In a new episode of The Home Stretch podcast, Liana Loporto Browne, Founder of the Women in Estate Agency Facebook Group and Owner at Loporto Browne Residential, joined CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, Iain McKenzie, to delve into some of the decisions that lead her to be the businessperson she is today.
Loporto Browne’s journey through the dynamic world of estate agency is a testament to her entrepreneurial spirit, she tells McKenzie about her career beginning on the island of Malta through to her current role as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Reflecting on her early career, Loporto Browne shares, “I started in property when I was 19 years old in Malta. Estate agency in Malta is very different. It’s kind of the self-employed model. The charges are 5%, so the commissions are a lot higher than they are in the UK.”
Loporto Browne’s path to estate agency started from, in her words, the very bottom. “Making tea and learning everything,” she recalls. Around 2005, when Malta joined the EU, she made her move to the UK with the dream of driving a Foxtons Mini. Her tenure at Foxtons provided invaluable experience and laid the groundwork for her subsequent roles as sales manager, operations director, and sales director at London Residential. Yet, it was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted a pivotal shift in her career trajectory.
“Covid made a lot of people rethink life,” Loporto Browne reflects. “I was sitting at my desk, and I had just got back to doing what I love to do, which is negotiating, dealing with people. I thought okay, this is time. So, I joined exp and set up on my own. It was brilliant, although you don’t have any leads, you don’t have any properties, you don’t have anything and you’re back to square one. My husband, who I met at Foxtons all of those years ago, decided ‘let’s do it’. So, we’ve joined forces and Loporto Browne Residential was born seven months ago.”
Central to Loporto Browne’s approach to success is her focus on community engagement, innovative marketing strategies, and a commitment to delivering unparalleled customer service. Leveraging her keen eye for detail and a knack for capturing the essence of each property, she has set new benchmarks for excellence in the industry. Loporto Browne comments, “Something I do well is connecting with people. When I first started on my own, Chris Watkin called me and said, ‘be the queen of your patch’, and that is what I did. The people that I was targeting to sell their houses were people like me, that were a young family and kids that go to school in the area, so I just spoke to them. And I spoke to them through social media and in person by just having a chat seeing who could help. Then people started recommending me and that’s how it progressed.”
McKenzie responds, “estate agency is 99% people and 1% houses, always has been always will be. For me, customers will use people that they resonate with, so you are doing an amazing job.”
Beyond her professional endeavours, Loporto Browne is a champion of diversity and inclusion within the property sector. As a past president of Propertymark, she has spearheaded initiatives aimed at fostering a more inclusive environment and empowering women in the field. One such initiative is the Women in Estate Agency group, a platform designed to provide support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women navigating the intricacies of the industry. Since its inception, the Women in Estate Agency group has evolved into a powerful organisation, providing a platform for women to share their experiences, challenges, and successes. She comments, “it has now become a conference, webinars, a committee – it is a movement. The committee is incredible, our chair, Verona, and everybody that is part of that committee are just incredible people.”
Book your tickets to the Women in Estate Agency Conference here.
To hear this conversation in full and find out more about Liana’s journey and the history, and future, of Women in Estate Agency, visit The Home Stretch podcast.
