Dundee estate agent Rosie Fraser on life, death and business

The Courier

2 days ago

For Dundee estate agent Rosie Fraser, relinquishing being in control of every part of her business has been a steep learning curve.
Rosie's name is becoming increasingly familiar across the city, as signs advertising homes for sale pop up.
Her firm sells houses across Tayside and has one of the largest number of listings in the area.
She has enjoyed a spectacularly speedy rise to prominence in the house selling business since opening in 2022.
Before that, she owned a children's clothing store. And while being an entrepreneur might seem to come naturally to her, it hasn't always been so obvious.
'I didn't do that well at school,' the former Baldragon Academy pupil says.
'I found it a struggle, and thought I just wasn't very bright.
'But then I found something I was very passionate about. Which is business.'
Rosie now goes back to Baldragon as a mentor for young people who might not be totally engaged with the mainstream education system.
It's incredibly important for her, she said, to share her experiences and help those who might be feeling left behind.
'When it comes to something I am passionate about, I become obsessed,' she said.
'And I absolutely love my job.
'Sometimes the way schools can be set up, it can really beat down self esteem.
'I tell the young people I speak with that just because they might not be thriving in one system, it doesn't mean it's the end of the road.'
And learning is a constant process, she explains.
Not long after setting up her own estate agency, Rosie was faced with her own mortality.
A cancer diagnosis meant, for the first time, she had to put a pause on work. It did not come easily.
As a young mum aged 30, getting the work-life balance correct suddenly became even more pressing.
'I didn't want to give up any of the control because I believed I was doing everything perfectly,' she says.
'But I think when I got ill, I couldn't go to work. It made me realise I needed to have a work-life balance. It was a hit to the ego, realising I wasn't 'the best' at everything.
'And it turns out learning what your skillset really is, and allowing others who are better at other things do them, will do nothing but strengthen your business.
'It took thinking I might die to come to that realisation.'
Rosie said the experience totally changed how she felt about work.
It's also led her to recruit for skills that are not her forte.
She continued: 'When you are younger and starting out, you think you are going to live (to an old age).
'You're going to work, build a career, retire, enjoy time with the kids. But you're not guaranteed a tomorrow.
'It's important to take stock of all aspects of your life. For me, that was taking a step back. I had to employ people to run parts of my business.
'So it's important to recognise what your skills are within your business and what your weaknesses are as well — then hire the right people for your weaknesses.
'For example, invoicing. That and administration, I hate doing that. And for a while, I used to do some work for free, because I would just forget to invoice people at the end.
'So it's been good to employ someone who is good at that side of the business now. It allows me to give 100% of myself to the areas that I am good at, rather than spreading myself too thin like I was doing before.'
Just over two years ago, Rosie set up premises in Broughty Ferry's Brook Street as she sought to take her business to the next level.
She said that in a city the size of Dundee, word-of-mouth has played a massive role in shaping her business.
Selling your house can be daunting and is often considered one of the most stressful things someone goes through, Rosie points out.
She and her team try to make the process as smooth as possible — regardless of the size of the property.
'Selling your house is one of the biggest things you'll do in your life,' she said.
'I say to my team at least weekly in meetings 'you have to remember that each of these properties we've got on the market, to our client it is their biggest most important asset'.
'I think that you can make a real difference in making the process of selling as stress-free as possible and getting them a great offer is also incredibly important.'
She said it still gives her a thrill when she walks into a home which has the right 'feel' to it.
'It's not always the largest, or grandest houses either,' she said.
'We get around 80% of our business from personal recommendations. Our service is very good and Dundee's the perfect size city for it too. Everyone knows everyone.
'I'll go out to a valuation and it's people will tell me 'it was my cousin or it was somebody from my work or my sister who recommended you'.
'When you are providing good work, in a city this size, word of mouth is really the best form of marketing.'
Her modern approach to sales focuses heavily on promotion through social media.
The selling process includes property staging for the photographs as well as incorporating drone shots and video walk-throughs.
Rosie is proud of the millions of pounds of property sales her company has achieved.
And that her firm has one of the largest number of property listings in Dundee.
The company has also recently expanded into property management, which has helped diversify its offering.
'Rosie Fraser is the largest listing estate agent in Dundee and we have been consistently for the last nine months,' she said.
'We have a property management part of the business, which we are expanding and looking to do something new with it.
'We've got a modern and proactive approach to the way that we do things so now we are passing that over from the sales side of the business, to the property management side.
'I'm excited about growing that side of things again.'