Growth Centre

Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday July 6, 2005

Kate Farrelly

Business is on track for this agent after a move to North Ryde, writes Kate Farrelly.

It was 1979 when the principal of Ray White North Ryde, David Jarvis, migrated to Australia from England with his wife, Jean, his children and two dogs. He left behind two employment agencies in the hope of a better life for his family. In his pocket was enough money to put a deposit on a house.

Jarvis found a job with an employment agency in Sydney, but he soon discovered the retainer and commission didn't score enough points to secure a mortgage. He needed a salaried position and found himself working in property management for KG Hurst in Eastwood.

"I spent two years there and it was a good training ground," Jarvis says.

Jarvis then took on a sales job and in just three months was Hurst's top salesman. Keen to be his own boss again, Jarvis bought another employment agency. To keep his hand in the real estate game he also acquired a property rental roll and studied to obtain his real estate licence.

After three years of juggling jobs, Jarvis sold his employment agency to concentrate on property management. He then took on a Professionals franchise, which he ran until 2000 before switching to Ray White. Today his business manages 730 properties and stock is beginning to pick up after a relocation from Ryde to North Ryde.

The area is undergoing substantial change as humble fibro houses are replaced with two-storey rendered houses in the style of Jarvis's own home.

"I'd say 40 to 50 per cent of people knock down and rebuild [in North Ryde]," he says, adding that the planned railway station at Delhi Road will be a drawcard for people moving into the area.

"Ryde city has more people employed in its municipal area than Adelaide and is the third-largest employer in Sydney."

With the M2 to be linked to the Sydney orbital and the Lane Cove tunnel under way, Jarvis says, travel to the city is likely to become easier.

CULTURE

Ryde Council is upgrading the Cox's Road shopping strip to include sidewalk cafes, new restaurants and a better streetscape, a value-add for properties within walking distance.

TARGET

People aged 25 to 40 head to North Ryde, many with young families and/or jobs within the suburb's technology parks.

POSITION

An underground railway station at Delhi Road is scheduled to be open by 2008, an advantage for nearby homes.

© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald

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