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Her latest role, however, is her most pioneering, after she embarked on her auctioneering career late last year.
“I used to be a sales agent in Werribee where I would list 97 per cent of my stock as auctions,” Valentina said.
“I was very skilled at buyer management and also making sure my vendor was comfortable with the process.”
“I loved the thrill of the auction day, even though I’d say I didn't want to be an auctioneer at the time. I was out in the crowd with buyers and felt like I was the woman of the people.”
“When I came to corporate, I thought ‘what can I do to stay on the ground and also get the thrill of auction day?’
“Importantly, I also found that a lot of our offices weren’t experienced in running an auction process smoothly, so I thought becoming an auctioneer would be an extra skill for me but also to help these support offices new to the process.”
The fact that Valentina knows, understands and thrives on the auction method of selling is important to her success in auctioneering.
“I’ve been blessed to watch a lot of amazing auctioneers during my career - people like Phil Parker, Haesley Cush and Jeremy Tyrrell,” she said.
“Knowing the sales side of the auction method is hugely important - I learned that from our Victorian CEO Domenic Belfiore.
“We also had amazing auction agents in our Werribee team, as well as Victorian Head of Performance Matt Condon, who has spent time with me perfecting my auction call.”
Most people would say the most exciting part of auctioneering is when it sells under the hammer, but Valentina disagrees.
“Helping the agents piece together and negotiate a sale when it passes in is even better and really shows off your value add with the agent and the vendor,” she said.
“When the crowd is buzzing, with bids coming from everywhere, and you see how the agents work the crowd, extracting bids from buyers to keep the momentum? It's an amazing feeling.
“I love getting to know the vendor and celebrate with them when it's all over.”
Valentina’s grateful for the training and support she’s garnered from the Ray White Group.
“Auctioneering is part of our identity at Ray White. It’s in our DNA,” she said.
“At the Shed, in Crows Nest (Ray’s first office), it has ‘AUCTIONEER’ under his name. I truly believe we grow and teach the best agents and auctioneers.”
Valentina has called 28 auctions since November, with no signs of slowing down. She believes being a female auctioneer gives you an edge.
“It's our caring nature, our warmth and emotion when describing the home and extracting bids,” she said.
“I think we go about it differently; it's not a show for females.
“It's not about us as an individual and being the main attraction, but about the property itself, about the person bidding and the person selling.
“We bring another side out in people where they are happy to bid and don't find us aggressive. We can push in other ways and pull on those emotions.”
Valentina said she’s heartened to see more women taking on the auctioneering challenge.
“Victoria has more female auctioneers than anywhere else in Australia,” she said.
“This includes several within the Ray White network, and I’m confident these numbers will grow.”
“If you think back to 2010, all you would ever see is male auctioneers,” she said.
“Now it’s so nice to see females giving it a go as it’s a male-dominated industry. I think that women are now getting the courage to do it and bring their own flair.
“It’s also public perception - people get surprised to see me and sometimes can underestimate the effectiveness of female auctioneers.”
Valentina believes it’s important to continue to try to showcase female auctioneers.
“You can’t be what you can’t see - if we continue to showcase female auctioneers, more women will see it as a viable career option,” she said.
“It also provides more flexibility in terms of work hours and work life balance. You can make a great wage just working Saturdays - it’s perfect for mums who want a bit of extra income but are trying to juggle work/mum life.
“Not only are they able to contribute to the household, but they can continue their real estate career and community purpose while their focus is still on their kids for the time being.”
