‘We’re retaining the values of our parents’

It was never set in stone that Sara Bergin would eventually enter the family business — the decision when it came was entirely of her own making.

“We were never given the notion growing up that this was the route any of us had to take,” Sara explains of her teenage years — before she joined the family firm, Bergin Auctioneers.

“One of my sisters studied at Trinity and was working in the banking industry, while the other was away in the UK and eventually came back.

“For myself, I was studying hotel and catering as a possible career and decided to help out in the business one summer during college. It didn’t start off as a definite career move, but slowly as I got to know the business and, more importantly, enjoy it, everything just fell into place.”

Bergins is a family company, with a long-established reputation for providing a bespoke service to all clients. Now a director of the company, Sara has worked in the family firm since 1998, and overseen the sale and rental of many properties in that time. Responsible for managing and overseeing property refurbishments in addition to preparations for lettings and sales, she is committed to providing the high standards of personal attention - a Bergins core value.

“Having initially gone down the hospitality route before switching over to auctioneering, I can see looking back the similarities between both. Bergins is somewhat like a hotel in that you are welcoming somebody into a new property and trying to make sure the experience is wonderful for them and that it all goes smoothly.”

Personality is an obvious advantage in the auctioneering business, and a key element of her chosen career that gets Sara up and running every day.

“I love meeting people and the variety of situations you encounter. Plus I love interiors, which led to opportunities in staging properties either for sale or rental. Coming into the family business was easy for me in that it gave me the opportunity to use the skills I like to think I’m good at.”

In time, Sara also enlisted the assistance of her sister into the firm: “She was in banking, but opted to try it out and see how it went. And now she’s part of Bergins as well.”

The seller needs to trust that you'll do everything to make the best deal possible, and the buyers must feel the offer they make will be handled appropriately

In an industry where six-figure sums are the normal order of the day, trust and reliability are important beacons for potential clients making the biggest financial commitments of their entire lives.

“It’s not enough to get everything right relating to the property, you also need to have the confidence of the client. The seller needs to feel trustful enough that you’re going to do absolutely everything on their behalf to make the best deal possible.

“Similarly, the purchasers must feel comfortable that the offer they make will be handled appropriately through the various stages of the transaction.”

Buying your first home is a deeply emotional experience — equally matched in sentiment by the process of selling your family home.

“Both of those moves are major things in peoples’ lives, and guiding young couples, families and individuals through the process is a real privilege, something that is never taken for granted. Bergins was never going to be High Street with a big shop front.

“Our parents always reminded us that it is a business that will have highs and lows, and you operate within your means by cutting the cloth in lean times and celebrating when things are good. Bergins reputation is what has carried the business through all of the challenges and changes down the years.”

Operating to the highest standards, maintaining a quality office and taking care of your staff were the virtues handed down by the previous generation — now continued by Sara and her siblings in a family business that may in time be handed on to the next generation.

Dublin, and Ireland, is a small place, and maintaining a good reputation is paramount — especially in a family firm.

“Our name is over the door, we can’t hide behind anything. If we make a blunder, as happens in all businesses at one stage or another, you have to put your hand up and stand by it. If someone makes a mistake in a large company, it’s possible to run and hide and avoid responsibility.

“Our name is everything, it’s our Mum and Dad who took a risk and started the company many years ago. They took that first brave step, and we are here today carrying on their legacy. And I hope that we’re doing it with honour because that’s the way we were brought up.”