News Room

If you have any news for the Real Estate industry - whether you are a professional or a supplier to the industry, please email us: newsroom@eliteagent.com
  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    East West consolidation planned by The Agency to drive further growth

    The Agency Group Australia Ltd (formerly “Ausnet Financial Services Ltd”) exercised an amended option to acquire Top Level Real Estate Pty Ltd (currently Trading as The Agency East Coast). According to the AFR, if successful, this deal alongside the acquisition of Sell Lease Property it will transform The Agency into a $50 million dollar business at the end of February.…

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  • EPM: Newsproperty management

    Technology won’t necessarily get you results, says Jo-Anne Oliveri

    Property Management Leadership Summit presenter, ireviloution Founder and Managing Director Jo-Anne Oliveri, recently shared her insights on the real impact technology has on the business of property management, and why it is so important for principals to understand. Speaking with Elite Agent, Jo-Anne says technology has changed things but property management has remained the same. “Whilst technology has enabled principals to…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    First farms to be sold under new FIRB laws

    The first farms subject to Australia’s new foreign investment selling rules will be sold in mid-March, according to its owner and marketing agents. The Twynam Agricultural Group – founded in the 1970s by John Dieter Kahlbetzer – has appointed agents to sell three properties in western NSW as part of its downsizing program. The Kahlbetzer family’s agricultural group began divesting…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    New outsourcer of rental inspections helps time poor consumers

    One executive’s search for a rental property highlighted a gap in customer service, along with the creation of a new outsourced rental inspection service called Propzee. For James Bentley, a newly relocated executive from the UK, the rental inspection experience was frustrating, particularly in Melbourne’s hot rental market. James found inspections clashed, were at inconvenient times, on the weekend interfering…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Energy changes for new homes out for comment

    The Australian Building Code Board (ABCB) last week released the public comment draft of the 2019 Building Code that includes changes to the energy efficiency rules for new homes. In a press release from the HIA, they believe the resulting changes now out for comment will make a significant difference in the energy ratings for new homes across Australia. Last week’s…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Ray White Warrnambool celebrates 20 years

    Ray White Warrnambool has celebrated many achievements over the years, but none have been quite as special for them as marking 20 years with the Ray White Group. Principal Jess Densley proudly leads this award-winning regional Victoria office after joining the group in 2007. “It’s exciting and it means a lot,” said Mr Densley. “We’ve become a dominant player in…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Ross Whiteman awarded a prestigious OAM

    Congratulations to Ross Whiteman in Western Australia on his recent Order of Australia medal in the Australia Day honour’s roll. Ray White Western Australia CEO Mark Whiteman said he was so proud of his father’s award in recognition of many years of service and dedication to such a worthy cause. “Dad was recognised for his service to people living with…

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  • Real Estate News

    NGU Real Estate opens on the Gold Coast

    NGU Real Estate is expanding south with the opening of an office on the Gold Coast. Award-winning team Karen Stewart and Edward Smyth will direct NGU Real Estate’s first Gold Coast office. It is the fifth NGU Real Estate office to open since the company launched in 2016, with two more Brisbane-based offices to be revealed in the next six…

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  • SUPPLIER NEWS

    EAC delivers competitive advantage with Immoviewer 360

    The Estate Agent’s Co-operative has announced the internal adoption of the Immoviewer 360 Virtual Reality product technology, allowing to conduct property viewings in Virtual Reality, from anywhere in the world. “Thanks to truly accessible 360 technology, prospects can now experience your properties as if they were really there, but from the comfort of their homes or offices,” says EAC CEO…

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  • SUPPLIER NEWS

    ActivePipe completes $5.9m over-subscribed Series A round to drive global growth

    ActivePipe, a Melbourne based automated communications platform for the real estate industry, announced it has successfully completed a $5.9m Series A funding round led by NAB Ventures, and joined by PieLab Venture Partners and other strategic individual investors. The round rapidly follows from the successful closing of a $1.8m pre-Series A round in August 2017.  ActivePipe’s advisors were Asia Principal…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    RE/MAX opens in Dee Why

    RE/MAX Property Specialists’ business owners Jason Martin and Nicholas Scarf announce the opening of their second Northern Beaches location as part of a strategic expansion, with an office in the rapidly expanding town centre of Dee Why. The new Dee Why office when combined with their highly successful Narrabeen office extends their reach from Brookvale to Newport on Sydney’s Northern…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Westpac Annual Home Ownership Report reveals new home buyer trends

    Westpac’s 2017 Home Ownership Report reveals first home buyers1 have significantly reprioritised what matters most when searching for their ideal home. The research, commissioned by Westpac in September, surveyed over 1,000 Australian homeowners and first home buyers, and features trend data from the past two years. The latest report demonstrates in 2017 first home buyers are less focused on buying…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Campaigntrack signs Tiger Pistol to boost results using Facebook and Google

    Campaigntrack has inked a deal with Tiger Pistol, one the most talked about Australian technology platforms to hit the internet. While Tiger Pistol’s advanced Facebook technology is being used by big brands in many verticals, Campaigntrack’s specialist real estate focus is now using the technology to boost its unique Advanced Internet Marketing (AIM) product. If you are not familiar with…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    REA Group appoints Georgia Beattie to head up Spacely

    REA Group has announced the appointment of Georgia Beattie as Executive Manager of Spacely, the company’s new property website for shared work and short-term commercial spaces for events, retail, meeting rooms and creative spaces. Ms Beattie joins REA Group from Startup Victoria where she has served as chief executive since 2016. Launched in May last year in beta, Spacely is…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    Former AFL player makes mark on new field at Ray White

    Ray White is excited to welcome former AFL player Jamie Charman to its winning team. The towering former ruckman with the Brisbane Lions has joined Ray White principals David Treloar and Dwight Ferguson as a sales agent in their Albion office. “I actually worked for Ray White Corporate part-time while I was still playing, so it feels so right to…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    Century 21 kicks off 2018 with new website

    Century 21 has launched a new Australasian website that was built to deliver the group heightened levels of online exposure. Charles Tarbey, Century 21 Chairman and Owner, said the sleek and contemporary website will provide a more streamlined and efficient experience for all users while having a strong focus on lead generation for agents. Individual office and agent landing pages…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    Elders welcomes new Beenleigh office

    Elders Real Estate opened its first new office for the year in Beenleigh, located halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in QLD. Owners Mark, Debra, and Jess Affleck are experienced real estate operators with strong networks throughout the Logan area. “We’ve enjoyed our time with the Elders network for the past eight years with Elders’ Shailer Park office so…

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  • Real Estate News

    Low inflation helps give home owners an interest rates reprieve: RateCity

    Sluggish inflation figures mean the RBA will almost certainly leave interest rates on hold when they meet for the first time this year on Tuesday. RateCity’s RateForecaster shows 22 of the 23 economic indicators studied point to the RBA leaving interest rates at record lows. RateCity money editor Sally Tindall said we would need to see significant movement in inflation…

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  • Real Estate News

    CoreLogic January 2018 Home Value Index: values fall across six of Australia’s eight capital cities

    CoreLogic released its January hedonic home value index results which, at a national level, revealed a fall of 0.3% for the month, led by a 0.9% fall in Sydney dwelling values. The national combined dwellings index posted a modest 0.3% fall in January, taking dwelling values 0.7% lower since their recent peak in September last year. Dwelling value falls were…

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  • Real Estate News

    Victorian Government proposed reforms will push rents higher and send investors interstate, says PICA

    The Property Investors Council of Australia (PICA) have urged Victorian property investors to unite and petition the State Government to amend the proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. They say Victoria’s new rental laws, announced in October 2017, are will strip landlords of many essential rights, in favour of tenants. PICA chairman Ben Kingsley said a falling rental supply amid a…

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  • Real Estate News

    The Agency Projects appoints senior director on the Gold Coast Tony Hymus

    The Agency Projects has appointed an experienced senior executive on the ground in the Gold Coast. Former National Director of Project Marketing with Colliers International Australia, Tony Hymus, has joined the team, bringing  knowledge across the marketing of off-the-plan apartments, finished developments, home and land packages and development sites. “The last 20 years of project marketing experience on the Gold…

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  • Real Estate News

    Rental Inflation at 25-Year Low

    “The pace of rental price growth dipped to just 0.6 per cent in 2017, the slowest pace of growth since 1993,” commented HIA Senior Economist Shane Garrett. These figures are contained in the ABS Consumer Price Index release for the December 2017 quarter published today. “For families reliant on the rental market, the deceleration in rents is welcome news. “The…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    New Ray White office opens in Marsden

    With deep connections in the local community, Avi Khan is excited to be moving into business ownership and opening a Ray White office to service the Marsden community. His business has a new location with a new team of experienced agents and an invigorated approach in Marsden. “I am very active in this community and I am so excited to…

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  • EPM: News

    Weakening investor activity impacts Sydney, but national median price in most captials: Domain

    The median house price in most capital cities rose over the December quarter, although different cities continue to record varied rates of growth — according to the December Quarter Domain House Price Report. Weakening investor activity and tightened lending conditions continue to impact Sydney, and although it reported a slight increase over the December quarter, prices in the NSW capital…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Inner Brisbane vacancies ease, rest of the State tightens

    Renters flocked to the middle ring, while supply in inner Brisbane exceeded demand, pushing the vacancy rate to 4 per cent, according to REIQ December quarter rental data released today. Inner Brisbane (0-5km ring) vacancies lifted from 3.7 per cent in September last year to 4 per cent in the December quarter, while the middle ring sharply tightened from 3.4 per…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Victorian government announces initiative to get young people into their own home

    The Victorian Government’s announcement  that it will be soon accepting applications for its shared equity scheme known as HomesVic has been welcomed by HIA – it is a positive scheme that addresses the rising problem of housing affordability and will help see young people achieve the Aussie dream of owning their own home faster,” senior spokesperson for HIA Kristen Brookfield said. “The…

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  • EPM: Leadership

    Business experts share their top tips for leading a successful business in 2018

    businessDEPOT Managing Director, John Knight, said that if you want to lead a successful business, you must know your numbers. “The leaders of great real estate businesses focus on people first but, when it comes to the numbers, they focus on profits, not just sales,” he said. At this year’s Property Management Leadership Summit, John will share the key numbers…

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  • Real Estate News

    Property industry now NSW’s biggest employer say AEC Group

    The property industry now employs more people than any other sector in NSW, according to new analysis by AEC Group released today. Creating more than 390,000 jobs, the property industry has overtaken health care and social assistance as the biggest direct contributor to employment in NSW by industry. Employment in the property industry grew by 25 per cent from 2013-14…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    Now and Then: RE/MAX celebrates Founders Day

    January 30, 2018 is Founders Day, the celebration of 45 years since RE/MAX began. What started as a dream and a plan on a pad of paper became a reality when the first office opened in Denver Colorado on January 30, 1973. American Dave Liniger had a controversial idea to build a real estate powerhouse where experienced, productive agents would…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Nation building in the spotlight at national Property Council awards

    From convention centres to master-planned communities, from heritage overhauls to new hospitals, the nation’s best buildings and brightest talent are once again in the spotlight. This year, 137 finalists in 20 categories have been named ahead of the 2018 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards in May. The awards program, now in its 36th…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    Di Jones appoints Anna Egri as Human Resources, Governance and Compliance Manager

    The team at Di Jones Real Estate has been expanded with the appointment of Anna Egri as Human Resources, Governance and Compliance Manager. Di Jones CEO Rob Ward said Ms Egri, formally Senior Workplace Relations Advisor for the Real Estate Employers’ Federation, is an HR and workplace relations specialist. “In her new role at Di Jones, Anna is the agency’s…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    R&W donations to Starlight Foundation hit $500,000 milestone

    Richardson & Wrench begins the new year with 500,326 reasons to celebrate. That’s the grand total that the network has raised for the Starlight Children’s Foundation to further its work helping to brighten the lives of seriously ill children in hospitals right around Australia. The milestone was reached at the close of 2017 with offices and agents across the group…

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  • INDUSTRY NEWS

    New Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute report dispels negative gearing myth

    A report released last week by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) joins others in confirming that negative gearing is not responsible for high home prices. The report undertakes an in-depth review of the private rental market in Australia and nine other comparable countries, considering tax and finance settings, demand and supply and regulation of landlords and tenants. Property Council Chief…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    Ray White opens in Swansea, NSW

    New business owner Troy McLennan of Ray White Swansea is so excited he’s just opened his doors in the coastal beachside community south of Newcastle. Mr McLennan starting his journey in real estate five years ago, after working for a national retailer for more than 14 years, managing and training teams to become top tier performers in both customer service…

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  • FRANCHISE NEWS

    RE/MAX open office in Melbourne’s West

    Friends Kris Bansal and Satyam Mendiratta bring together their talents and experience plus their confidence in Melbourne’s western corridor and the Wyndham Council in their business RE/MAX West at Hoppers Crossing. Mr Bansal’s background is in business, investment and wealth creation, while Mr Mendiratta has vast experience in property development and construction specialising in house and land packages, new-builds and…

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