10 October, 2011

Auctions the formula for success at Raine & Horne Hervey Bay

A commitment to hard work and the strategy of selling homes by auction is paying dividends for award-winning property firm, Raine & Horne Hervey Bay.

According to Principal Graham Cockerill, Raine & Horne Hervey Bay has a dedicated auction culture, and this is allowing the firm to consistently achieve great results.

“After measuring ourselves against other top real estate offices some years ago, we noticed that many of the highest performers used auctions as their primary method of sale,” Mr Cockerill said.

“This was when we decided to make the switch to sale by auction, and this has taken us from being one of the top 50 offices in Queensland for sales, to one of the top three in the Raine & Horne network.”

Indeed, the strategy brought Raine & Horne Hervey Bay recognition at the recent Raine & Horne National Awards, where the firm won the award for the leading real estate brand’s Top Auction Office – a significant result in a network of 360 offices nationwide.

“We find that auctions provide us with a point of difference to many of our competitors, and with 38 real estate offices in and around Hervey Bay at present, the strength of our auction sales is the thing that keeps us at the top.”

However, Mr Cockerill said that auctions required hard work, sometimes in educating buyers on the benefits of this method of sale.

“Auctions are the quickest way to get a property to a saleable price, and we speak to our vendors about auctions on an ongoing basis.

The growing use of auctions is becoming an increasingly important factor in the Hervey Bay residential property market, which is traditionally popular with retirees.

“Older buyers are generally looking for established four bedroom, double garage homes, which currently sell for around $350,000,” he said.

“There are currently many new homes available that represent exceptionally good value, and competition is heating up as many older buyers make the decision to purchase a home for their retirement years.”

At the same time, Mr Cockerill urged aspiring buyers to act quickly if they were seeking a foothold in Hervey Bay, with the prospect of a change of state government next year.

“It seems likely there will be a political shift by March next year, and when this change takes place, I expect that renewed confidence will impact Queensland property prices,” he said.

For all your property needs, contact Raine & Horne Hervey Bay on (07) 4128 2188.

Raine & Horne is an iconic Australian property company, with more than 400 offices worldwide. Also an established Superbrand along with the likes of Qantas, Vegemite, Woolworths and Myer, the company has four distinct property service brands including Raine & Horne Residential, Raine & Horne Commercial, Raine & Horne Financial Services and Raine & Horne Rural.

-ENDS-

For further media information contact:

Graham Cockerill, Principal Raine & Horne Hervey Bay on (07) 4128 2188 or 0408 902 278

Anna Truman, National Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator on 02 9258 544