Student Spotlight - Nikki D’Agostino

Nikki D’Agostino’s genuine approachability makes her a trusted figure in the property industry. We spoke to her about being REIWA’s first graduate of the CPP40521 Certificate IV in Strata Community Management, and the exciting opportunities that a career in strata management can bring. 

How did your career in real estate begin?

My first job was at Consumer Protection - which is now DEMIRS - working in the bond and tenancy section. When I transitioned into the private sector a real estate opportunity presented itself.

After gaining experience in property management and sales, I got my full license and went up to Karratha to run an agency. That was my first experience of managing strata. I went on to work with large developments, commercial and retail.

After starting a family, I began consulting in strata with developers, setting up schemes and helping them through the process ready to hand over to strata managers. 

I sit on the Strata Network, and Commercial Network committees, and with the strata reforms around compliance and regulation being introduced I felt there was an opportunity to help educate people in that space – so I recently started my own business. 

Rezzi Strata is a strata management agency, and it falls under The Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 (REBA Act) which provides accountability and professionalism. 

I have brought together my commercial property management background and expertise with lifecycle planning to look at strata, not just as an administration service, but as a lifecycle management of an asset. Making sure we add value and think of the long-term projection for each owner and investor in those schemes, as well as the communities.

What drew you to strata management?

When I was a sales rep 20 years ago I specialised in strata sales, and strata was seen as the way of the future - for density, lifestyle, demographics, and affordability. It was predicted that strata would be the direction Perth needed to go. But there was a lot that people didn’t understand around compliance, in agency or the buying and selling process. 

I fell into strata management when I was Operations Manager at the agency in Karratha because we had a strata management portfolio. It was a baptism of fire! I went on to learn the administrative side of strata, which has given me a holistic overview. I can see every aspect of the strata journey – whether investing, buying, selling, or living. 

The gap with strata management between real estate agents is that the client engaging the strata manager still expects a level of service on their property, while a strata manager tends to be an administrator and doesn’t have the property experience.

A lot of it is community and human behaviour. There’s a lot of conflict on the lower level and you spend most of your time dealing with behavioural issues and administrating legislation. I like the variety of it - I don’t want to be doing the same thing every day.

I really love that strata management is becoming a desirable career choice for future generations. The new Cert IV strata  course brings a greater level of professionalism, and I am advocating for that - that’s part of what I do to give back to the industry now.

How did you find training with REIWA?

A hundred percent supportive. I had access to the assessors, and REIWA provided guidance and reassurance. It was a bit daunting thinking I would have to upload the whole course before knowing if I’d done the right thing, but I could ask “does this look okay?” and they’d guide me on what was enough. It wasn’t overwhelming. The guidance was great and there were people available when I needed them. 

Even the payment arrangements were good. It’s not a very expensive course. REIWA offered it at good value, and they also offer payment plans, so you don’t have to pay it all in one go.

What’s one skill every strata manager needs?

People skills. While advances in AI and proptech are helping to support processes, skills in managing people are equally important. Understanding human behaviour, managing conflict and mediation are all vital skills, as well as good communication and kindness. The historical view of strata managers is that they take an authoritative or punitive approach, but it really shouldn't be that way. We’re not a regulator - we’re a service provider.

What advice would you give someone considering a career in real estate, strata, or commercial management?

Real estate has given me so much opportunity. It provides a lot of options because there are so many facets to it. You might start with your Cert IV, and then pursue a specialisation such as accounting, management, tech, customer service, commercial or shopping centres. There’s so much to it.