Australia is not Sri Lanka!

By William de Ora (de Silva)

Series: Real Estate Mistakes I’ve Made.

Australia is not Sri Lanka!

I took a deep breath. I held my tongue. I couldn’t believe it when the builder’s salesman said: ‘Australia isn’t Sri Lanka.’

Yet all Pavani, my client, said was: ‘In Sri Lanka, we do it like this.’

Too often people from the Indian subcontinent are shut down. It infuriates me when they are made to feel like they’re idiots.

But it’s not a language barrier. It’s a cultural barrier!

WE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT CULTURES

Let me explain.

I have found that when people from a different culture venture into unknown or uncharted territory they try and get things done based on how they would approach it back home. It’s instinctive and ingrained behaviour, and mostly unconscious – meaning you’re not even aware of how you’re operating.

The same is true for the other person. This is not only relevant to a foreign person choosing to live in Australia.

For instance, an Australian only knows how to operate as an Australian. If an Australian born person were to move to Sri Lanka, they would experience their own cultural shock, and have to adjust in order to thrive in that country. The same is true of subcontinent people choosing to live in Australia.

About the only thing that is common to both our nations is that we both are former British colonies and both have a love of cricket.

However, people from the subcontinent come from thousands of years of proud heritage and, no matter where we are living, that proud heritage is in our blood. Therefore, it hurts when you get treated with a lack of respect and are dismissed.

BUILDING THE BRIDGE

This is why I’m committed to working with people who are from the Indian subcontinent. I have sat in too many meetings where I’ve had to manage my emotional roller coaster ride, and hold my tongue.

However, I have walked out fuming and downright angry after some meetings simply because there has been a lack of understanding on behalf of the builder, or developer in patiently working through each question that my client has asked.

Choosing to build your own home has a lot of emotional charge around it. It’s mostly a heart-based process, because you are going to live in this with your family – you want it to feel like home.

On the other hand, purchasing an investment property is driven by your head. You want reassurance that you’re getting the right investment, so that you get the right return, and long-term financial security. Therefore, without a foundation of information, how do you make decisions?

What I know is that until there’s an acceptance that things are done differently, and a new level of communication is learnt, there will be breakdown after breakdown in communication.

CHEAPEST PRICE V TRUST

Building your own home, or buying an investment property in the Australian market has its own rules. What a person from the Indian subcontinent thinks is normal, is different to what an Australian thinks is normal.

Let’s look at what can happen if you approach a builder direct.

The first thing that arises in the Australian’s mind is that they know you will be shopping around for the cheapest price – even if this is not entirely true. For you as an Indian subcontinent person, you might go into a builder’s showroom with the belief that you can never trust a builder.

You might think: “They’re going to overcharge me and they’ll likely rip me off.”

Now if this is how two people come together, how is possible for either party to build rapport, get an understanding of the needs and wants, and come to a working agreement that benefits both?

The challenge for someone new from the Indian subcontinent is how to build that rapport and create that working agreement.

When dealing with builders, developers and real estate salespeople you need to know how to communicate so you achieve the results you want.

The good news is that you don’t have to stumble through the process alone and repeat my costly mistakes. Please call or email me if you have any questions about dealing with builders or real estate agents.

The lesson I learned was: to succeed, first I had to learn to change my mindset.

William de Ora (de Silva)
Real Estate Property Coach and a buyer’s agent
M: 0414 834 733 E: William@ipna.com.au
Website: www.ipna.com.au