Mackay property experts forging their own boom-not-bust path

Side-by-side in a dog-eat-dog industry

FORGING A PATH: Paul Bryan and Anna Vivash from Penny Wood Lane Boutique Real Estate Agency, with Louie. Picture: Stuart Quinn

SOMETIMES Anna Vivash is the boss in the office, and other times her partner at work as well as her "soul” companion in life, Paul Bryan, is in charge.

Anna says the dynamic duo - who have been together for eight years and opened their "innovative and independent” boutique real estate business on Valentine's Day five years ago - are together 24/7.

"We hear it all the time, when people say, 'I could never work with my partner',” she says.

Anna understands but, with a few strict guidelines, an abundance of healthy living, their pet 'mohawked' spoodle Louie constantly in tow and a newly acquired Kombi van project on the go, the property experts are forging their own boom-not-bust path in life.

The couple, who met while working in a Brisbane office, returned to Paul's hometown of Mackay in 2012 and set up Penny Wood Lane a year later.

"You could say it was love at first sight. It was like any relationship in an office. I don't think it was looked on favourably. But we knew pretty early on,” Anna says.

"We're both Scorpios ... very passionate but very strong and loyal, and down-to-earth.

"I don't like being told what to do. I'm like, 'Don't tell me what to do!'. I think we're both very strongly opinionated with each other.

"I'm the cool, calm and collected one.”

Learning how to work and live together has meant discussing sacrifices and compromise, Anna, originally from Rockhampton, says.

"When decisions are made, we sacrifice certain things and we compromise all the time to reach common goals. We have really good communication and have definitely helped each other grow.”

Just over three years ago, Paul became ill with the auto-immune disease Guillain-Barré syndrome, and paralysis affected his legs and arms.

"He couldn't walk property, he couldn't turn on a light switch or dress himself. It's been a slow recovery as the nerve endings repair themselves,” Anna says.

PARTNERS: Paul Bryan and Anna Vivash, with Louie, are partners in life and in business. Picture: Stuart Quinn

Anna and Paul focussed on his recovery while rebooting their commitment to their health, fitness and prioritising time with each other.

"In the morning we just cook a big breakfast and basically eat off the same plate. Usually we have avocado, herbs and eggs which are free-range,” Anna said.

"We did a meditation course a couple of weeks ago. And one day I would love to have a hobby farm to grow everything that I eat.”

Paul says Guillain-Barré syndrome was "like a poorly wrapped gift”.

"I looked in the mirror and thought, 'Imagine if this was it'. So I really felt I had a second chance. It was life-changing.”

Between Mackay and Brisbane, Paul has worked in real estate since 2003.

He says Penny Wood Lane "generally operates on a different frequency to other agencies”.

"We have deeper personal connections with our customers. We like the relationships we build - it's a person-to-person, face-to-face industry.”

Louie the dog is a fixture at the office, and "he helps us connect with people”.

On a personal front, Paul says he and Anna complement each other.

"We both know our strengths and weaknesses and it's excellent to work side-by-side with someone you can 100 per cent trust as it's a bit of a dog-eat-dog industry.”

He says the secret to their success is adhering to pretty strict rules.

"So unless it's an absolute emergency, we don't talk about work at home,” he said.

"The idea is, finish your work and then, when you go home, you have your life. And when you go back to work, you switch on again.

"It's something that you have to work on but, if you don't, it's hard to have a personal relationship outside work.

"We spend a lot of time with the dog and out and about on the beach. We're into the markets and we juice a lot. We live a pretty clean life and, when we can, we travel.”

Paul says the property market in Mackay is "stabilising and in some sectors we are seeing price recovery”.

"Across the board, the market is more confident. There's a lot more buyers researching the market now so the next 12 months is looking very positive,” he says.

"Mackay is between Cairns and Brisbane and we are geographically well-positioned to grow into a regional powerhouse. We've also got a lot of room for improvement with our culture and food culture.

"The connectivity is really important. We are very accessible here. We can be at Airlie Beach and the reef in an hour and a half.

Paul says there is a strong market for well-maintained properties in the under-$500,000 bracket.

"It's going fast. In the over $600,000 price range, there's a lot of options and more hesitation.

"Buyers are a bit cautious.”

Originally published as Mackay property experts forging their own boom-not-bust path