International Women’s Day: Women in real estate – Megan McHenry

WHILE many people join the real estate industry after working in other fields, Megan McHenry started her career straight out of high school in 2005.

With her mother working in real estate, she said she had been around the industry from a young age and had a long-standing interest in property.

She took an entry-level position and joined Benchmark in 2007 before obtaining her Diploma of Property Services to become its licensee at 23.

It is a career Ms McHenry enjoys and she lists Benchmark being named Reiwa’s Small Residential Agency of the Year last year among her highlights, as well as listing 95 new rental properties in the past 12 months.

“My goal is to grow our team while at the same time maintaining our great culture, as well as continuing to grow our rent roll,” she said.

Ms McHenry said she had not faced any specific challenges being a woman in the industry and there were a lot more women running their own businesses compared to when she first started in real estate.

For other women looking at taking up a career in the industry, she said it was important to find the right agency to work with.

“The industry is very heavily reliant on work- place training. You really want a hands-on office that is happy to assist while you are learning the ropes and that provides training and support,” Ms McHenry said.