re seeing those town centres and precincts develop and form, creating new communities and urban villages.

“We’ve seen Canberrans and people who have moved to Canberra embrace lifestyle opportunities that probably weren't there before.”

One Agency – Sandy Morris: Sandy Morris

One Agency – Sandy Morris is a family-owned real estate agency in Kambah.

Kambah-based real estate agent Sandy Morris established One Agency – Sandy Morris in 2014.

She said her association with One Agency provided her the opportunity to run a smaller family-centred business.

“It is quite different to the large real estate franchises with multiple agents, relatively inflexible processes and demanding earnings targets,” she said.

Ms Morris said she strives for high levels of success in her business.

“I am the sort of person that aims to do every element of the job as well as I can so that all my clients and providers are thrilled with the experience.”

Ms Morris said working as a family business had unique benefits.

“Managing a family business allows for flexibility and less prescriptive processes,” she said.

“There is an obvious familiarity that provides confidence that tasks will be completed properly and in the agency’s interests.”

In 2020, Ms Morris won RateMyAgent’s ACT Agent of the Year award.

She says over the last 20 years she’s been pleased to see an emergence of female real estate agents boasting strong interpersonal and communication skills.

“(These agents) have been able to provide clients with great confidence that their real estate needs will be met,” she said.

Ms Morris says the biggest change in Canberra’s property profile is the increase of units and townhouses, however buyers shouldn't turn their backs on more traditional properties.

“My advice to buyers out there – stick to houses with yards if you are after capital growth.”