Fitzgerald Estate Agents has relaunched as McGrath Orange and there will be a second office at nearby Molong.
The Announcement:
Leading residential real estate group, McGrath Estate Agents, today announced the opening of two new offices in Orange and Molong, a move that reflects the company’s intent to expand further into new key regional lifestyle areas in NSW and Victoria.
Christopher Mourd, Head of Franchise Network for McGrath said he was thrilled to welcome highly respected Central West real estate specialist Josh Fitzgerald along with his business partner Jacinta Gosper along with their team of 10 to facilitate bringing the McGrath experience to the Central West region.
“Josh and his team are perfectly aligned with the commitment to customers that McGrath is known for throughout Eastern Australia. Orange and Molong are dynamic regional lifestyle markets that offer exceptional affordability for those wanting to relocate their families, or benefit from an easy post COVID lifestyle balancing working from home or an easy commute serviced by the well-located Orange regional airport.”
Fitzgerald Estate Agents has relaunched as McGrath Orange and, recognising the growing demand for the Central West’s smaller townships and farms – including agribusiness – with a second McGrath agency atMolong.
The two McGrath offices will service Yeoval in the north, Lewis Ponds in the east, Mandurama in the south & Manildra in the west from their offices in Orange and Molong.
The expansion comes as the region’s food and wine culture, employment opportunities – the expansive Orange Base Hospital, decentralised government agencies, mining and flexible working – and tourism had driven 17% price growth in the town over the last year, with the median house sale reaching $502,000 in the last 12 months according to CoreLogic National Trends Analysis, June 2021.
As Josh Fitzgerald explains, “There’s a lot of people who have relocated or invested here from the cities in recent years, and many have had an experience with McGrath or know someone who has,” said Fitzgerald, who will be principal across the two agencies.
“Having a brand that resonates with people is important. But, more importantly, McGrath has set the new standard: they’ve made a massive gear change in digital marketing for their clients, and their training enables agents to provide the best outcomes for their sellers and landlords, which is very exciting for our clients here.
“I was happy with how Fitzgerald Estate Agents had developed, but what McGrath is doing is far ahead of what we’ve been able to do on our own.”
Fitzgerald’s team had been responsible for several major sales, including:
• $1.86m sale of a seven-bedroom, five-bathroom homestead in Sale St, Orange
• $3.85m sale of a 500ha property at Norah Creek Rd Molong
• The sale of architecturally designed home ‘Tamarang’ on a 3.89 ha property at 123 Bradleys Rd,
Borenore
Fitzgerald said the Orange and Molong offices would have a local focus, but complement the wider McGrath offering.
He said the Orange Base Hospital as the leading catalyst behind town’s recent growth, with one in four people directly or indirectly employed by the public and ancillary private services.
“The market has also been influenced by people needing to live close to the hospital for treatment and services – it’s a leading facility outside Sydney.”
Tourism had also supported price growth, he said, with wineries, boutique and restaurants making the region a popular weekend visit for Sydneysiders.
The volume of Airbnb listings in Orange had grown from 100 to 260 in the space of three years, with some owners enjoying double-digit yields.
The permanent rental market had been exposed to demand for worker accommodation to support the nearby mine expansion, Fitzgerald said.
But demand had encouraged buyers to also look beyond Orange, he added.
“Molong’s property market has been performing well, because people are prepared to look a little further afield,” he said.
“Towns like Blayney and Millthorpe are also receiving increased buyer enquiry.”
Establishing the two McGrath agencies strategically along the Mitchell Highway also enabled the team to meet rural enquiries.
Demand for rural assets extended from hobby farms right through to large-scale agribusinesses, said Fitzgerald.
“We’re receiving interest for everything from 5 acres to 5000 (acres),” he said. “Throughout the Central West we have great grazing country for cattle and arable land for wheat, grain and other crops.
“Being able to tap into the McGrath network allows us access to the intrastate, interstate and international interest for quality rural properties.”
Source: McGrath Estate Agents
