Metro's Latest Newsletter is here!

Hot off the press our June quarter newsletter has arrived. In this issue Leah introduces you to Metro Property Sales, our two new websites (yes two of them!), there's tips on photography (in order to lease your property quicker), advice on Depreciation and a competition to win a $250 Coles/Myer gift card by 'liking' our MetroPM facebook page during this month of July.

Happy Reading and, as always, we'd love your feedback.

Click here to read the Latest Metro Newsletter.

An Exciting Month Ahead with a Big Announcement!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management

It's with excitement and enthusiasm that we announce the joining of 'One Property Consulting and Estate Agents' of Ashburton with us here at Metro Property Management.

 

The joining of the two businesses is part of the expansion plan of even more suburb coverage across Melbourne. With well over 2000 properties under management and now close to 200 suburbs covered, why wouldn't we be the logical choice for expert property management services?

 

We also welcome the amazing knowledge and skill set of team members Kristy Lubransky, Nivek Dunne and Kaye Tait.

 

I am looking forward to meeting all our new clients and am excited about bringing many new elements to their property management experience now and into the future!

 

Until next time...
 

Metro's Monthy Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro writes a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Marie Dunkhorst has reviewed the movie ‘21 and Over'. Directed by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, Starring: Miles Teller, Justin Chon and Sarah Wright.

If you haven’t watched a bad movie this year yet, this is the ONE.

You’ll get the 'American Pie' version of 'The Hangover' just on a much smaller budget. When Miller (Skylar Astin) and Casey (Miles Teller) take out their best mate Jeff, played by 'The Hangover’s' Justin Chon, what a magnificent choice for his 21st Birthday, the night before his big medical school interview. As you can imagine everything gets out of control.

'One beer' turns into a night of excessive drinking and soon they don’t know where they are anymore or how to get back home to Jeff’s place. A wild search starts and the boys find themselves in the most random places and situations. The writers of “The Hangover” (that wasn’t surprising now, was it?) have tried hard to make 'gross-out' situations hilarious. For most teenagers this movie might actually be kind of funny, but for us, people in the adult world, a 'full on' drunk on a riding bull spewing his guts out is not even close to being funny.

My verdict: Don’t waste your time.

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro writes a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Jenn Williams has reviewed the movie 'Silver Linings Playbook'. Directed by: David O. Russell, Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro & Jacki Weaver.

With it's fabulous cast, left of centre storyline & opening scene in a State Institution, Silver Linings Playbook is a rom-com of a different type.

You can't help but feel empathy for main character Pat Solitano (played by the handsome Bradley Cooper) as he tries to rebuild his life after 8 months in a State Institution. His obsession to reunite with his wife at times can be frustrating as you watch him miss the "signs" from new found friend Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence) who is rebuilding her own life.

With a football obsessed family, a dance competition & a blossoming friendship, 'Silver Linings Playbook' has a little bit of something for everyone, the Dirty Dancing style "lift" definitely won't be forgotten!

A beautiful & strangely light hearted movie about staying positive despite the challenges life throws at you.

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro writes a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Marnie Smith has reviewed the movie 'Flight'. Directed by: Robert Zemeckis, Starring: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman & Melissa Leo.

Denzel Washington hasn't put a foot wrong in his plethora of leading roles over the years and 'Flight' is no different.

Playing the role of Captain Whip Whitaker, an arrogant airline pilot who lives a lifestyle of drugs, copious amounts of alcohol and conscionable discern for consequences. Denzel is both convincing and infuriating.

You find yourself emotionally connected from very early on. Feeling the pain and frustration of those trying to help someone who won't help themselves. While the underlying physics of the heroic landing appear somewhat questionable, so too does the role of Whip. I found myself undecided between hero and villian as the investigation into the days proceeding the crash reveals the ugly truth of addiction.

Captain Whip finds himself entangled with a recovering addict. One might presume this would have a positive impact on the emotionally turbulent hero. Instead, Whip finds himself spiralling out of control with fear, guilt and denial reaching an all time high.

Ultimately, the truth sets us free. However, this certainly is not a feel good flick.
My recommendations; don't go with a pilot and don't wear a white top if you are going to eat a choc top.

I give this movie a 14/20.
My pilot friend gives 18/20, although anything with an aircraft is an easy way to score points with that one!

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro writes a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Kylie Jacobs has reviewed 'The Sapphires' Directed by: Wayne Blair, Starring: Deborah Mailman, Chris O'Dowd & Jessica Mauboy.

I typically love the big blockbuster movies, packed with stars and most likely costing more to make than what they earn. However as I get a bit older I'm realising that they are all pretty much the same. In saying that, with 2 young children I don't get to the movies too often so I am somewhat sceptical when going to see some of the smaller budget movies for fear of wasting my time. 'The Sapphires' was definitely not a waste of time! I absolutely loved this movie. It made me laugh, cry and left me wanting more!

From a Murray River Aboriginal mission to Vietnam, 'The Sapphires' tells the true tale of four Koori songbirds who in 1968 are flown to the war-zones of South Vietnam to perform for the American troops. While the film explores the obstacles Indigenous women experienced during 1968 Australia, the leading women were never painted as victims, but rather empowered, bold heroines. The film is not afraid to tackle the serious issues and while there are some moments that pack a severe emotional punch the overall tone remains positive and upbeat.

The soul classics throughout are fantastic! The music is structured around the story line rather than the other way around making it a movie about music rather than a musical itself.

Performances across the board are spectacular but it is Chris O'Dowd (from the popular blockbuster 'Bridesmaids') who ties it all together with a his infectious humour.

Definitely a must see!!

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro will be writing a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Eleni Hayek has reviewed 'Hope Springs' Directed by: David Frankel Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones & Steve Carrell

Hope Springs is a beautiful love story of Arnold & Kay. Married for 31 years, Kay (Meryl Streep) decides to take a leap of faith to persuade Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) to attend marriage counselling. Arnold, at this point a bitter old man showing no signs of possible love for his beautiful wife, finally agrees to attend counselling with Kay. 

The situation that they find themselves in is in a seemingly loveless marriage with two grown up children. A place where some couples find themselves when the nest is finally empty, sad, lonely and perhaps with a stale routine.

The time they spend in Maine with their counsellor (played by Steve Carrell) is a challenge at first for Arnold as he finds it hard to show his true thoughts and feelings about his wife. The charming courtship that follows is such a beautiful mixture of genuine love, compassion and the true feeling of getting to know one another.

A true sense of how time can drift people apart and how we revert back to innocence.

Hope Springs is a must see, you can't help but walking out feeling inspired to show the one you love just how much you love them.

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro will be writing a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Courtney Gardoll has reviewed 'The Five Year Engagement' Directed by: Nicholas Stoller, Starring: Jason Segal, Emily Blunt & Chris Pratt

Having recently become engaged myself I was looking forward to seeing this movie, as weddings are on my mind!

Jason Segal, best known for his work on the TV series 'How I Met Your Mother' and in the film 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', heads up the cast while also co-writing this edgy romantic comedy, which plays to his style of comedy. 

The Five Year Engagement explores the modern day dilemma of managing a successful career and a relationship. We meet Tom and Violet, played by the hilarious Jason Segal and the gorgeous Emily Blunt respectively, who after a year together have become engaged.

The couple then move interstate as Violet has secured her dream job. Tom gives up a fantastic career of his own for the move and this leads to him becoming increasingly distant from both Violet and society. Violet can see this happening but chooses to ignore it by burying herself in her work with her charming boss while Tom continues to hide his true feelings about the move even though he has promised to let her know as soon as he’s unhappy. The wedding gets postponed again and again while the couple fall in and out of love, much to the dismay of the ever passing away grandparents. It takes some soul searching for each of the main characters to realise what the audience has known all along, that they belong to each other, with the movie coming full circle back to the start only this time with a twist.

There is a good mix of both crude and obvious humor and sweetness between the characters and also, as in forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segal’s butt! A special mention should be made to Tom’s best friend, Chris, and Violet’s sister, Suzie, who deliver many of the funny scenes.

I give The Five Year Engagement 7/10, whilst you may go into the film thinking this is your typical romcom the on screen chemistry between Jason Segal and Emily Blunt is amazing.  You could not be blamed for thinking the actors had an offscreen romance, although I have heard them in interviews vehemently denying so.
I would recommend getting to the cinema and seeing it, but I can also see how it may not be everyone’s style.

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro will be writing a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Samantha Taylor has reviewed 'The Hunger Games’ Directed by Gary Ross Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.


I went along to see the Hunger Games, without knowing anything about the story line, not having read the book and therefore no expectations.

From the previews and ads I had seen I was quite hesitant about how gruesome it would be.
The movie starts slow, without much explanation in relation to when it is set, what year or why they are lined up to be ‘selected’ for the games. Not having read the book it is relatively hard to follow in the beginning.

In short the government asserts its authority over the small towns by selecting one boy and one girl from each ‘district’ 24 teenagers in all; to compete annually in a reality TV show called 'The Hunger Games'. The teenagers are chosen at random from a bowl containing everyone’s names, not dissimilar to the lottery. The chosen 24 are then abandoned in a futuristic wilderness, only one can win and this is the last one left alive.

The story centres around a tough young lady, Katniss Everdeen who offers herself to the games in the place of her younger sister whom is originally choosen. There are many challenges that they face over the course of the game; what skills each ‘player’ has to survive, who is popular with the spectators/audience (the audience watching can sponsor people involved in the game by sending them tools of survival), who will form alliances, who may be falling in love? The contrast between the dull, plain districts and the bright, fascinating city is incredible. The director has done a great job capturing the differences in class and culture. I was very pleasantly surprised that the violence was minimal and easy to watch (allowing it’s PG-13 rating).

The story is well set up and you can’t help but notice the similarities between the reality TV shows we now see on TV and the reality TV show created in this movie. The way those that are involved and controlling what happens to the contestants in the hunger games manipulating the world around them to generate more interest and viewers is not dissimilar to our current reality shows such as Big Brother and The Biggest Loser, you cant help but wonder if this is where we may be heading in the next 10-20 years.

Although the movie is long (running for approx. 142 minutes) you don’t notice until you leave theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and the ending leaves you feeling that although the games may not be over, it is not the end of the story.

I went and bought the book almost immediately, to compare and indulge in the story again and, as books usually do, enjoyed the detailed original and bits that may have been missed in the movie. Well worth a look.

Welcome to February!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

This month is a month of planning for the future and to start it all off we as a team are having a day focused on building each staff member’s skill set, chatting about ideas to build Metro as a trusted brand and ideas for the day to day running of the business as a whole. I am always inspired and driven by what ideas my team have and I always like to have a ‘get together’ to see what we as a team and as individuals can get out of 2012. We learn and grow as a company by putting forth our ideas in meetings like this so I’m really excited about the ideas that will spring forth, so keep your eyes peeled for little changes you might see here and there. Speaking of changes and additions, this month also brings a few exciting staff additions and role changes.

Tamasan Freyer joined us last month as our new receptionist and has a keen interest in the Property Management industry, she loves a challenge and is enjoying being the ‘first point of contact’ for Metro and we feel she is doing a great job so far. Emma Racky has also joined our team this past month as Assistant Property Manager and she is quickly learning the fast pace of the industry as well as enjoying learning the ins and outs that come with Property Management. Emma has a strong retail management background, her customer service skills will assist her in her communications with owners, tenants and tradespeople alike. Welcome aboard Tamasan & Emma! 

In other news our Senior Leasing Specialist, Samantha Taylor has recently been promoted to New Business Manager and is ‘taking the bull by both horns’. Already Samantha has taken to her new role well and I have every confidence that our new owners and investor groups will absolutely appreciate the level of service and experience in leasing that Samantha brings to the table. Well done Samantha. 

Well as always February brings with it Valentine’s Day, like it or loathe it it comes around every February and I myself was interested as to how it came about...so I consulted the wonderfully useful ‘Wikipedia’...

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February 14 honouring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. (Source: www.wikipedia.com )

Isn’t it funny how it has lasted and changed throughout the years.

 Well a Happy Saint Valentine’s and a Happy February to you all.

Until next time....

2012 Here We Come!!!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

Welcome to 2012 everyone, and boy this New Years Eve (as it was last year) was certainly warm, as was the first few days of 2012. In fact, the hottest day reaching 40 degrees (Monday 2nd January) here in Melbourne. I hope you all celebrated the New Year by doing something special, in Australia that normally means a few celebratory drinks, perhaps a BBQ and watching the fireworks in our respective cities. When it comes to the rest of the world and their celebrations...some of these traditions are a little different.

In the USA of course we have all seen and heard about the famous Time Square in New York and the many people that pack the square to ‘ring in’ the New Year however we have discovered other popular new year traditions in the USA include, watching football games, crowded streets taking part in a special food called Hoppin' John, along with enjoying cakes and champagne for luck and prosperity. In India, Hindu New Year is the time of celebration. This is the time to meet and greet people, share gifts and sweets. Hindus will decorate and paint their homes, and create a beautiful atmosphere with lamps and candles in the evening. Some of the traditions followed in Hindu New Year celebrations include: buying and gifting new clothes, giving gifts of sweets to friends & relatives and worshiping Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi, who are believed to bring in wealth and prosperity. In Greece the 1st day of the New Year is also known as St Basil’s Day known as one of the Greek Orthodox churches’ forefathers. Special New Year bread is also baked whereby a coin is buried in the dough which when found is considered great luck and fortune for the New Year to the owner. Now back to the land of Oz, and in case you weren’t aware, the Cricket season has begun.

Many of you will be enjoying this years ‘Vodafone Test Series’ Australia vs India, as always if you enjoy your cricket you will be appreciating the 4 test matches being held this month that began with the 1st test at the MCG (26th – 29th Dec) with Australia winning by 122 runs. The 2nd test runs 3-7th January in Sydney, 3rd test will be in Perth from 13th-17th Jan with the 4th and final test being played in Adelaide on the 24th – 28th Jan 2012. Let’s hope that Australia can come through with a win. In other team news, non-sport related we have added a new member to our Metro team.

We would like to introduce you to Emma Racky. Emma joins the team this month as Assistant Property Manager. With a strong background in customer service and retail management Emma has a passion for Real Estate and Property Management that she feels that working at Metro Property Management can provide, and we think so too. Welcome aboard Emma.

Well that is it from us this month.

Until next time…

Metro's Monthly Movie Review

Each month a team member of Metro will be writing a movie review to share with you. And this month team member Erin Cheasley has reviewed 'Immortals'. Director – Tarsem Singh, Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt & Stephen Dorff.

The first thing that comes to mind when you see the trailer for the movie is that it is another 300 movie take off, apart from both being the sword and sandals genre and shirts were optional the director for ‘Immortals’ had a lot more visual tricks up his sleeve and took another approach with the Greek Myth concept, quite a comparison to 300.

Immortals definitely portrays a storyline of a battle between good and evil. Evil King Hyperion is leading his army of murderous mask wearing villains across Greece searching for the magical bow that will free the imprisoned Titans so they can attack the gods. Whilst the hero Theseus who is displeased by King Hyperion’s attack is going on the quest to obtain the magical bow himself, and in the end finding courage and leadership abilities within him to lead his forces of good against evil, which eventually wraps up into one big battle. A highlight of the movie are the action sequences, the Director really captured a level of gore and violence that will have anyone’s jaws drop using slow motion action, it will not only give you chills but have you at the edge of your seat.

This is an age of myth, a world where the gods are real, people have visions of the future and magic exists so this movie is allowed to look weird, mystical and over the top. If Greek mythology tickles your fancy then this is a movie I would recommend. Having a keen interest for Greek mythology and the way this movie used every aspect of what Greek mythology is, I found the movie Immortals to be a worth look (and so to the shirtless men) and it maybe even better than the movie 300.

No 'Fence-Sitting' when it comes to Feedback

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...
Recently I came across an interesting Blog from a marketing guru I follow named Seth Godin, a really interesting guy with some interesting ideas on all things marketing. Seth believes in advertising with a conscience and that businesses need to earn buzz by being remarkable, which is a principal I agree with entirely.

Below is his latest blog:

"Please complain"

Acquiring and processing user feedback is a choice. There are good reasons to hide from it:

• You might believe that inviting disgruntled customers to call or write to someone who will actually take action will encourage them to become more disgruntled. If no one is listening, the thinking goes, then perhaps the annoyed will quietly go away.
• You might believe that it's expensive to listen to squeaky wheels, particularly if you have someone in authority (as opposed to a low-paid clerk) actually listening and responding.
• You might believe that the noisy minority don't share the objectives of the rest of your audience, particularly the higher-paying and silent majority.

On the other hand, you might believe:

• That direct feedback in real time is a competitive advantage which will help you grow.
• That assuaging an unhappy customer now is worth way more than negative word of mouth later.

Whichever strategy you choose, you should choose. It's the middle way that vexes... the pretending, the grudging acceptance, the insertion of many levels of filters - when you do this, you get none of the benefits of either plan.

If you want people to speak up, be clear and mean it. If you don't, don't pretend.

(If you'd like to follow Seth's blog visit http://sethgodin.typepad.com/)

And out of the cold we come...

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

So here we are in September & SPRING! and goodness hasn’t the year flown already! Lots happening at the office this month, to begin with I decided to surprise the team with a Team Appreciation Day which we were all very excited about (myself included). At the recent REIV Property Management Conference we heard from many innovative and inspirational speakers one of which had the idea to surprise your dedicated team, not just at Christmas or the End of Financial Year but unexpectedly throughout the year. So we had a lovely lunch and a movie as a way of saying thank you for all of the hard work they put in, day in and day out. It has been a big couple of months which is great and this was a lovely treat, we had lots of laughs.

The end of August saw my assistant Melissa and I attend a very interesting conference on Social Media, we had heard a few speakers talk on Social Media over the past few years however this seminar was a little different. The speakers were from America and seemed to have a broader insight into what was working and what was not and how people use social media today to not only to talk to friends and family but to investigate property, review their experiences and interact daily with their favourite companies.

We will be implementing a few new programs to assist our clients and tenants with regards to Social Media (although as most of you know we have a Facebook & Twitter account along with a Blog, the links are on the home page of the website), we see this as a way of the future, not just a fad and we love to embrace new technology here at Metro. In fact, we are very close to the release of our iPhone application which you will find has great functionality for both tenants and owners alike...exciting stuff.

In other news we are beginning to get organised for our Home Buyers & Investors Show stand on the 7th, 8th & 9th of October. Last year was a great experience and we met many new and current owners there at the show so why not come and say ‘Hi’ again this year. We have a limited number of free tickets this year so please contact Melissa at melissav@metropm.com.au if you would like a couple posted out to you in the coming month so that you may attend.

Until next time...

The Question: “I’m Bored, What Can We Do Today?”

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management
With the school holidays coming to a close this weekend you may be asking yourself “What else can I do to entertain the kids?” (or maybe they are asking you?). Well we have found a few relatively inexpensive things to do to keep them active and occupied.

Firstly there is ‘The Enchanted Maze’ garden located at Arthurs Seat. Four mazes for you and the kids to get lost in (and hopefully find your way out of by dinner time!) It is something many children may not have experienced and so much fun will be had. Not only do the different mazes have different points of interest for the kids, ie: finding the 5 Buddhas in the Hampton Court Maze or stopping off to play on the beach hut and pier, complete with sandpit in the Turf Maze Labyrinth, but there are also plenty of other activities including an area with brain teaser challenges, a small animal farm, sculpture park which has large sculptures carved out of tree stumps and plenty of interesting little gardens for you to enjoy. There’s even a cafe if you don’t wish to bring along your own picnic. For more information visit their website at http://ow.ly/5E5Dk  

Our second idea is to take the kids to the ‘St Kilda Adventure Playground’. A great playground full of different things for the children to jump, climb, run and swing from. There’s a big aeroplane, wooden horse with saddle, big metal slide, trampolines, go-kart path, a small basketball court, they can ride on a dinosaur, have a zip on the flying fox, play on the pirate ship, big tepee and a big wooden castle. Open 10am - 5.30pm on weekends it is staffed & tea and coffee is provided. Again, for more info visit http://ow.ly/5E5dJ

Lastly have the kids ever ridden a pony? Well now’s your chance to take them. ‘Ace-Hi Ranch’ is a large property just south of Rosebud in the Mornington Peninsula. The experience is that of the Wild West and as for the kids they will just love it. They cater for all age groups and levels of horse-riding experience (or lack thereof!). Take a pony ride, a scenic horse ride or even a bush ‘n’ beach ride. The ranch also includes a free range style of wildlife park set on 10 acres and gives all visitors the chance to view their native animals in their typical surroundings. They have over 14 varieties of birds including- Emu's, Parrots, Cockatoos, Peacocks & Fowl. Visitors are welcome to feed & pat their furry friends - Koala's, Wombat's, Kangaroo's, Wallaby's, Deer & Dingo's.... a very cool experience for the kids to go to back to school and tell their friends about. Visit http://ow.ly/5E5CL  

So there’s our Top 3 ideas, we hope you enjoy them and if you don’t get a chance to do them these holidays maybe keep them in mind for the next lot of holidays when you are asked the age old question “What can we do today?”.

Until next time.....

Don’t Rest on Your Laurels, Be Proactive with Your Finances!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

In this blog I thought I’d take the time to let you know about a fantastic service we have started to offer this year called Metro Wealth, some of you may already have read about this service but for many of you this may be the first time you will have heard about it and boy we have seen some fantastic results for our clients.

Metro Wealth is a joint initiative between Metro Property Management and Nicholas Don of Odyssey Financial. This new business has been established to assist Metro owners (and those interested in allowing Metro to become their Property Manager/s) in achieving the best possible results from their current property investments and improving their current position.

Instead of having to visit a number of separate and different business’ and service providers, then having to try to co-ordinate each piece of advice and assistance themselves, Metro Wealth is able to provide a holistic solution with one main point of contact for its members. Metro Wealth have assembled a team of professionals to assist with everything financial from initial advice through to implementation of a financial plan to ongoing management and then to annual or more regular reviews.

As a member you are entitled to a complimentary membership package which will provide all of the necessary products and services, from financial planning, mortgages, superannuation and tax advice. Metro Wealth also has exclusive access to many amazing brand new properties that you may be interested in purchasing.

I am so pleased to let you know that already this year over 80 people have already joined Metro Wealth. Those clients have had a review of their current situation and financial position along with many purchasing another property. These clients were never aware they could afford to make a purchase until they sought the assistance of Nicholas Don and the Metro Wealth Team.

If you yourself would like to become a Metro Wealth member, visit http://www.metrowealth.com.au/ or simply contact me on (03) 9831 3000 to chat about it further or email me at leah@metropm.com.au

Until next time...

Leah Calnan

The Launch Day of 'AMIA' Apartments - Brunswick

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management...

Well the time has finally come for us to launch the fabulous AMIA Apartments to the public this coming Saturday the 4th June from 11.00am - 12.30pm.

Come and enjoy a morning coffee, tea or hot chocolate on us from the coffee cart whilst you decide which apartment you’d love to make your new home! Brand new apartments in a designer complex in the central hub of everything that Brunswick has to offer! These luxurious 1 & 2 bedroom apartments grant a superior level of peace, privacy and exclusivity. Open plan living, quality galley-style kitchen with dishwasher, modern bathroom, separate laundry and private balconies. There is a selection of different styles, floor plans & levels available.

Many of the Metro team will be there on the day to greet you with an AMIA/Metro Promo Bag containing all you will need to apply for these fantastic properties - applications, floor plans as well as some goodies such as a Metro shopping bag, jelly beans and various info and vouchers from local businesses surrounding AMIA are all included.

We hope to see you there and should you have any further queries on the apartments please do not hesitate to call our Leasing Specialist Samantha Taylor on 0434 313 588 or 9831 3000 or visit http://www.metropm.com.au/ for more information.

Until next time...

Oscars, SchmOscars! REIA & LPMA Award Nights are Better!

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks here at Metro with award nominations left right and centre which has been fantastic for myself and the team.

Frocked Up!

Last Thursday evening myself, my husband and several of my team flew up to the Gold Coast to attend the REIA Awards for Excellence (a national real estate award night) where I was deemed a Finalist in the ‘Residential Property Manager of the Year’ award. Due to the fact that I had won the Victorian award for this category in October last year I was thrilled to discover I had become a Finalist in these National Awards. The evening was a gala event and we all ‘invested’ in some fabulous dresses and gowns especially for the evening which took place in the ballroom at the Marriott Resort & Spa in Surfers Paradise. There was some stiff competition for the title as 6 other fabulous women were nominated and unfortunately we did not come away with a win this time, ah well, we look forward to next year. A great time was had by all, we looked fabulous (if I do say so myself) and we certainly danced the night away.

No sooner had we returned to the cooler climate of Melbourne a few of the team including myself were off to the LPMA (Leading Property Managers of Australia) Conference which runs a 2 day Property Manager & Principals Forum once a year. Within this forum Principals and their PM’s are witness to some fantastic industry presenters and new innovations in our field. It is a great eye-opener and we always come away with some great ideas that we will no doubt be implementing here at Metro in the upcoming months. Day one at the LPMA closed with their Annual Awards evening where we discovered that we were one of only 3 Finalists for ‘Excellence in Business Development’ a fantastic result and a great surprise (I was presented with a lovely trophy too!) Again much dancing and fun were had, so a great night all in all.

Myself & some of the team that attended the LPMA Awards

Coming so close to a win with both of these award evening amongst our peers in the industry really cemented for me that the hard work and dedication that myself and my team put into taking care of our clients is recognised by our colleagues in the industry, which is very humbling. So we now look forward to the rest of this coming year and strive to continue to ensure our clients have the best advice and service from Metro PM and we will let the dice fall where they may next award season.

Until next time...

A Caramel Filled April!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management

Well it has been a productive month here at Metro and with another bumper month to come too!

Recently the team attended a full days training session here at the office with the fantastic Fiona Blayney (of Blayney Potential Plus). Fiona has such energy and enthusiasm for Property Management it was hard for the team not to get excited about what Fiona had to impart upon us all! I have noticed the change in the team already, communication is even better, each team member’s organisation has improved and as a result the vibe of the office is even more positive than before.

This coming month we are attending the 25th Melbourne International Comedy Festival http://ow.ly/4pdJ1 as we tend to do every year and we as a team are going to see the very talented Eddie Perfect with a pre-show dinner at the Red Emperor..delish! Our social calendar is also circled for Sunday the 17th April as we attend & support the Warwick Foundations “High Heel Race 2011” at Whitten Oval, Footscray. (The Warwick Foundation raises funds for young adults with cancer and their support networks). Lot’s of laughs will be had as we race as the ‘Metro Team’ in high heels and race attire, fascinators and all to contend to win the coveted 1st prize. We’ll keep you posted on how we faired on the day and keep an eye on facebook too as you may even get to share in our silly photos too. If you’d like to attend the day too please see the following link and get a group together for a fun day http://ow.ly/4pe5l

In other news I was very excited to be recently quoted in an article in The Sunday Age (3/4/11) regarding the changing face of renters and in particular the new breed of ‘lifestyle renters’ that are forming in the marketplace. If you would like to read the article that also queries builders and architects on what the ‘lifestyle renters’ are looking for in an inner city pad these days please do so here http://ow.ly/4sklz

Easter is again upon us and we thought we’d inform you all of our opening hours over the Easter break. Below are our trading hours over this period:

Thursday 21st April: 9.00-5.30pm (as normal)

Friday 22nd April (Good Friday): Closed

Saturday 23rd April: Closed

Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday): Closed

Monday 25th April (Easter Monday): Closed

Tuesday 26th April (Anzac Day): Closed

Wednesday 27th April: 9.00-5.30pm (as normal)

So all in all a caramel filled April, much like the easter eggs we will be (or already have begun) eating.

Until next time...

Purple is in!

From the desk of Leah Calnan, Director of Metro Property Management

We here at Metro love to support a great cause and tomorrow (26th March) is Purple Day. People from around Australia and the world are asked to 'Go Purple' and spread the word about the brain disorder known as epilepsy to reduce the stigma and show support for people living with epilepsy..


The following is information about the day from the www.everydayhero.com.au website:

Purple Day was founded in 2008 by then nine-year old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada. Motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy wanted to do something to get people talking about epilepsy and seizures, and to let others with epilepsy know that they were not alone. So with the help of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia, Cassidy's idea became the Purple Day Epilepsy campaign.

In 2010 over 100,000 people from around the world, including school students, wore purple on 26 March. Hundreds of workplaces and community groups also joined the campaign, wearing purple to work and hosting Purple Day events.

All united to help spread awareness of epilepsy and show their support for those living with the brain disorder.

That is why this year the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria has joined other epilepsy associations from across Australia and the world to make Purple Day for Epilepsy 2011 an even greater success.

So please join us on 26 March and help spread awareness of epilepsy in your local community. Go Purple - wear purple, decorate your home or office in purple, host a Purple Day event.

For more information on Purple Day for Epilepsy and if you wish to donate visit http://ow.ly/4m18x

Until next time...