30 August, 2011

Resilient Inner West property market contributes to Raine & Horne Newtown’s award winning ways

Sydney’s Inner West property market continues to perform strongly, with sales in popular Newtown leading the way over the last 12 months, according to award winning property firm Raine & Horne Newtown.

The local real estate firm landed four awards at the prestigious Raine & Horne National Conference, held recently at the exclusive Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.

Gerard Hill, co-principal of Raine & Horne Newtown, attributes his office’s award winning ways to a combination of customer service excellence and the resilient nature of Newtown real estate.

“Inner West real estate continues to deliver results despite external pressures such as a faltering share market, and Newtown is at the forefront of the minds of many Inner West buyers,” according to Mr Hill, who indicated that terraces were the dominant and most popular housing option with owner occupiers and tenants.

“Single level terraces are great homes to live in and are still relatively affordable at only $600,000 to $650,000,” he said.

“But apart from the obvious history that these homes represent, they are also popular because Newtown is a diverse suburb with a younger demographic and easy access to the CBD, public transport, Sydney University, RPA Hospital, and many great restaurants and pubs.”

If a terrace is beyond the budget, Mr Hill said one bedroom units were a great entry-level option for between $420,000 and $450,000, with two bedroom units available from $500,000.

Additionally, many entry level buyers enjoyed their first taste of cosmopolitan Newtown in a rental home, and Mr Hill said Raine & Horne Newtown had a reputation for helping transition tenants to become first home owners.

“We find that our dedication to service is something that brings former tenants back to Raine & Horne Newtown later in the piece to buy a home,” he said.

It is this customer service commitment that helped Raine & Horne Newtown win major gongs at the recent awards in Noosa, which attracted the elite from Raine & Horne’s 360 strong global office network.

Raine & Horne Newtown scored a top three finish in the ‘Top Office – Auction Listings’ category, and combined with its affiliate Raine & Horne East Sydney office, placed fourth in the ‘Top Office – Dollar Value’ category.

“Our result in the auction category proves that auctions are still a successful method of sale in this market, while our fourth place in the dollar value category shows that opening our East Sydney office has allowed us to bring in buyers from a wider geographical area,” Mr Hill said.

“Also, our results confirm that by looking at alternative strategies to stay ahead of the game, and by keeping in regular contact with our buyers, we are ticking all the right boxes as a business.”

Raine & Horne Newtown can also boast one of the top salespeople in the country in Michael Harris, who secured a top five placing in the ‘Top Salesperson – Dollar Value’ category and a top ten finish in the ‘Top Salesperson – Number of Sales’ category.

“Michael is such a committed real estate agent who works extremely hard for his vendors and wants to be the best real estate agent he can be,” added Mr Hill.

Mr Hill also credits the Raine & Horne Newtown team, who he says regularly bounce ideas around, give advice, and refer buyers to each other.

“Over the last year we have continued to work hard and put in our best efforts, and we are seeing the results,” says Mr Hill.

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

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:

Gerard Hill, Principal Raine & Horne Newtown, 02 8596 3555 or 0414 327 888

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