'We are still quite unusual in the property industry as we are owned and managed by a woman'

WITH a career spanning more than 20 years in real estate – including selling high-end homes in California – Adrianna Hegarty could teach the Selling Sunset agents a thing or two about the industry.

Running her own property consultancy business in Midleton, Adrianna has been a pioneering force in real estate, challenging and changing the status quo when it comes to selling property.

Not only is she one of the few females to run her own property business, she also introduced trends such as the use of high quality photography on marketing materials, and creative home staging.

Combined, it’s not surprising she won the Established Business title at the recent Network Cork Businesswoman of the Year awards. She, along with others from Network Cork and Network West Cork, will go forward to the finals of the national Network Ireland Businesswoman of the Year awards this autumn.

A native of County Monaghan, Adrianna started her professional career at Gunne Auctioneers. Her career advanced with Sherry FitzGerald and Jackson Stops & McCabe in Dublin, after which she formed her own business specialising in pubs and hotels.

In 1990, she moved to Cyprus where she marketed villas and apartments with the Lordos Property Group. Two years later, she made the move to the USA and continued her property experience, gaining her Californian Real Estate License and working on properties in the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles.

Moving to Cork in 2000, Adrianna put her 20 years’ property experience to work and started her own property consultancy, working from home initially before she grew her team and opened her flagship office on Midleton’s Main Street in 2005.

From the outset, she put her unique stamp on selling property.

“Over the years, and especially during my time working internationally in Cyprus and Los Angeles, I was inspired by the various different approaches to selling property and was at the forefront of bringing certain trends to Ireland,” she said. 

We were one of the first to introduce the use of high quality photography and invest in professional brochures as part of our marketing effort.

“I am a naturally creative person and have an eye for design so I knew that making the investment in high quality marketing materials would set us apart from the very beginning.

“We had been giving clients advice on staging their property years before the concept became popular in Ireland. We have been using this tactic to great effect and have lots of tips and tricks of the trade, which we share with our clients to get them the best return.”

When Adrianna started out in Cork, she re it was normal to have a multi-agency approach to selling property.

“However, I insisted that we were the sole agency for properties that we were involved with, as we did things very differently from the other agencies and put so much time and energy into every seller we represented.  It’s now the norm to instruct just one auctioneer but back then it was something we had to be quite insistent about,” she recalls.

Standing still isn’t something she’s good at!

“We are always looking for creative new ways to best serve our clients and embrace new ways of doing business. For example, during the pandemic, when we moved to virtual viewings for a time. We were early adopters to using social media as a way of increasing our reach and we make sure our digital presence is attractive and up-to-date,” she said.

Adrianna ed Network Cork in 2006: “I knew even at that stage that getting out and meeting people and attending events would be good for the progression of the business.

We are still quite unusual in the property industry in that Hegarty Properties is owned and managed by a woman. 

"There are still not very property businesses in Ireland today that are, so it’s been great to connect with other female entrepreneurs who are doing great things in their own industries.

“It’s always great to share our experiences and challenges to help each other out where we can.”

As if she’s not busy enough, Adrianna is also President of the Midleton and Area Chamber of Commerce.

“During my tenure, I aim to grow the hip to include a variety of different types of businesses. How we all do business is changing and bricks-and-mortar stores are just one part of the business collective in our town. For example, we have lots of solo entrepreneurs and start-up businesses operating from home offices in the area. I am encouraging these businesses to the Chamber in order to make greater connections in the local area and further their business interests.

“I am a strong believer in the power of the network and I love nothing more than connecting people. In my line of work, I meet lots of interesting people and I love to put people in touch with others who can help them learn and grow, as this is how I have grown my own business over the past 20 years.”

Winning the Network award was “amazing”, she said.

“But even the process of writing the award application makes me realise just how far the business has come in almost 20 years - surviving a major recession, Covid-19 and many other challenges along the way.

“It’s also a great accolade to share with the team who are the backbone of the business. An award win really boosts morale within the business and I would encourage other businesses who are thinking of entering to just go for it.”

Among her inspirations is her daughter Niamh.

“She’s a great sounding board for me. She’s a successful entrepreneur who runs two businesses - Niamh’s Larder and BKultured, which is a refreshing water kefir beverage - so I am also constantly inspired by her and all that she has achieved so far,” said her proud mum.

Adrianna was also a contributor to Virgin Media’s ‘Help me Buy a Home’ with Liz O’Kane earlier this year.

And, not too surprisingly, the couple decided to purchase their home from Hegarty Properties!

See www.hegartyproperties.ie