Page 21 - My Memoirs - Max Kurz

John Kent left for the weekend with no instructions other that wishing us the very best of luck and hope to see you on Monday morning.
Bob Giltnan appeared to be a nice person a few years older than me, who was married with 4 children and was still employed by Dulux Paint as a full-time salesperson. He thought that his connection with builders would help him in real estate. He was not prepared to give up his position with Dulux until he knew what this position had to offer. Unfortunately, I had no other choice, it was either this or continue looking for another job.
After the introduction and exchange of information about ourselves, we looked at each other and said simultaneously, “What do we do next?” We had absolutely no idea what real estate was all about, where to go, who to talk to, and we were not being given any assistance. Bob came up with the suggestion that there appeared to be a lot of new home unit buildings being constructed, and maybe we should target builders to see if we can sell their units. His position as a paint salesperson gave Bob an advantage with the builders he knew.
I had no idea what I was in for as the workplace environment was stressful. No support, only the expectation that I should be assisting the property manager with rent collections because of my ten pound a week advance. As a result, he arranged for me to collect rents weekly from buildings located in the Kings Cross area housed by criminal elements and prostitutes, obviously something that he did not want to do. It was a dangerous activity and on number of occasions I was threatened.
I persevered; my attitude was that this was the job I wanted. I could see opportunity however the journey was fraught with difficulty, hard work and a lot of self-determination. I enrolled myself in the licensing course conducted by the Real Estate Institute (REI) in conjunction with the Sydney University extension board. I joined the REI, attended their monthly chapter meetings, met with other agents, generally started to involve myself in the real estate community.
It took a considerable amount of time and hard work before I became a self- sufficient income producer and able to support my family. Real Estate sales and property development was my niche. I built rapport with the local builders, transformed from just getting listings on the sale of their units, to exclusivity on
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