Meet the team: Ben Lawrance

The 20th May 1998 was Ben Lawrance’s first day on the job as a Building and Design Consultant at Webb & Brown-Neaves. 21 years on, Ben has helped nearly 350 clients achieve the dream of home ownership.

Since graduating from Curtin University, Ben has developed over three decades of sales and consulting experience, with a recently completed Advanced Diploma of Management further enhancing his skillset.

“I first got into sales a long time ago,” he said. “I finished my design degree and then spent 13 years in the automotive industry which was a great grounding in sales, finance, customer liaison and contract management.”

Being one of the longest-standing Building and Design Consultants in the Webb & Brown-Neaves team, Ben is an expert in his field.

“I’ve played a hand in turning hundreds of dreams into realities. With much of my time spent specialising my process and management abilities, I know how to deliver the pinnacle of building experiences.”

Enjoying the collaborative nature of the role, Webb & Brown-Neaves is a perfect fit for Ben. “The best part about my role is primarily the creative side of it,” he said. “Seeing new homes morph off the paper into reality. It’s very much a team effort and you work with and meet a great bunch of people along the way.”

“I really like it as it ties my creative side in with my intellectual side.”

Ben has been helping Perth’s families build their dream home for 21 years, and much has changed since Ben’s first day at Webb & Brown-Neaves.

“When I first started 21 years ago, there were no laptops or computers. Everything was manual, even some of the drafting. Two-storey homes sold for about $100-150,000.”

Something else Ben loves about his work at Webb & Brown-Neaves is the opportunity to form great friendships with the people he meets. “I’ve formed some great friendships with my clients.”

“At the moment, we are currently building for a client I met about 20 years ago, and it is their third build with me. We both had daughters at the same time and now they are studying similar subjects at UWA.”

“Another client of mine we built for about 15 years ago. They have since sold the property and retired to France, and we continue to keep in touch as we have formed a great family friendship.”

“Not everyone can say they love their job, but I can. It perfectly wraps building’s creative and financial processes together and helping clients get to their dream home destination is my daily morning motivation.”

Ben’s tips for your next build:

1. Create a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. There is a lot of choice in the market and it’s important to stay focused. 2. Once you are researching look for a trusted and known brand and ensure they are financially secure. Potentially check their credentials with consumer organisations. 3. A strong relationship with your Building and Design Consultant is imperitive. Make sure you have established rapport and trust with them before engaging their services. 4. Work with your Building and Design Consultant and have them engage with you and a suitable qualified designer who fully understands the builder’s construction details and is accountable. 5. Mood boards are very useful in your initial consultations as it allows us to hone in on your ideas and give you constructive feedback and ideas. Pinterest is a great place to gather inspiration. 6. Ensure you fully understand any finance or bank requirements. Credit is not always easy to negotiate and employing the professional service of your Building and Design Consultant and a suitable finance broker is essential.

This blog post is the intellectual property of Webb & Brown-Neaves and is being used on this site solely as a representation of my work.