31 August, 2011

Affordable homes and regional initiatives pay dividends for Raine & Horne Bathurst

Bathurst continues to build its reputation as a popular regional alternative for homebuyers seeking an escape from the big cities, according to award winning property firm Raine & Horne Bathurst.

Raine & Horne Bathurst scored an impressive four awards, including a gong recognising it as the Top Country office in Australia, based on dollar value, at last week's prestigious Raine & Horne National Conference in Noosa.

The firm also grabbed third placing in the ‘Top Office – Number of Sales’ category, which is measured across Raine & Horne’s network of over 360 offices. Matt Clifton, Raine & Horne Bathurst co-principal said he considered this an equally exceptional result for his office.

Raine & Horne Bathurst also secured a top 10 finish in the ‘Top Office – Dollar Value’ award, and was recognised for its 20 years of service to the Raine & Horne brand.

“These results are a testament to our hard work, excellent staff, ongoing training, good organisational culture and desire to continually improve,” Mr Clifton said.

“As such, Raine & Horne Bathurst is well-positioned to continue its success over the next 12 months.”

Mr Clifton also attributed his firm’s award winning ways to the healthy Bathurst property market.

“The Bathurst market has been strong for the last two to three years, and our sales volumes have remained high during this time,” he said.

The area’s affordable housing and the push by seven regional local governments, including Bathurst, to promote regional living, are contributing to the strength of the local property market, according to Mr Clifton.

In fact, the Evocities campaign (www.evocities.com.au), which is an initiative of seven leading NSW regional cities, is successfully attracting people to live, work and invest outside the metropolitan areas.

“Of the seven cities participating in the Evocities program over the next three years, Bathurst is the closest to Sydney, and homebuyers are now more aware of the town as an alternative to Sydney,” said Mr Clifton, who predicted the NSW’s Government’s $7000 regional relocation grant would also help attract more city slickers to Bathurst.

Clearly affordability is also a significant Bathurst attraction. The median house price is $330,000, which Mr Clifton said could secure a three bedroom property, although the bulk of enquiry was for near-new three and four bedroom homes, valued between $340,000 and $460,000.

“Bathurst also has an availability of land for those wishing to build their own home,” Mr Clifton added.

Longer term, the nearby Cadia gold mine in Orange and education will also continue to underpin Bathurst property values.

“The mining activity in the surrounding area has brought a lot of extra interest to Bathurst, while Charles Sturt University continues to be a major regional education hub.”

For all your property needs contact Raine & Horne Bathurst on (02) 6331 6555.

Raine & Horne is an iconic Australian property firm, with more than 360 offices worldwide. Also an established Superbrand along with Qantas, Vegemite, Woolworths and Myer, the company has four distinct property service brands including Raine & Horne Residential, Raine & Horne Commercial, Raine & Horne Rural and Raine & Horne Financial.

-ENDS-

For further media information contact:

Matt Clifton, Principal Raine & Horne Bathurst, 02 6331 6555 or 0414 011 117

Anna Truman, National Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator, 02 9258 5448