“Moving down here, my career has actually grown so much more than it had ever in Sydney.”

For Rachael Emes, a property management career on the South Coast did not begin as a certainty. After 26 years in the industry, she had already built deep experience across residential, commercial, disability accommodation and corporate property portfolios. She knew the work, she knew the pressure, and she knew what senior property management demanded.

What she was less sure about was whether the same level of opportunity would exist regionally.

“One thing that had always been on the back of my mind was opportunities down the South Coast for senior property managers,” Rachael says. “Salary-wise, I was cautious and wary, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to get an opportunity on a similar pay grade and opportunities that were available in Sydney.”

A year later, that fear has been replaced by something else. Rachael is now Team Leader across One Agency’s Nowra and Huskisson property management teams, and her career has moved faster than she expected.

“Moving down here, my career has actually grown so much more than it had ever in Sydney,” she says. “The move has exceeded my expectations.”

From Reception to Property Management

Rachael’s real estate career began in Year 10, when she completed work experience in a real estate office. She later worked Saturdays in that same office, then joined another agency after leaving school. That second role became a 17-year chapter.

She started in reception before moving into leasing, property management and then senior property management. Based around Rosebery, near Mascot, Rachael spent her early career learning how to manage people, pressure and property at the same time.

“You have to build rapport with tenants as well to get the best outcome for your landlords,” she says.

That skill became central to her work. Property management is often misunderstood as paperwork, inspections and process, but Rachael learnt early that the work is about people. It means helping tenants and landlords understand their responsibilities, acting in the client’s best interest and staying calm when emotions run high.

The People Side of Property Management

Over time, Rachael watched both the industry and Sydney change around her. She remembers when a two-bedroom unit in Eastlakes rented for around $240 a week. Now, she says, similar properties can sit around $700.

She also watched familiar streets change through high-rise development, tunnels and major infrastructure.

“This is where I grew up and I couldn’t even recognise the streets,” she says.

After 17 years in one business, Rachael began broadening her experience. She helped establish a property management department for a former sales colleague, then moved into commercial property, disability accommodation management and a corporate role with Pierge Property and Asset Management before relocating to the South Coast.

Her disability accommodation work was especially meaningful because it connected property management with helping people in need.

“It was rewarding because you’re obviously helping people in need, which is always something I love to do,” she says.

The South Coast Becomes More Than a Future Plan

The South Coast had always been part of Rachael’s life, but originally it was a future plan. Her husband Paul had family in the region. Her parents had moved down years earlier. Rachael and Paul also own a holiday rental at Myola, known as the Jetty House, on Currambene Creek.

“As my dad likes to call it, it is on the pristine shores of the Currambene Creek,” Rachael says.

The house has its own jetty, views across the water and years of family memories. The couple planned to rebuild it and eventually move down permanently, but they did not expect the career move to happen so soon.

Then a friend sent Rachael a job advertisement for One Agency. She applied through the recruitment company, met with the directors several times and joined the Huskisson office as a property manager.

“I wasn’t expecting to relocate so soon,” she says.

Finding Growth with One Agency

The move quickly felt right. Rachael says the location was amazing, the team was strong and she fitted in well. Within a couple of months, a team leader opportunity came up. She was approached for the role and moved into the Nowra office. After changes across the wider group, she became Team Leader for both Nowra and Huskisson.

“If you had asked me 12 months ago, this is where I would be, I would not have had a clue,” she says. “The team’s amazing. Management’s great. There’s a lot of support.”

That progression is the part of Rachael’s story that matters most for anyone wondering whether a regional move will limit their career. In Sydney, she had years of experience. On the South Coast, that experience became the foundation for leadership.

For Rachael, joining One Agency did not mean stepping into a smaller version of real estate. It meant joining a business where her skills were recognised, where support was visible and where her property management career could keep moving forward.

Property Management Career Support and Leadership

Support has been one of the clearest differences between Rachael’s city experience and her South Coast career. In Sydney, she says the industry often felt more competitive and less supportive. On the South Coast, she has found a different rhythm.

“It is not every man for himself down here,” she says. “It is a very different culture in Sydney. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of support in Sydney.”

At One Agency, Rachael says support comes from management, other team leaders and the team itself.

“We all work well together,” she says. “We’re all happy to help each other.”

That culture matters in property management, where the work can be fast, emotional and complex. A good property manager needs to balance landlords, tenants, legislation, maintenance, communication and problem-solving. Strong team support makes that pressure easier to carry.

Lifestyle, Community and Balance

The lifestyle shift has also changed the feeling around work. Rachael’s Sydney commute could take close to an hour, often in bumper-to-bumper traffic. At times, it could take far longer.

“You’d just get home and you’d be wound up,” she says.

Now, her commute is usually around 20 to 30 minutes, much of it on open roads. She still works hard, and she is clear that living on the South Coast is not the same as being on holiday all the time. But the environment has changed the way her days feel.

“The commute is not stressful at all anymore,” she says.

There are also moments she is learning to slow down for. At the Jetty House, the water views and sunsets still stop her, even after years of visiting.

“You would think that they would get a bit boring,” Rachael says. “But every one is different and I can’t tell you how many amazing sunset photos I have.”

That sense of place carries into everyday life. Rachael now catches up with friends more often, sees her parents regularly and has more connection with colleagues outside work. Her team sometimes meets for trivia at the Huskisson Pub or North Nowra Tavern, and she has breakfast with her team each month.

“Never,” she says, when asked whether that happened in Sydney. “Absolutely never.”

A Career Without Compromise

For Rachael, the South Coast is not only beautiful. It is more connected. People say hello on the street. Locals chat outside coffee shops. The welcome has surprised her in the best way.

“Everyone’s been really friendly,” she says. “People will have a chat with you. You walk down the street and people say hi.”

Her advice to people in Sydney considering a regional move is grounded in her own experience. The right role may not appear immediately, and the right industry still matters. But she believes the Shoalhaven offers real career opportunities, real support and a lifestyle that changes the pressure around work.

“It is a great place to work,” she says. “I honestly believe that you will get the support and the career progression down here as well.”

Rachael once worried moving regional might limit her career. Instead, it gave her leadership, growth, balance and a stronger connection to the community.

For anyone who still thinks moving to the South Coast is career suicide, Rachael has a clear answer.

“Definitely not,” she says. “Far from it. The complete opposite.”

For more regional career context, explore the South Coast careers page, the Shoalhaven careers page, the Nowra careers page and the Jervis Bay careers page.