Mr Mendel’s journey into real estate began unconventionally – with a building construction degree from UNSW and work in commercial construction.
“I figured buying a house is going to be the biggest purchase of my life. I wanted to understand how the real estate space works,” Mr Mendel said.
“So I went and got my real estate license, never thinking that I’d become a real estate agent. I just wanted to learn the process and what happened behind the scenes.”
That curiosity led him to work for a developer, where he managed the sale of over 160 apartments in Melbourne.
From there, he launched a business in the off-the-plan space in 2007 that eventually became iBuyNew, which was listed on the ASX.
Solving a problem for everyday Aussies
After selling his last business, Mr Mendel spent five years exploring other industries including ecommerce, energy and education.
But property remained in his blood, and he identified a significant gap in the market.
“Everyday Aussies are the ones that need the most help when it comes to buying property, but, typically, a buyer’s agent is there to service the wealthy,” Mr Mendel said.
While buyer’s agents have existed in Australia for over fifteen years, they’ve traditionally focused on high-end markets like Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and Lower North Shore, or Melbourne’s Toorak.
This observation led to the creation of Moove, a hybrid buyer’s agency platform designed to make expert property advice affordable and accessible to all Australians.
A technology-driven approach
Moove differentiates itself by using data and technology to deliver services more efficiently than traditional buyer’s agents.
The company offers everything from a “virtual assist” model – where they provide all typical buyer’s agent services except property inspections – through to full-service support for multimillion-dollar prestige homes.
“We do everything a typical buyer’s agent would do except inspect the property, and we leave that up to the homebuyers,” Mr Mendel said.
The majority of Moove’s clients use the virtual assist model, which allows the company to help buyers anywhere across the country.
Building scale through efficiency
Mr Mendel’s platform approach has created remarkable efficiencies.
The business now employs 18 people, including seven buyer’s agents who are supported by a dedicated team.
While a typical buyer’s agent might complete five to 10 transactions per year, Moove’s buyer’s agents handle over 40 deals annually.
“The experience that a buyer gets when they utilise our service is that we’ve seen almost every scenario under the sun, and we know how to handle each one appropriately,” Mr Mendel said.
This volume means a buyer’s agent at Moove gains the equivalent of four years’ experience in just twelve months compared to traditional models.
National reach and future growth
Moove currently operates as a national player with teams across Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, and Adelaide.
With approximately 60,000 property transactions occurring monthly across Australia, and buyer’s agent usage expected to grow from around 5% to 30% over the next five years, Mr Mendel sees a significant opportunity ahead.
“We hope to play a big role in helping first-time buyers and everyday Aussies make that transition to home ownership,” he said.
Overcoming challenges
The journey hasn’t been without obstacles. Mr Mendel and his co-founder, who oversees the platform’s technology, have spent the last two and a half years learning and refining their approach.
“We’re in the process of having to rebuild everything now from the ground up, which will only allow us to onboard more buyer’s agents and help more people across Australia,” Mr Mendel said.
More than just a buyer’s agent
Mr Mendel is clear that Moove isn’t a traditional buyer’s agency – it’s a technology platform servicing clients, and the business model continues to evolve.
“We don’t look at ourselves as a buyer’s agent. We look at ourselves as a platform that is servicing clients,” he said.
“Over the next twelve months, our business will evolve to become much more than just the buyer’s agent service that you see today.”
Mr Mendel has also partnered with buyersagents.com.au to bring greater transparency to the industry, particularly as new entrants flood the market.
“The biggest issue in the buyer’s agent industry at the moment is that there’s a lot of people coming into the space that might not have twenty-five years of experience like myself,” he said.
“Buyersagents.com.au ensures that everyone becomes transparent, and you actually get to see whether what people put on social media is real or not.”
Buyersagents.com.au celebrates the achievements of professionals like Mark Mendel and helps connect trusted buyer’s agents with more buyers across Australia.
