What is a girl (who is not the least bit interested in the Football) to do on Football Grand Final weekend?

What is a girl (who is not the least bit interested in the Football) to do on Football Grand Final weekend?

 

It seems like the whole country is mad about the Football (or footie, as we call in here in Australia) Grand Final weekend. I woke up this morning and got my morning coffee and people in the coffee queue was talking about it. I got to work – yes, I work Saturdays too, it’s the downside of working in real estate : ( – and everyone at work is talking about it. I bumped into a random old chap on the street while getting things out of my car and he struck up a conversation with me on, guess what, the Footie Grand Final. And I am not even in Melbourne where the finals are being played – I am half way across the Australian continent in Perth!

 

So what is a girl, who is not the least bit interested in the footie (sorry to y’all footie fans – I am just not interested in sports), to do on Grand Final weekend?

 

Most would think I’d settle for the path of least resistance and join the crowd. But no, I didn’t. I finished work by midday and went shopping instead.

 

I browsed the racks at my favourite labels Review and Cue, but there wasn’t anything that really caught my attention or screamed out ‘must buy’ at me. I was in one of those shopping moods, you know the sort whereby even though there is nothing that really catches my fancy but I really wanted to buy something, anything. So in the end, after an hour of aimlessly wandering in and out and from one boutique to another, I ended up spending $200 buying a dress which I didn’t really want from Cue and lingerie which I probably won’t wear and have no use for from Bras and Things.

Buyer’s regret hasn’t quite crept in yet, and I was unfulfilled. I suddenly remembered Myer is having a mid-season sale so I decided to make my way to Myer instead. Maybe I’ll find something I like at Myer, I told myself. When I arrived at Myer I was still in one of those shopping moods still, I really wanted to buy something, anything. I settled for a matching set of lingerie: CHLOE & LOLA Rowe Contour Push Up Bra in Navy Blossom Floral (basically cute floral patterns on a dark blue/black background) and matching CHLOE & LOLA Rowe G-string with lace trim.

Having already spent about $250, by now feeling a little broke, I was about to call it a day and leave when I spotted this gorgeous red Karen Millen dress. There is something about this dress that I can’t describe, but I couldn’t quite walk away from it.

Maybe it was the colour, maybe it was the material, maybe it was the fit and the cut, but I thought this was just the sort of gorgeous dress I had been looking for all day! I looked at the price tag: it was on sale and reduced, but still rather pricey. I was beating myself up for buying the dress which I didn’t really want from Cue and lingerie which I probably won’t wear and have no use for from Bras and Things: I should have waited and saved my money so that I could have bought this dress! But enough is enough, I thought. Unless I find myself a rich sugar daddy, I’d have to watch my spending. So reluctantly, I left the dress back on the rack. It’s just one of those unfulfilling shopping days. Sigh.

Xoxo

Natalie

 

Tag: #KarenMillen #citystyle #streetstyle #fashionblogger #lingerie #city #businesswoman #lifestyleblogger #officestyle #fashion #perth # BrasandThings #bra #gstring #CHLOE&LOLA

 

OOTD: week 12 – Every open house, every week – wearing a gorgeous TED BAKER dress

OOTD: week 12 – Every open house, every week – wearing a gorgeous TED BAKER dress

What a busy few days it had been!

 

I previously mentioned that there isn’t a better time to be a real estate agent. The market is on the way up (real estate positive speak when the market is at its bottom – hey it can only go up right?) and even if you steal money ($210,000 in the case of a particular Sydney real estate agent) you don’t even have to go to jail!!! (that particular Sydney real estate agent merely got a suspended sentence for his crime!!)

 

Maybe it’s the loss of confidence in real estate agents on the East coast States, but just this week alone we have enquires from a number of interstate buyers about the fabulous city apartment which we are (still trying at) selling (yes, it’s that same one which failed to sell at auction which I took on since week one). Not only has there been new-found interest from new interstate buyers, I am also super-excited to hear back from the Melbourne based buyer who came to Perth 2 weekends ago to inspect the apartment, the one whom I hand delivered the contracts to his hotel room in Perth CBD!

 

Like a recently jilted girlfriend on rebound (I am not serious this one– just an allegory), I pounced onto him tightly. Hey Perth prices are cheap compared to Sydney and Melbourne, and if he is flying into Perth this weekend again just to look into purchasing an investment property he must be serious and cash-up! I am not letting this opportunity go!

 

I need just a little bit of time.

 

The agency exclusivity period has ended earlier this week and the city apartment we have been trying to sell is still on the market. While I’ve given all I can to try to make a sale in the past 12 weeks, trying everything (and trust me I tried EVERYTHING, every dirty little real estate trick in the book), there is only this much a young woman can do in this market: a 25-year low of the Perth real estate market doesn’t just right itself overnight. Apparently the seller isn’t happy. But my boss spoke to him and somehow managed to beg the seller into giving us another 1-2 weeks of agency exclusivity before he appoints a new agent to take over.  “I want you to work on that cashed up interstate buyer”, my boss tells. “I don’t care what you do but make him sign that sale contract. Take him out for dinner. Buy him drinks. Wear a shorter skirt and higher heels. Flirt with him – you are a woman, you know what to do!”

 

If he went any further I could have sworn that was my #metoo moment and I would have filed a workplace harassment complaint against him. But at moment the most important priorities are to prove to my boss that I can competently perform. And if my boss had somehow managed to buy me time by begging another 1-2 weeks from the seller, I need to work the interstate buyer, for he is our best chance at a quick sale.

 

So I rang our interstate buyer again for the third time in as many days. He is flying back to Perth this weekend (and seriously I don’t care if it’s for business or for looking at investment properties) so I offered him a private inspection of the apartment. I am super-excited when he took up the offer, for that means it will give me the opportunity to work on the client relationship, and hopefully close the sale.

 

I am serious about making a sale this weekend, so I decided to get “dressed up” for this Saturday morning’s open house and private inspection like I would on auction weekends. Last weekend I was feeling a bit dress-y and really want to put a nice dress on but ended up wearing a skirt suit instead. This weekend, however, I decided to put a dress on for the open house and the private inspection. And a nice one too. Ignoring the advise of real estate website domain.com.au that a real estate agent should get her clothes from: “Karen Millen, Cue and Veronika Maine“, I decided to turn to Ted Baker.

I bought this gorgeous TED BAKER gemisa encyclopaedia floral pleated dress (in nude pink) with a shiny contrasting copper zipper from Ted Baker a while ago on my last trip to Melbourne (I just had to stop at the DFO outlet…) but hadn’t really had to chance to wear it out, so I decided this weekend is going to be the special weekend the dress gets to be shown off. I picked it up at a mark down price of $321 (from $459) – it wasn’t that cheap still (the mark down price is running at about full price for a CUE dress) but I really liked the cheerful floral pattern and the shiny copper zipper with the tiny words ‘Ted Baker’ embossed on its side (don’t you just love the attention to detail?)

Needing to look both equal parts stylish and professional, I matched my new floral Ted Baker dress with my favourite CITY Black Revere Collar Blazer. A pair of nude hosiery, and my usual earrings, pearl necklace and pearl bracelet set complete the elegant and professional look.

A great outfit, of course, is only half of looking both equal parts stylish and professional: like that auction weekend I juggled a last minute hair dresser and a beautician’s waxing and threading appointment on Friday so that I would look my best today.

I checked my look in the mirror before I left home: A tasteful dress combined with recently done hair and a beautician visit and light make-up, I feel confident, empowered, and feminine. I am super-excited and looking forward to my work day!

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

Occasion: work/ office

 

Wearing:

TED BAKER gemisa encyclopaedia floral pleated dress (in nude pink)

CUE CITY Black Revere Collar Blazer

CUE belt

NINE WEST ‘Mailin’ pumps

Hosiery from Target

 

 

Tag: #openhousefashion, #openhouseOOTD, #TedBaker, #realestateuniform, #corporatewear #corporate #citystyle #streetstyle #fashionblogger #workwear #city #businesswoman #lifestyleblogger #officestyle, #fashion #ootd #office, #perth, work outfit, workwear, CUE, Ted Baker

 

OOTD: week 11 – Every open house, every week – in a fail-safe skirt suit

OOTD: week 11 – Every open house, every week – in a fail-safe skirt suit

I woke up with a dilemma this morning – I don’t know what to wear.

 

I have to be at work today (yes, I know it’s a Saturday but working at a real estate agency Saturdays are often our busiest days). I feel a bit dress-y this weekend and really want to put on a nice dress but when I check the weather last night they predicted a chilly day in Perth today of a minimum 3 degrees celcius and a maximum of only 17 degrees celcius. That’s cold. Maybe not for those who live in Melbourne (or worse, Canberra), but cold enough by West Australian standards.

 

As if an outfit dilemma is not enough to be a bad start to my morning, I don’t know what got me but I took an hour to put my make-up on this morning. An hour! And I didn’t even do a good job. Ok, I admit I am a little moody too. The kind of I am over-it-all sort of day. Did I also mention this is the last weekend of the agency exclusivity contract to sell the same one apartment we had been trying for the past 3 months to sell? (Yes I know it is a 12 week exclusivity contract and my blog title says week 11 but remember we lost a week after the unsuccessful auction and had to refresh the marketing campaign?)

 

Buyers seemed thin on the ground and our interstate potential had gone cold. And my boss isn’t happy. To be honest I am not too either. In the last 3 months (and gosh I just realised 3 months is a quarter of the entire year gone!!) I’ve given all I can to try to make a sale, and my last ditch attempt last weekend to woo the interstate buyer hasn’t translated into a signed contract for sale. I tried everything to try to get the sale, and trust me I tried EVERYTHING, every dirty little real estate trick in the book, but there is only this much a young woman can do in this market: a 25-year low of the Perth real estate market doesn’t just right itself overnight. That alone shouldn’t explain why I took an hour to put substandard make-up on…. But maybe it does.

 

So I was standing in only my bra and panties in front of my wardrobe, and already running late, I didn’t have a mind to be too creative with my outfit today. I decided to wear a skirt suit again. Because, like a classic white shirt and black skirt combination, it is one of those fail safe choices. And because on this chilly Saturday morning the wool material from which my CUE blazer jacket is made of should keep me warm.

 

I matched my new favourite Rhodes and Beckett white fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt with my favourite CUE black pencil fluted hem skirt with waterfall ruffle and my CUE CITY blazer. A pair of nude hosiery, and my usual earrings, pearl necklace and pearl bracelet set complete the elegant and professional look. Ditching my current go-to pumps (my comfy and sensible current season NineWest pumps) for something with a 10cm heel, I slipped on my pair of Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump. Did I also mention this is the last weekend of the agency exclusivity contract? I figured this is after all the make or break weekend so if it means having to strut around in high heels to make a sale, I’ll do it. I either make the sale this weekend or lose the commission to another agent (not to that blonde bitch at the rival agency I hope!)

Wish me luck! (P.S. I need it)

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

Occasion: work/ office

 

Wearing:

RHODES AND BECKETT white fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt

CUE CITY Black wool blend Blazer

CUE black pencil skirt with fluted hem and waterfall ruffle and exposed back zip

Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump

Hosiery from Target

 

 

 

Tag: #openhousefashion, #openhouseOOTD, #Cue, #realestateuniform, #Skirtsuit, #corporatewear #corporate #citystyle #streetstyle #fashionblogger #workwear #city #businesswoman #lifestyleblogger #officestyle, #fashion #ootd #office, #perth, work outfit, workwear

OOTD: week 10 – Every open house, every week – (mid-week) inspection in CUE pencil dress worn with CUE shirt

OOTD: week 10 – Every open house, every week – (mid-week) inspection in CUE pencil dress worn with CUE shirt

I am super-excited!

 

I just found out that one of the parties that inspected the fabulous city apartment which we are (still trying at) selling (yes, it’s that same one which failed to sell at auction which I took on since week one) is an interstate buyer! We love interstate buyers here in Perth, because compared to prices in Sydney and Melbourne Perth real estate looks cheap and interstate buyers are usually cashed up.

 

He said nothing as he walked thru the apartment during the open house last weekend, and I only found out today after the third conversation with him on the phone since the start of this week that he revealed his eastern states roots. Turns out he is in Perth for business, and somehow thought a great way to spend a Saturday morning was to attend real estate open houses (yeah, I know, some people have weird hobbies huh).

 

He told me today was the last day he is going to be in Perth and he is getting onto an evening flight back over east, so when he asked for the sale contracts I decided that instead of just sending it out to our interstate client via email, a personal touch might work best here. Excited as the prospect of a sale, and timely I must add because there is only one more week left on the exclusivity sales contract I decided taking into account our somewhat desperate situation (once the exclusivity period ends the seller can sign on any other agent!) I am going to hand deliver the contracts to him in his hotel as he has just finished his meetings and is going back to his hotel room to pack.

It’s just as well when I got dressed this morning I decided to wear something nicer. It was only a chilly 13 degrees or so when I got out of bed this morning so I decided to paired my versatile fitted black peplum dress from CUE with my favourite CUE long sleeved button-up fitted white shirt. A CUE belt at my waist, nude hoisery and my comfy NineWest pumps complete my look. It’s after all winter in Australia and wearing a white shirt under the black dress will not only keep me warm, but give a professional, polished, and unmistakeably feminine look, not to mention also comfortable enough to endure being on my feet as I travel into Perth city to deliver the contracts.

 

So on a whim I decided a change from my usual weekend inspection OOTD blog post this week. I quickly finish closing up the apartment after today’s (lack-lustre) mid-week inspection and am now on my way down to Perth city to deliver the contracts as I finish this blog post…

Occasion: work/ office

 

Wearing:

CUE white fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt

CUE satin sleeveless fitted peplum black dress (worn over the CUE shirt)

CUE belt (in black) with silver buckle

NINEWEST ‘Mailin’ heeled point toe pumps

Hosiery from TARGET

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

 

Tag: #openhousefashion, #openhouseOOTD, #Cue, #realestateuniform, #Skirtsuit, #corporatewear #corporate #citystyle #streetstyle #fashionblogger #workwear #city #businesswoman #lifestyleblogger #officestyle, #fashion #ootd #office, #perth, work outfit, workwear

OOTD: week 9 – Every open house, every week – classic white shirt black skirt combination

OOTD: week 9 – Every open house, every week – classic white shirt black skirt combination

There isn’t a better time to be a real estate agent.

 

The market is on the way up (real estate positive speak when the market is at its bottom – hey it can only go up right?) and even if you steal money ($210,000 in the case of a particular Sydney real estate agent) you don’t even have to go to jail!!! (that particular Sydney real estate agent merely got a suspended sentence for his crime!!)

 

With a sense of new-found confidence this weekend, I am continuing to show the apartment at the scheduled open house. I am hoping the refreshed advertising campaign will work its magic rather than having to lie and scam for a sale (which lots of shameless real estate agents actually do).

 

For my outfit today I decided to wear my favourite work outfit: the classic white shirt black skirt look. I know I have worn this so many times to the office, but there is just something undeniably elegant and professional about this outfit (in my own opinion!). Matching my new favourite Rhodes and Beckett white fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt with my all-time favourite skirt the CUE black pencil fluted hem skirt with waterfall ruffle, my current go-to pumps (my comfy and sensible current season NineWest pumps), a pair of nude hosiery, and my usual earrings, pearl necklace and pearl bracelet set complete the elegant and professional look.

 

Like they say, a classic white shirt black skirt combination for the office never goes wrong!

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

Occasion: work/ office

 

Wearing:

RHODES AND BECKETT white fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt

CUE black pencil skirt with fluted hem and waterfall ruffle and exposed back zip

NINEWEST ‘Mailin’ heeled point toe pumps

Hosiery from Target

 

OOTD: week 8 – Every open house, every week – statement Nicola Finetti dress

OOTD: week 8 – Every open house, every week – statement Nicola Finetti dress

It’s hard working fulltime and also trying to maintain a blog at the same time. I have been so tired lately with work. And being winter doesn’t help either: the fact that I go home most days after the sun has set reinforces the impression of a long working day and makes me even more fatigued. To counter fatigue I’ve been trying to eat healthily whenever I can, keep myself well hydrated with plenty of coconut water, and when still have some leftover energy after work I try to make it to the gym and do some classes.

 

Followers of my blog will know that I started this little project 9 weeks ago to document and post every outfit I am wearing to every open house, every weekend. It was a great idea at that time, coinciding perfectly with feeling euphoric at being handed the responsibility to sell an inner city apartment. 9 weeks on, however, with the apartment still on the market and the end of the 12 week agency exclusive period looming, I am feeling the stress now.

 

There is something perverse about the real estate industry: it seems only money talks and nothing else matters and agents would try whatever dirty trick there is to scam a sale off anyone. The vendors (seller) thinks I haven’t got what it takes to make them the greedy profit they are chasing, and my boss is pushing me so that the agency and he can pocket that greedy 2.2% commission. The morals I have been taught as I was growing up seem certain to be cast away the longer I stay in the real estate industry, and I am so sick of it sometimes. With all this stress I have noticed that there are now now under eyes. Goodness me. And there is only this much a girl’s concealer can do to hide them…

 

Like the mind of a superstitious gambler, I decided a completely new outfit for this weekend’s scheduled open house inspection might just be what I need to change my luck. There was a really stunning red Karen Millen dress I spotted in passing during my busy lunchbreak a few weeks ago but I hadn’t had the time yet to go back to the shops to try it on even though I keep thinking about it. So instead I rummaged through my wardrobe and tried to find something I bought but haven’t worn (and I conceded I do that a lot – I get through periods of almost feverish shopping where I buy more that I can wear, then stash them in one corner of my wardrobe and forget about them – most recently being my Review Mary Beth pencil skirt which I finally wore for the first time last weekend).

 

Imagine my surprise when I pulled out this dress – an unworn Nicola Finetti dress – and I had almost completely forgotten about it! Sporting a contrasting shiny blue floral embroidery on the upper part of the dress and orange floral embroidery on the lower part of the dress and an on-trend exposed metal zipper at the back, I think the dress is both classy and contemporary. It’s made in Australia, constructed from a heavy textured satin like material (the label says fabrication = 100% Polyester, Contrast – 100% Silk, Lining – 100% Acetate), has a hemline that goes down to my knees, and has sleeves all of which I think is perfect for keeping me warm during the chilly winter season open house inspection. It’s even got handy pockets!

It still had its label attached, and I am surprised I actually paid A$410 when I bought it. What was I thinking? I don’t even like cut-out style dresses!! But something would have moved me enough when I tried it on in the fitting rooms to make me fork out this amount of cash… though I can’t tell you what it was now.

 

The downsides of this dress? Sharp angled cut out on sleeve frame exposes my shoulder (and I am not a big fan of cut-out style), and it has a centre front slit opening (the sort of dress you cannot wear a bra underneath). But I have a perfect solution to maintaining my modesty, I paired this dress with a CUE blazer which I wore over the dress during the duration of the open house inspection.

As far as footwear is concerned, the only pair of heels that match this dress isn’t my current favourite pair of comfy and sensible NineWest pumps, but my pair of Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump. In the past my Ferragamo pumps have been reserved only for special occasions (such as weddings, for example), but I have been wearing them to the office in the past few weeks. Made in Italy and a classy statement item for any outfit, the cooling market and more importantly, competition, has made my Ferragamo pumps an essential weapon of choice for selling real estate. Desperate times call for desperate measures: I just try to ignore how the 10cm heel kills my feet at the end of each day. Or the fact that even with all the sore toes it is not quite working (yet). Maybe adding this statement Nicola Finetti dress to my statement Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump is what I need to change my luck.

 

Occasion: Office/ work

 

Wearing:

Nicola Finetti contrast cut-out dress (still available at Myer at a substantial discount)

CUE CITY Black Revere Collar Blazer

Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump (sold out but very similar style available here for $975)

Nude Hosiery from Target (available here)

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

 

Tag: #openhousefashion, #openhouseOOTD, #realestateuniform, work outfit, workwear, dress, fashion, heels, monochrome, office, real estate,

OOTD: week 7 – Every open house, every week – classic white shirt and pencil skirt

OOTD: week 7 – Every open house, every week – classic white shirt and pencil skirt

Every real estate agent love a quick sale. This is part of the reason why real estate agents love auctions rather than a sale by negotiation. 4 to 6 week marketing period, then an auction where the drop of a hammer nets a 10% deposit and the sale is final. All a real estate agent has to do is wait for the big fat commission when the property settles. Less hassle. Less negotiations. Less phone-calls and emails. Easy money.

 

We’ve all had it good for the past few years when the boom was still in full swing. But with the Perth real estate market still stuck in a 25-year low, real estate agents are starting to actually have to work for their commissions. In hindsight I must say it is perhaps not the best timing for me to take on my FIRST EVER open house holding the listing for a city apartment. The boss probably knew it wasn’t going to be an easy sell, but he let me do it anyway. Maybe I am being set up for failure…

 

While all the focus is, at the moment, on the misconduct of the banking industry, the real estate industry will fare no better should it come under scrutiny (if I am allowed to be honest!). It is surprisingly difficult to get good, reliable, WRITTEN information on matters of buying and selling a property. It seems no real estate agency is willing to put their fees and contractual clauses openly on their website.

 

A typical real estate sale contract between the vendor and agent usually involves a 3 month exclusivity period, which, shall we say, works more in favour of the agent than the seller. If the seller is stuck with a bad agent, well, 3 months is a long time for the seller to waste. The real estate agent, meanwhile, has less to lose. Real estate agents are trained to utilise sales campaign to promote themselves and their agency to attract more future business and clients. And while we may not get the big commission at the end, there is very little upfront cost for the real estate agent as we have already charged the seller the advertising campaign fee and our little kickback from professional photography and furniture staging. While one might think things like professional photography is an optional extra, some agencies will tell sellers they cannot use any other photographs other than the agency’s professional photography as ‘it needs to conform to our agency template.’ Which is really forcing sellers into paying more upfront, regardless of whether the property sells.

 

Which is for this reason that even though the auction 2 weekends ago failed to attract a single bid, we are still holding on to the listing. And we have another 6 weeks before it runs out.

 

Briefing the vendors after the failed auction, we recommended refreshing the campaign. Taking the property off the market for one weekend while we put together a new advertising package with new photographs, we advised the vendor that we are upbeat the refreshed campaign will reach new interested buyers.

 

This weekend’s open house is the first of the refreshed marketing campaign, and I decided to go for a professional look wearing my white long sleeved button-up fitted shirt from Rhodes and Beckett teamed with a Review ‘Mary Beth’ pencil skirt (which I am wearing for the first time after I bought it and left it sitting in my wardrobe for months). Fans of Review will swear the label makes great pencil skirts. As for me, I have only discovered how true that is after I defected from CUE to REVIEW. Sewn in a classic fitted style in a midi length, I love its sleek and simple lines of the skirt and the decorative buttons giving it that professional look. It’s a wonder I left it sitting unworn in the wardrobe for this long!

As for the all important footwear, I decided to ditch my comfy and sensible current season NineWest pumps this weekend for something with a higher heel – my pair of Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump. In the past my Ferragamo pumps have been reserved only for special occasions (such as weddings, for example), but I have been wearing them to the office in the past few weeks. Made in Italy and a classy statement item for any outfit, the cooling market and more importantly, competition, has made my Ferragamo pumps an essential weapon of choice for selling real estate. Desperate times call for desperate measures: I just try to ignore how the 10cm heel kills my feet at the end of each day. Or the fact that even with all the sore toes it is not quite working (yet).

 

When my sore feet is not annoying me, I am however, a bit annoyed at the weather. Just like the first weekend of the first ever open house, the first weekend of the refreshed sale campaign sees it raining. Why does it have to keep raining on me??!!?? Rain keeps potential buyers indoors. And rain also makes it slippery for me to walk around in high heels. But there is nothing much I can do to control the weather. So regardless, I hold an optimism like the first weekend that even the rain can’t dampen my spirits to get things going right for the next 6 weeks of the refreshed sales campaign.

 

Occasion: Office/ work

 

Wearing:

White long sleeved button-up fitted shirt from Rhodes and Beckett (sold out)

Review ‘Mary Beth’ pencil skirt (available here at Myer)

Salvatore Ferragamo slingback high heeled pump (sold out but very similar style available here for $975)

Nude Hosiery from Target (available here)

 

Xoxo

Natalie

 

 

Tag: #openhousefashion, #openhouseOOTD, #realestateuniform, #ReviewAustralia