Matt Hartley from Hartley Property Group on how he fulfilled his vision to build
This month, I had the greatest opportunity to have chat with Matt Hartley from Hartley Property Group and be inspired by this man.
Matt’s story is truly one that will spur you on to step into a world of possibilities. From humble beginnings, Matt has worked hard to get to this point in life and he is only just getting started.
I couldn’t help but be encouraged and enthused from hearing Matt’s deep-seeded passion for seeing environments and individuals fulfil their potential. “The environments that we surround ourselves with have an effect on your experience and how you live,” says Matt.
“I love working hard towards a goal. I got really good at feasibilities after doing hundreds of them, driving around Brisbane looking at sites, visualising what could be built there, doing the numbers and letting my mentors strip them apart to show me what I was missing”
An electrician by trade, real estate development was something he “fell into” during his mid-teens in a school based apprenticeship. Matt says it turned out to be blessing in disguise as it taught him a lot about working for a large company. “During my early 20s I caught the personal development bug, realising that we all have great potential but only when you pursue that potential does it ever get realised,” says Matt.
“I’ve always admired great buildings and the people who had vision and the courage to build them. Whilst my mind understands property, how things get built, it’s important to understand the business of property and that’s when I started to pursue mentors,” he adds.
Thus began Matt’s journey in pursuit of mentors. He took developers out for coffee, lunch and dinners and learned how they thought, and before too long, coupled with his natural ability to visualise, an understanding of building mechanics and a courage to create something, Matt began looking for his first development. It started with buying an apartment and renovating it, then building a few houses, which then led to doing a 1 into 3 subdivisions with a reno project attached and so on.
“I love working hard towards a goal. I got really good at feasibilities after doing hundreds of them, driving around Brisbane looking at sites, visualising what could be built there, doing the numbers and letting my mentors strip them apart to show me what I was missing. I was trying to learn how developers think,” says Matt.
“My vision always led me to dream of building, which led me to pursue multi-unit developments. You see there is a way to do everything in life, if you really want it bad enough, you’ll find a way. That my approach to life. You must have a vision, something greater for your future but something that adds value to others. Then set your values as a guide of how to conduct yourself,” adds Matt, who in his spare time, runs workshops teaching young leaders and entrepreneurs how to create their vision.
Matt says “living with excellence, honour and integrity” are the values he believes in, and the ones he wants his brand to envision. “I don’t just want to create property for ownership, I want to create property for an experience that supports people to become their best,” he says.
Matt’s moves
Advice for someone thinking about getting into property development
- Get good mentors, people with actual experience, they can save you a lot of heartache and mistakes
- Dream big but start small, you need to learn the fundamentals of development
- Integrity is everything and trust goes a long way
- Always think about functionality, not just appearance.
Advice for first home buyers or new investors
- If you’re young, give up the lattes and do yourself a favour by buying as much property as possible. You will thank yourself later.
- If you’re a first home buyer—save hard, use your parent’s equity, get government grants, whatever you need to do to buy well priced property.
- If you’re an investor—don’t get emotional, look for ways you can add value to the property and your tenants. Multiply your portfolio as quick as you can, especially if you’re young. Again, you’ll thank yourself later.
(I also noticed that Matt is a super proud dad, showing me his little son’s picture while we chatted away. I reckon that is the reason Matt does what he does, to leave a legacy for the future generation).
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