- Ms Barnao has property in her blood, growing up with a father who worked in the industry before joining him at Barnao Property in 2011
- She learnt lessons from her dad in cultivating relationships and the importance of spending time on the ground, which she now applies in her own work
- Nicole says she is thrilled to see several new projects in Barnao's pipeline, as the business conquers the challenges of today
In our latest instalment of Real Story, a series dedicated to the people behind the wide world of real estate, The Property Tribune spoke to Barnao Property Managing Director Nicole Barnao.
Ms Barnao has over 25 years of experience in the property, financial and consulting spaces, spending part of her career based in London and Sydney.
In 2011, Ms Barnao returned to her roots in Perth to start her own family and joined Barnao Property to form a father-daughter duo with her father David.
The Subiaco-based property advisory practice specialises in the development of englobo and infill land for commercial, industrial, community and residential uses.
Keeping a passion for property alive through the generations
Growing up in Perth to a father who has always worked in the industry, Nicole was never a stranger to the inner workings of the real estate world.
Like many in the industry, real estate has always been in her blood.
She fondly recalls dinner table discussions about her dad’s projects during her childhood, and still comes across many of the names in his stories in the industry today.
“Two things stand out from those memories with Dad,” she said.
“One is about relationships. Those names and those stories around the dinner table, it was the same people, because there were long-term relationships there.”
She has applied this lesson throughout her own career, with a belief that it relates to any successful businessperson.
“No matter what you do, you’re going to thrive if you’ve had good, productive relationships with others.”
The second lesson is the importance of spending time on the ground and visiting project sites in person.
“I have memories of being in the back seat driving around sites and being quite bored, and now I’m doing the same thing to my kids,” she laughed.
Passing down the family passion for property to her own kids is something Ms Barnao is proud to be able to do, and often takes her kids to her sites so they can physically interact with her work.
Optimism for the future as Barnao Property overcomes modern challenges
Established in 1975, Barnao Property offers land and development services, encompassing the acquisition, development and harvest of land and property assets.
At Barnao Property, achieving the best possible results for their clients is at the heart of their operations.
“In our business you’ll get a quality service proposition, backed by nearly 100 years of experience.”
“With that will come a disciplined rigour associated with asset protection and risk management. We apply robust management processes to ensure wealth preservation, so we manage the downside as well as chasing the upside.”
While Ms Barnao says the current environment does come with its challenges for the business, as does any, today’s environment is certainly a lot more positive than a few years ago.
“There’s lots of activity, lots of confidence, and lots going on.”
Like several in the industry however, Ms Barnao has noticed the challenges posed by overheating in the market.
“It can be hard to find contractors and there are longer lead times associated with that stuff. Then of course there are rising construction costs, which is associated with staff skill shortages, and also global supply chain constraints,” she said.
There’s no stopping Barnao though, with Nicole thrilled to see several new and exciting projects in the pipeline.
“I’m very much looking forward to the next two to three years as these projects make their way through the pipeline,” she concluded.
