Leading real estate group Raine & Horne is set to continue its push into Australia’s $155 billion agricultural industry with the launch of two specialist rural offices located in Sydney and Brisbane on 1 September 2014.

“Raine & Horne Rural Sydney and Raine & Horne Rural Brisbane will be led by some of the most dynamic, experienced and well-connected agricultural specialists in the business, all of whom have grown up on the land,” says Angus Raine, Chairman/CEO of Raine & Horne.

Raine & Horne Rural Sydney will be guided by former ANZ Corporate Agribusiness and Commonwealth Bank executive and cotton finance specialist Andrew Tout, along with former Queensland Cotton Regional executive Tim Whan and Peter Horton, a former executive with Auscott and Queensland Cotton. Ian Grellman, a well-known international cottonseed trader, who has played an integral role in the development of the Chinese cottonseed export market, is the fourth principal of the fledgling business. Raine & Horne Rural Sydney will be located in the Sydney CBD.

Former farmer, stock and station agent and real estate principal Danny Bukowski will lead a team of five rural real estate specialists at Raine & Horne Rural Brisbane, which will operate from Raine & Horne’s corporate headquarters in Hendra.

“The launch of the two offices is an exciting development in the long history of Raine & Horne Rural, and our Sydney and Brisbane teams will focus on building relationships with a wide variety of clients including listed companies, corporates, finance companies as well as family-owned farms, and off-shore investment funds,” says Mr Raine.

“The rural real estate scene is changing, we aim to utilise the most up to date technology and marketing methods to best present these assets for the benefit of both the buyer and the seller, and we believe the new offices will be able to deliver best practice services to the rural sector with help of Raine & Horne’s leading edge systems, technology and marketing.”

“We will also be looking to quickly expand the reach of the Raine & Horne Rural brand and Danny, Andrew and their teams will be critical in helping us achieve this ambition.”

Raine & Horne Rural Sydney will specialise in a wide range of rural and regional real estate with a focus on broad acre & irrigated cropping, as well as dairy, horticulture, pastoral, viticulture and lifestyle, focusing on the top-end transactional market, according to Mr Tout.

“All the principals at Raine & Horne Rural Sydney come from many generations on the land and we believe linking with a 131-year old family firm such as Raine & Horne makes perfect sense,” says Mr Tout, whose extensive resume also includes leading agribusinesses such as Tandou, Graincorp, and Cargill.

“Given we’ve all been born into the farming sector and have extensive corporate and financial experience, we understand the assets and how to present them to the market with honesty and integrity. Take any other approach, and farmers won’t want to know about you.

“As such, we will take a refined and discreet approach to marketing. This means using our extensive contacts to link people and companies with suitable assets.”

It’s also worth noting that Mr Tout and his partners are also the principals of Rain Agribusiness, which offers its clients real estate services, property, crop and equipment finance, farm inputs and commodities services. Rain Agribusiness, for example, is Australia’s exclusive agent for Chinese merchant S & G Cotton, linked to the biggest denim manufacturer in the world.

“We are more than real estate agents. We all come from the land, have a well-rounded experience across the agricultural sector and believe our broad experience gives us a superior understanding of property assets in the rural sector, which enables us to value and market them on their merit,” says Mr Tout.

A 12-year veteran of rural real estate, Mr Bukowski is the current principal of Premium Rural and has linked with Raine & Horne Rural because of its brand reputation and the professionalism of its management.

“Raine & Horne is a highly respected name in the Australian property industry and I was impressed by the attitude of Angus Raine and his team. They are positive and very people-oriented in their approach,” says Mr Bukowski.

“Like the Sydney office, the members of the Raine & Horne Rural Brisbane team all come from farming backgrounds. We have all owned or worked on rural properties – so we understand the needs of a farmer.”

Joining Mr Bukowski is former farmer and sales ace Matthew Edwards, as well as 10 year rural real estate veteran Meredith Dunn and Kate Noonan, who will oversee the administration of Raine & Horne Rural Brisbane.

“Our motto is ‘service is everything’ – the care of the customer is so important to the success of the business,” says Mr Bukowski.

“This is especially so in the rural market where you may be asked to sell a property that has been in a family for generations, or sadly sell a property for a farmer who has hit hard times.”

For further media information contact:

Angus Raine, Chairman/CEO Raine & Horne, on 0409 920 697

Andrew Harrington, National Marketing & Communications Coordinator, on 02 9258 5400

Raine & Horne expands rural brand with new offices in Sydney and Brisbane