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FEATURE INTERVIEWS
Ewan Morton on leadership, teamwork and discipline
Ewan Morton has spent 24 years in the industry which were shaped by some earlier years at IBM. “When I look at real estate and how we carry on, (most) wouldn’t cut it at IBM,” says Ewan. Ewan studied an economics degree and completed the graduate trainee program at IBM, which he says was one of the “toughest things I’ve…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Direct Connect appoints new Regional Engagement Manager
Rachael has over 21 years of experience in sales, management, and leadership within the real estate industry in both the UK and Australia. This role will see Rachael lead a team of experienced account managers who are focused on knowing the real estate industry and creating relationships with partners, including real estate agents who refer people back to Direct Connect.…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Richard Simpson elected REIV President for 2017-18
He has also provided extensive input to a number of Institute committees, serving as Commercial & Industrial Chapter Chair for three years and Members Council Chair for two years. Mr Simpson is a partner in the family business W.B. Simpson & Son, located in North Melbourne with a history dating back over 145 years and both his father and grandfather…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Real estate profession growing in Queensland and women dominate the industry
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the Census data, a count of employed people on Census night, aligned with expectations considering how well the market is performing lately. “We know that the profession grows when the market is performing well and the over the past five years the Queensland real estate market has delivered steady, sustainable growth, particularly in the southeast…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
From Russia with Love: Ray White Marine seals first deal in Russia
“Everyone said it couldn’t be done. Third parties told us that you couldn’t buy or export a luxury vessel from Russian waters. But we stuck to our guns and saved our buyer a large amount by going above and beyond,” Mr Rodwell said. “It was a tough deal negotiated through a broker with an unidentifiable Russian seller. But it is…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Melbourne house price growth moderates as policies show positive impact for first homebuyers
New REIV data shows the metropolitan Melbourne house price recorded its lowest increase in almost two years, up just 0.7 per in the September quarter to $817,000. REIV Acting President Richard Simpson said the moderation was attributable to 44 per cent of all sales in the September quarter being below $600,000. “In the June quarter we saw vendors with houses…
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FEATURE INTERVIEWS
Balancing Selling and Leading: Ben Faulks
Becoming an agent and principal on the same day is a feat that not many in real estate can attest to. Leaving a career in banking, Ben Faulks changed to real estate in 2010 and set up the first Ray White office in the ACT. At first, when Ray White was new in the area, Ben says it was difficult…
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EPM: News
Victorians respond positively to Andrews’ government announcement to improve tenant rights: Rent.com.au survey
A Rent.com.au survey has found that the Victorian government’s proposed changes to improve tenant rights are welcomed, but 85 per cent of renters still think landlords are ‘too powerful’. The Rent.com.au Changes to Victorian Tenancy Law Survey drew responses from Victorian-based renters and revealed that 81 per cent of renters feel the changes are ‘positive and long overdue’. The survey focused on…
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Real Estate News
Purplebricks lands in hot water in the UK
The Telegraph in the UK reports that in the past 18 months, the Advertising Standards Authority has banned seven of Purplebricks’ adverts, and the number of complaints upheld by the advertising watchdog against all property companies for misleading adverts has grown by at least 45 per cent so far this year. The ASA said that its TV ad had not…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Harcourts South Australia launch interactive ‘Cubby House Project’ to help homeless youth
The Cubby House Project gives people the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind cubby houses for their family and give back to their community at the same time. Four cubby houses have been hand-built by the Salvation Army’s Men’s Shed, and will be auctioned off at the Harcourts South Australia Quarterly Awards event on Thursday 19 October at the Adelaide Convention Centre.…
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SUPPLIER NEWS
Downsizing.com.au reaches 100,000 website visits per month
NSW’s Central Coast, Nelson Bay, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in Queensland and Hobart in Tasmania are among the website’s most popular retirement destinations. Greg Oddy, of Downsizing.com.au, said overall web traffic is up more than 40 per cent compared to last year and have around 1,500 new email subscribers joining their database each…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Raine & Horne top 10 front-runner: Clare Dawson from Tin Can Bay
Ms Dawson, who recently turned 31 and started in real estate in 2012, is currently leading the field based on the number of her sales in 2017, and is in the top five for the dollar value of her sales, according to Steve Worrad, General Manager, Raine & Horne. Clare is consistently one of Raine & Horne’s best sales agents.…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
House building boom in 1980’s set to bolster opportunities for reno market in next decade: HIA
HIA released its latest edition of the HIA Renovations Roundup Report yesterday. The Report is a review of Australia’s $32 billion home renovations market. The publication analyses latest developments in home renovations activity and reveals the results of the exclusive renovations market survey. The Report also provides state-by-state forecasts of future renovations activity. “Our analysis shows a strong correlation between…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Century 21 partners with Facebook
Workplace is a version of Facebook adapted to connect companies, functioning in the same way as the world’s most used social networking platform and designed to enhance business communication and operations. The gradual rollout of Workplace will see all Century 21 offices and agents across Australia and New Zealand connected on the platform in the near future. The group has…
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FEATURE INTERVIEWS
Mark Earle, Principal of Buxton Real Estate Sandringham, talks Leadership
Mark started his real estate career in 1995 in property management never intended to go into sales. Funnily enough, Mark became the top salesperson within a few years in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne and made key mentor relationships along the way. Mark is no stranger to hard work and earning his way into the “upper echelons” of Melbourne…
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Elite Agent
Peter Hutton on building your own independent brand
Creating a boutique agency comes with its fair share of challenges and rewards. Peter, who opened the doors to his boutique agency Hutton & Hutton in Fortitude Valley, Queensland, earlier this year, shares his insights on creating an authentic brand from the ground up. Challenges Peter says the biggest hurdle when Biggest hurdle was that mindset. “Can I do it…
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Real Estate News
Ray White Queensland appoints Mitch Peereboom as Chief Auctioneer
Ray White Queensland has appointed Mitch Peereboom to the role of Chief Auctioneer. Ray White Queensland chief executive officer Tony Warland said this was an opportunity to enhance what was already culturally known as a powerful part of the network’s business, where the cornerstone has always been the auction and marketing process. “After receiving a lot of feedback and taking…
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CASE STUDIES
James Pratt – What makes a good auctioneer
“We make sure the auction is not about the auctioneer. When the auctioneer wants to be the centre of attention, the client and owner pick up on that really quickly. “The agent has done 97% of the work before an auction commences. The best auctioneers are those who don’t make the auction about themselves but have a really clear understanding what…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
First home buyers coming back to the market while investor lending and housing starts are cooling
REIA President Malcolm Gunning said the proportion of first home buyers, as part of the total owner-occupied housing finance commitments, rose to 17.2 per cent and is the highest proportion since July 2013. “The number of first home buyer commitments increased by 14.0 per cent for the month and is the highest since December 2009,” Mr Gunning said. “By contrast,…
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CASE STUDIES
Eddy Piddington joins Stone Real Estate Manly
So what is it that drives Eddy, and his boundless energy? Growing up in Leura, Eddy’s interest in property was piqued by his mother Robyn’s involvement in Blue Mountains’ tourist accommodation and property restoration. He credits this early involvement in real estate for his continued passion. “Since I was young, Mum and I renovated properties. I liked dealing with agents…
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Real Estate News
James Pratt Auctions Group launched to serve international luxury markets
James spent time in LA over the years fostering relationships with brokers in the prestige real estate market. The move to launch JPA Group came after he had developed strong networks with a few “top-ranked luxury brokers in America”. “That gave me the confidence to say, as real estate is becoming a global game, the auction process which isn’t that…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Perth real estate agent holding a 24 hour open home
Ray White City Residential Perth principal Brent Compton will host the marathon open at three brand new East Perth waterfront apartments, kicking off from 2pm Saturday. The high end units range in price from $6.250 million to $8.5 million at 11 Brown St, East Perth. “I am definitely the first Ray White agent to do this in Western Australia,” Mr…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Barry Plant celebrates top acheivers with Awards of Excellence
Louise Carrigg, Principal of Barry Plant Heathmont and Ringwood offices fought off a number of highly experienced auctioneers to claim the 2017 title of Senior Auctioneer of the Year. Ms Carrigg is the first female to be awarded the title in the history of the Barry Plant Group. Other notable winners include: Sarah Fraser, Chari Emirzade, Ned Nikolic and Alan…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
Century 21 franchisees still ‘sold on gold’
Charles Tarbey, Chairman and Owner of Century 21 Australasia, is delighted that the offices have chosen to continue their real estate journey bearing the Century 21 brand. “These offices are full of talented and committed real estate professionals and it has been wonderful to see them use our brand, systems and platforms to excel in the industry,” said Mr Tarbey.…
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SUPPLIER NEWS
Tradies have ditched their bad behaviour according to ServiceSeeking.com.au survey
Tradies have long had an “image” issue. Smokos, wolf whistles, messy footprints through the house, Four ’N’ Twenty pies and the builder’s crack to name a few. Apparently, Aussie tradies have shifted their attitudes though according to new ServiceSeeking.com.au survey. They’ve ditched their bad behaviour to become health conscious and courteous. According to a recent survey of 1,700 users of trade…
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SUPPLIER NEWS
REA Group partners with NAB to launch home loan service
On realestate.com.au Home Loans, buyers can instantly apply for online conditional approval for a home loan powered by NAB and have their finance information overlayed as they search. Or they can access a panel of more than 30 other lenders through realestate.com.au Home Loans. REA Group and NAB announced a strategic partnership in December 2016 with the aim to create an…
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Real Estate News
Ray White opening in Forest Hill, Melbourne
He believes the timing is right to open in Forest Hill which is undergoing strong renewal. “Forest Hill is undergoing a renewal so the timing is right to open. The market has had a strong run for the last couple of years and Forest Hill is 71 per cent owner occupiers, with many older families looking to downsize,” Mr Francis…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Core Logic Property Pulse: household debt and asset wealth growing at the same time
Household debt and asset wealth is growing at the same time, according to RBA data analysed by CoreLogic. Household finance data released by the Reserve Bank (RBA) each quarter looks at the ratios of household debts and assets to disposable income. The latest RBA update shows that while households debt is growing, asset wealth is simultaneously increasing. According to the…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Live-stream auction app Gavl secures $1.8 million in funding
Digital startup Gavl has secured $1.8 million in its Series A funding from Harris Capital, the investment office of Flight Centre founder Geoff Harris. Launched in December 2016, Gavl enables real-time bidding of live-streamed auctions from anywhere in the world. Founded by AFL player-turned-businessman Joel Smith with Leith Donaldson and Michael Artup, Gavl was launched with a $300,000 bootstrap from…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
RE/MAX named the leading real estate franchise by Franchise Times
The Denver-based global franchisor, founded by Dave and Gail Liniger 44 years ago, RE/MAX was once again ranked in the top 10 of all franchises. Franchise Times magazine has been the USA’s publication devoted exclusively to the global franchise community for almost two decades. RE/MAX Australia Managing Director Michael Davoren said that being ranked the top real estate franchise year after…
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Elite Agent
Future Tech Horizons – Challenge or Opportunity?
First a prediction: New technologies will add another dimension to property transactions, but the central role of the agent won’t be replaced, says venture capitalist Peter Esho of what he thinks the next decade of real estate will bring. Mr Esho is CEO of Sydney-based private investment firm Esho Ventures, which invests into businesses that may be the next generation…
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The Harcourts Foundation reaches $5 Million milestone
The Foundation is funded through Harcourts employee salary sacrifice, ‘off the top’ contributions from sales commissions, and through organised fundraisers. “The money raised is significant, but what truly is impressive is how Harcourts people are impacting our communities, from supporting programs to end violence against women, and aiding underprivileged families to creating a network of financial support for hospice care,”…
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Real Estate News
Queensland Sotheby’s merges with Gold Coast boutique firm M-Motion
Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Paul Arthur said the addition of M-Motion would be a “wonderful complement to the existing enterprise”. “We are genuinely excited about what this does for Queensland Sotheby’s. The M-Motion culture is a perfect fit for our business,” Mr Arthur said. He said the Main Beach office of Queensland Sotheby’s International had been operating for 12…
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FRANCHISE NEWS
OBrien Real Estate opens two new offices and relocates corporate headquarters
OBrien Real Estate will open its 21st office next week at Tecoma to service the Dandenongs in the Yarra Ranges and Cardinia Shires. OBrien Real Estate Tecoma/Belgrave/Olinda will be under the leadership of Rebekah Whittaker. The group will open its 22nd office in Wantirna South on October 20. Under the leadership of Geraint Gardner, Nicole Gardner, Dean O’Brien and Neo…
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Core Logic Home Values September: Sydney capital gains lose steam, rental returns rise
The September results confirmed that dwelling values edged 0.2% higher across Australia over the month, led by a 0.3% rise in capital city values and a 0.1% gain across the combined regional markets. The latest figures take national dwelling values 0.5% higher over the September quarter, which is the slowest rate of quarter-on-quarter growth since June 2016, and national values…
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