3 March, 2011

Repeat business and the resilient Newtown market deliver awards to local business

Newtown is one of Sydney’s most durable markets and is an increasingly popular and affordable alternative to the traditional prestige markets of the Eastern Suburbs, according to Raine & Horne Newtown principal, Gerard Hill.

“With a median house price of $861,000 and $370,000 for apartments, plus annualised capital growth nudging 10%, you can understand why more people are relocating to Newtown than leaving,” Mr Hill said, adding that house prices had doubled since 1999.

The robust Newtown real estate market also helped deliver Raine & Horne Newtown a string of awards at the recent Raine & Horne NSW/ACT Chairman’s Awards, held at the superb Westin Hotel, Sydney on Saturday, 19 February 2011.

Star sales agent Michael Harris led the charge for Raine & Horne Newtown, walking away with arguably the biggest award of the night, Top Salesperson (Dollar Value).

This award recognised Mr Harris and his hard-working team’s stellar 2010.

“Michael and his team secured 11 of the top 20 house sales in Newtown in 2010, including the sale of the five bedroom, five bathroom home at 1A Copeland St, which set a Newtown suburb sales record of $3.2 million,” Mr Hill said.

“Michael works very, very hard, is always focussed on the job, and has some great people around him, which is why he continues to achieve great results for his clients.”

The tenacious Mr Harris also sold the five bedroom property, at 6 Warren Ball Ave, for $2.6 million, the third biggest Newtown sale of 2010.

The strength of the Newtown team was further demonstrated with Duncan Gordon chasing Mr Harris into second place in the Top Salesperson (Dollar Value) category, while the dynamic duo shared tenth place in the Top Salesperson (Number of Sales) category.

Mr Harris and Mr Gordon were elevated into the prestigious Raine & Horne Chairman’s Club for their sales performances in 2010.

In addition, Raine & Horne Newtown grabbed fourth place in the Top Office (Dollar Value) category, and seventh for Top Office (Number of Sales).

“This is a great team effort when you consider there are around 150 offices in NSW and the ACT,” Mr Hill said.

He attributed Raine & Horne Newtown’s success to its commitment to marketing, advertising, and repeat business driven by positive word of mouth referrals.

“Our strong community profile and huge support from the public and local media are crucial to the high level of repeat business we receive.

“We quite often end up selling homes we have listed four or five years ago. This is because we believe in leaving a positive impression every time we deal with a client.

“Often the relationship begins with university students in rental accommodation, who return to buy a small terrace once they have a job in the city. The cycle continues with the decision to start a family and the need for a bigger home,” he said.

Raine & Horne Chief Executive Officer, Angus Raine, commended Raine & Horne Newtown for its outstanding contribution and dedication to Sydney’s inner city property markets and the local community.

"Gerard Hill, Ben Treweeke and Roger Cull have recently opened Raine & Horne East Sydney/Surry Hills and winning these awards underlines the team’s consistent ability to remain true to its core business, which is achieving property sales and providing the very best property management services," Mr Raine said.

For all your property needs contact Raine & Horne Newtown on (02) 8596 3555.

Raine & Horne is an iconic Australian property firm, with more than 380 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.

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For further media information, contact: Gerard Hill, Raine & Horne Newtown on 0414 327 888.