Leading Australian property group Raine & Horne is escalating its worldwide expansion with the opening of a third office in Fiji in less than 12 months.
Raine & Horne Fiji directors, CJ Shergill, Sanjay Krishnan and Aveet Goundar, launched offices in Lautoka and Nadi in July 2017.
“Since joining the network, the Fiji team have gone from strength to strength with innovative marketing, advanced training techniques and the growth of their highly talented and enthusiastic team,” said Angus Raine, Executive Chairman, Raine & Horne.
“Transacting across residential, commercial and projects, our Fijian operation is making its mark across the length and breadth of the Pacific Island.”
“In a major demonstration of its support for gender diversity opportunities in Fiji, Raine & Horne’s new office in Suva is being administered by an all-female staff led by Linda Narayan. Our Suva office has been very enthusiastically received by the local community.”
“The office was officially opened by the Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, Mr John Feakes, at a function attended by 150 local business people, clients and customers of the new office”.
“We have plans to open more offices in the Pacific, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East in the next 12 months,” confirmed Mr Raine.
Mr Shergill and Mr Krishnan are former bankers with more than a decade of real estate sales and property management experience. Mr Gouder enjoyed a long and successful career in IT until 2014 when he switched focus to real estate.
“The Suva real estate market is about twice the size of the Nadi and Lautoka markets combined, so it makes sense that we are bringing one of the globe’s most recognisable real estate brands to the capital,” Mr Shergill said.
“Importing Raine & Horne’s business practices is appealing to Fijians because Australia has the best consumer protection laws, a sophisticated real estate industry, and very high standards of agency practice, especially in a franchised environment.”
Apart from being a bigger market, local and overseas buyers are forcing up real estate prices in the Fijian capital.
“In Suva, a four-bedroom house will sell for FJ$1 million (AU$643,000) compared to the median of FJ$700,000 (AU$450,000) in Nandi,” Mr Shergill noted.
“To secure more affordable family homes for under FJ$500,000 (AU$321,000), you only need to travel about 15 minutes from the centre of Suva.”
Raine & Horne Fiji also has plans to open offices in Savusavu, a hidden paradise located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island, and Rakiraki, in Fiji’s cane-belt region.
“Rakiraki is halfway between Suva and Nandi, on Kings Road, and future development is expected to be significant. It will be mostly leasehold title, although there are some chunks of freehold land in Rakiraki, too,” Mr Shergill said.
“We plan to establish offices in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Samoa as there are substantial trade and commerce opportunities between these countries and Fiji.”
