About Town Real Estate has become First National Real Estate Townsville and we’ve acquired First National Real Estate Nicholson, uniting two of Townsville’s most respected real estate agencies. Together, both agencies are taking advantage of leading technologies, leveraging big data, and delivering property services that are at the forefront of Far North Queensland real estate.

While nothing changes in terms of the team of professionals that you’ve come to trust, we’re introducing a raft of changes that will really make a difference.

It’s absolutely clear to our team of professionals that the demographics of demand for Townsville are changing rapidly, and COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of change.

While the property services industry was already evolving quickly, we have determined to pick up the pace of our own change. We see new opportunities on the horizon and intend to be at the forefront of Townsville’s real estate services.

What the future holds for Townsville

Demographer Bernard Salt put it succinctly when he explained why the next five years will be critical for Australian real estate.

‘The coming of Coronavirus has presented a great opportunity for many Australians to re-think their lives; are they in the right job, the right relationship, are they in the right city, are they in the right housing?’ says Mr Salt.

This new category of buyers - VESPAs (Virus Escapees Seeking Provincial Australia) – are already profoundly changing the Townsville property market. They are scootering out of our capital cities in search of a better life. You can see it occurring in Victoria and New South Wales, and throughout Queensland as well. These are very big trends that are certainly shaping the demand for local property going forward.

Over the next five years, the fastest growing age group in Australia is people who are in their late thirties and early forties.

These are the children of the baby boomers; the echo of the baby boom. They are coming out of their apartments and buying homes, and they use different communications technologies. So, there is a mini boom being driven by demographics, technology and also by COVID-19.

This is why we are so confident about the next five years. The property market is not just recovering from the Coronavirus, it is being driven by the demographic surge of millennials upgrading their demands for property. In addition, Generation X is trading city mortgages for better lifestyles and more financial freedom, and also in the picture are retirees who want to downsize – putting money in the bank while exploring their dreams.

Putting our clients in prime position

Joining a large national network such as First National Real Estate brings advantages, but that’s just scratching the surface. There’s another key reason.

You see, First National Real Estate is an Australian cooperative, not a franchise. Its administration is not-for-profit, so whereas franchises real estate networks are primarily about generating ever greater profits for stakeholders, and making real estate franchisees compete against each other, First National Real Estate is about delivering all the technology and services real estate agents need, at the lowest costs possible.

How does this help you, the homeowner, landlord, buyer or tenant?

Firstly, it means that all the profits of franchises that normally go into the pockets of stakeholders are instead directed towards technology, training and marketing tools that estate agents need to deliver better service to their customers.

So, our team now has access to more training, advanced advertising systems, fantastic property management and maintenance systems, better communications systems and a more integrated network of agents – who work together, from office to office, to cross-marketing properties and achieve faster results for customers.

We put you first

With the industry’s leading edge in data-driven marketing, our team’s exclusive access to systems that deliver faster results for customers, better property management for landlords, and a broad spectrum of marketing initiatives that are easily accessed at lower costs, we will be passing these benefits and savings on to our customers.

We’ll be introducing marketing, communications and property maintenance methodologies not yet seen in Townsville. This will stimulate competition and create more choice for residents.

At the end of the day, the traditional real estate playbook of online and newspaper advertising no longer represents best practice. While they’ll remain a component of our offering, we will be showing homeowners and landlords new ways that we can reach buyers and tenants with active intent, reducing costs for our clients, delivering more exposure, and being more client-centric in the process.

We’ll also be explaining how landlords can improve their rental properties so they can access the super-high yields made possible by the National Disability Insurance Scheme. How would you like yields of 20% or more? How would you like the security and certainty of the government always paying your rent? Ask us and we’ll show you how you can transform your investment property experience.

Our whole team looks forward to advancing property services in the region. Call for a chat to find out more, and why not ask for a free, updated appraisal of your home or rental property’s value at the same time.

Terry Godde

Director

First National Real Estate Townsville and First National Real Estate Nicholson