SPOC Partner Profile with Klemich Real Estate

Klemich's sponsorship has been instrumental in enabling SPOC to offer meaningful and significant opportunities, activities, and programs for old scholars.

Matt Smith, is highly esteemed and serves as a director and co-owner of Klemich Real Estate. He has established himself as one of the most dynamic, dedicated, and skilled real estate agents in the industry. Currently, Matt holds a position on the Board of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA), and he has previously served as the President of the state's leading professional association, the Society of Auctioneers and Appraisers.

SPOC recently conducted an interview with Matt, seeking to explore his connection to SPSC and ask about what makes Klemich Real Estate a leader in the industry.

SPOC: Tell me about your connection with St Peter’s College and SPOC

Matt Smith: Lucy (my wife) and I are past parents with sons William (MAC 2019) and Charles (MAC 2021). Their grandfather Peter Quigley (MAC 1963) completed his schooling at Saints in 1963 and his father, John Quigley (MAC 1931) was also a student at Saints. While I didn’t attended Saints (Westminster) I competed for SPOC Athletics for many years in the 1990s and in more recent times, taught auctioneering to Year 10 and 11 students for a decade.

SPOC: How long has your agency been in operation, and how did your SPOC Partnership – now in its ninth year come about?

Matt Smith: Oren Klemich founded the company in 2004 and I joined him as owner in 2008. Tony Keynes (my SPOC Athletics Captain in the 90s) in capacity as President of SPOC, at the time, called and asked for sponsorship and 9 years later we proudly continue our association.        

SPOC: What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges in Real Estate right now?

Matt Smith: While house prices remain strong in SA due largely to a lack of housing supply, recent interest rate rises will inevitably result in a contraction of the housing market. This offers both the biggest challenges and the best opportunities for consumers who remain positive.

             
SPOC: What sets your agency apart from other real estate agencies? What unique value do you provide to your clients?

Matt Smith: We are a dynamic and modern boutique real estate agency. Our award-winning family-owned business specialises in selling homes around the inner north, east and southern suburbs of Adelaide. Our size allows us to embrace change and technology easily, and our brand is famous for service and professionalism and above all, we care.          

SPOC: Are there any new or emerging trends in the real estate industry that you find interesting or important for clients to be aware of?

Matt Smith: The real estate sector is incredibly fast paced with constant emerging trends. Klemich’s client management systems and AI (artificial intelligence) software can now seek, find and ‘grade’ the level of motivation a buyer has based on their online real estate activity. This technology allows us to match buyers for our client’s homes effectively and specifically within our unique Klemich database. We can communicate (on market and off-market homes) to our 50,000+ unique Klemich clients with a press of a button. Our AI technology can seek motivated home sellers within our database and speak to clients via text conversation to generate sales leads. In a service driven and personalised profession, we use this technology as a side tool, in addition to our customer-focused core values, and belief that the best relationships are formed with genuine human interactions.          

SPOC: As a real estate agency owner, we understand that achieving work-life balance can be challenging, especially for professionals like yourself. How do you effectively manage your time off and what practices do you follow to maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Matt Smith: Work-life balance is about setting boundaries and priorities. Real estate agents are readily accessible and consumers expectations of (their) agents are rightfully high. Establishing a client’s expectations is critical and communicating fair boundaries is reasonable. Whatever my priorities are, I make time to be present in my personal and professional relationships.

SPOC: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Matt Smith: This goes to the previous question, “make a meeting with yourself in your diary”.  A close friend and business mentor encouraged me to make a meeting with myself in my diary so I could address my priorities – family, fitness etc.      

Our thanks to Matt Smith and Klemich Real Estate for their ongoing support. We ask our members to support our partners whenever they have the opportunity.

If you are intertested in buying, selling or property management contact Matt Smith and the team at Klemich Real Estate by visiting their website and follow Matt Smith on Instagram here.