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 said.
“There’s a lot of single story brick homes, many of which are being developed. This area is going through a lot of change and growth and like many places there’s been a fairly large number of overseas and interstate buyers.
“Migration to Melbourne is huge, more than any other capital city in Australia and our new office is right in the middle of Forest Hill, some 18kms from the CBD and opposite a busy shopping centre. It’s got great visibility and it’s a high traffic area.”
The team will move into their premises in a few weeks, and Mr Francis is keen to bed down the office culture of quality professionals.
“I am not looking to put people on too quickly as I am determined to ensure we have the right people first and to build a strong customer service culture,” he said.
Ray White Victoria and Tasmania chief executive officer Domenic Belfiore said he was delighted to see Hugh step up into business ownership.
“Growth is the oxygen for a business like ours and we are so blessed at Ray White to have such a high calibre agent like Hugh to want to further his career with us,” he said.
