Introducing AB Morison
Our mission has always been to put people first and be on the forefront of innovation as industry leaders. AB Morison is named for our senior management team- Austin, Beamish and Morison. Our new colours represent our new beginnings and fresh outlook, bringing together the best aspects of modern thinking with traditional wisdom and reliability.
Under AB Morison you can expect the same great staff, same great service, and twenty years of expertise packaged up in our new look. We will continue to provide the highest quality conveyancing service for properties Victoria wide, from residential and commercial purchase and sales, to complex related party transfers and developments.
Our story so far…
In 1997 while studying and working full time, Director Mandi Morison bought her first home and was recommended to use a branch of Sargeants Conveyancing. Three years later, while working as the first female truck tyre sales representative for Michelin Australia (yes, she got in overalls and crawled under trucks) Mandi sold and then purchased her second property. The conveyancing office she’d used earlier had closed and so it was recommended that Mandi use Dian Sargeant, the head of Sargeants Conveyancing and a brilliant, vibrant woman. Within the first half hour of meeting, Dian, convinced that this was the industry for her, recommended Mandi start her own business. And so, Mandi started Sargeants- Port Phillip, having always loved the property market, and with her business degree had a strong understanding of accounting principles, tax, corporate structures and basics of business law.
This was a tumultuous time in conveyancing. GST and the First Home Owners Grant were both introduced around that time and dial up internet was starting to be more commonly used. Although a large number of conveyancers and lawyers were still typing documents and everything was posted or faxed, Mandi spent the first few months of her fledgling business redesigning documents and processes to make them more modern and to make the client’s involvement so much easier. Even sticky notes (sign here stickers were rarely used) were fairly new- what an amazing modern age it was!
Learning from the brilliant team at Sargeants and conducting settlements for other branches, Mandi grew the business by providing an incredible level of service to clients, their brokers and their agents and going door- to- door seven days a week meeting anyone she could.
“I had very close, personal relationships with every single client and their brokers and agents and most of these people I still work with today. However now I am helping their children buy or seeing many of them restructuring whole portfolios of properties. Many of these service principles we still have today.”
Mandi grew the business from one client per week to putting on her very first staff member Maxine Beamish (Olatkiewicz at that time). 18-years later Maxine and Mandi are still working together, and Mandi describes Maxine as having one of the highest levels of technical expertise in conveyancing in the entire industry, on top of being a lovely caring person, friend and mother of three.
A couple of years passed with Maxine working on the dining table and Mandi working on a desk in the loungeroom, and soon it was time for an office! A single-fronted double-storey Victorian house conversion in Moray St South Melbourne was found, and one employee grew to two, then four, then eight. Computers were hobbled together, cables spread up the walls and up the stairs. A proper photocopier was purchased (an exciting day) so they could avoid going to the nearby Officeworks every day.
Within a few short years Sargeants Port Phillip had outgrown Moray Street and it was time for bigger and better offices. Bowen Crescent was found and a small space on level 7 was let. As time passed, so did the office footprint and the business grew; down the hallway, across the hallway, and into the “dungeons” in the garage for storage. The growth was always controlled and never at the expense of service or value, but often it meant long, hard hours. As Dian would describe it- at each new client level you need to consolidate before you grow. Weekends; evenings; building partitions; doing our own paining; rolling out our own IT networks; building compactuses and shelving. We had some brilliant staff come and go- starting families and businesses- and they will be forever missed.
One day a young law graduate applied for a position. Cindy had great conveyancing experience, organisation skills and a level, happy, delightful personality. She was hired and became a file manager. She was quickly promoted to take care of our vendor property developers, requiring enormous amounts of skill, organisation, attention to detail and being available and responsive 24-7.
From humble beginnings Sargeants Port Phillip has now grown into Victoria’s largest conveyancing firm. Through grit, tenacity, resourcefulness and uncompromising service standards. With the help of many exceptional professionals doing long hours we are established in our profession and recognised for providing services beyond standard residential conveyancing. We are that and so much more. The opportunities we have created for ourselves are boundless. It is time for us to present to the world and ourselves as we truly are.
As we turn the page into the 20th year Mandi, Maxine, Cindy and George are very proud and excited to present to you our new brand, starting with a total overhaul of the business’ name to better reflect our mission to be at the forefront of innovation. For example, not only were we the first conveyancers in Victoria to complete an electronic settlement as well as one of the first to lodge subdivisions online through SPEAR, we offer our clients the convenience of an entirely digital workflow that completely removes the need to print, post, or handle any paper documents. Beyond convenience, our approach minimises our environmental impact wherever possible, and consistently implements best practice to guarantee you the highest level of cyber security.
But of course, the happiness of our clients comes first, and our experienced and friendly team will continue to give you the best experience possible when it comes to buying or selling property. Not only are we the best at what we do, we make it easy for you, including offering contract reviews and advice after hours and on the weekends.
Thank you to every single client and property professional who has supported us over the years and into the future,
Cindy Austin, Maxine Beamish, George Morison and Mandi Morison
