Growth Paramount to Survival

One of the basic cornerstones of business is that it has to grow if it is to survive. We’ve all heard the saying – a business is never stationery – you’re either going forward, or you’re going backwards. In the real estate business, it’s no different.

At Harcourts, we recognise this. Not only that, but we have made it our business to drive growth as a matter of priority. It should therefore come as no surprise that Harcourts is Australia’s fastest growing real estate group. Founded in New Zealand in 1888, the operation grew there until it reached the stage where international expansion became feasible. In 1997 the first Harcourts office opened in Australia. Growth continued unabated and there are now over 600 offices in Australia, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Singapore, Zambia, Indonesia and Fiji.

Growth has important benefits for everyone involved with the group, including ultimately and most importantly, our clients. Continued growth leads to increased brand recognition. The bigger a company gets, the more it is recognised and therefore the more business it does.  This creates more listing opportunities for our people. These are quickly turned into sales as eager buyers visit our high profile agencies around the nation, go online to our web 2.0 websites, and obtain our high profile property marketing material and publications – Bluebook and Luxury Portfolio Collection. As a larger organisation, we have more resource available to ensure our people have the very best training and education, technology, marketing and support which means that our clients receive the very best real estate service in the marketplace, because we have the very best people with the very best tools and resources.

More and more clients choose to deal with us safe in the knowledge that they are dealing with a professional, reputable business that will best help them achieve their objectives in real estate as well as provide a range of additional service through our mortgage arm, conveyancing arm and property management team.

Evidence of the success of this focus is the growth of our international business, which has continued to flourish despite the global financial crisis.

Good Investment Opportunities in Every Market

With strong signs that the real estate market is picking up again, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, many investors are wondering whether they may already have missed the boat. True, interest rates remain at an all-time low and sellers who have to move have had to reduce their asking prices to get a sale, but all is not lost – yet.

There are still good investment opportunities in every market, however, one area in Australia that currently offers excellent opportunities is Tasmania. Asking prices remain low, rental demand continues to soar; it is now actually cheaper to buy than to rent in many Tasmanian suburbs, such as New Norfolk, Derwent Park, Strahan, Railton, Shorewell Park, Campbell Town and Rocherlea.

Tasmania also has the highest percentage of affordable homes for first-home owners in proximity to a capital city, with 11 areas, including Kingston Beach and Moonah, falling into this category.

Many real estate investors are also beginning to investigate opportunities in overseas countries as well, and as we are a participant in RELOHomeSearch.com, a global home listings website, this gives investors access to literally millions of listings in over 30 countries. With our membership in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, we can put you in touch with the very best real estate people in those global markets.

If you’re thinking of taking advantage of the current affordability of investment property in your market, in Tasmania or anywhere else in the World, talk to Harcourts now!

What a difference a day makes!

As the old saying goes, what a difference a day makes. Only a few short months ago, the global real estate market looked to have stalled with buyers and sellers preferring to take a wait-and-see attitude.

The last few months have seen a dramatic shift, particularly in the New Zealand and Australian markets, to such a degree that would-be sellers seem to have been caught off guard. And the danger buyers face as a result is a leap in prices due to the competition that pent up demand creates.

What worries me about this is that we are about to enter the Spring selling season, a time when the market traditionally is at its busiest.

A number of reliable indicators are already pointing toward the first step in the recovery of the Australian and New Zealand economies, and this has caused a lift in confidence across many sectors, including the housing market.

But the reality is that many would-be sellers were advised six months to a year ago that they should hold onto their home if they could, and ride out the global financial crises, to avoid having to accept a lower price or having their property sit on the market for months on end with very little interest.

Now the situation has changed rather quickly, and the fewer properties that are on the market are often receiving multiple offers with some selling over the asking price. This means we are facing a tight market that is being artificially constrained due to a lack of stock. I say artificially, because I believe the stock is there; it’s just that the would-be sellers are holding out for the market to turn. Trouble is, it has turned so quickly that they just haven’t noticed.

This is why now a great time to sell with competition from buyers strong. This will change just as quickly as new stock comes onto the market, buyers buy and we move back towards greater equilibrium in supply and demand.