The growing @realty real estate network is taking on a country music flavour with its first recruits in the booming NSW town of Tamworth.
Stuart Watts and Dee Plowman have joined @realty, establishing an office on the main street of the town, famous for its country music festival.
Mr Watts said he left a real estate, state manager real estate position in Sydney a decade ago, arriving in Tamworth when it was on the cusp (partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic) of a massive growth spurt.
“It hasn’t let me down since I moved here 10 years ago. Tamworth is what Toowoomba was 20 years ago,” he said.
“Our airport is the most significant airport in inland NSW and there is a lot of commercial/industrial development going on around there.
“Twenty years ago, Toowoomba was sitting at around 80,000 people. Today it boasts around 160,000.”
Mr Watts said lockdowns had led people to examine the prospect of living in a regional area and working from home.
“When you look at what COVID-19 has delivered in the past 18 months, it has been a recipe for success for the regional hubs,” Mr Watts said.
“The longer the major urban areas stay in lockdown the more people will want to get out and into regional hubs that have all the services.
“The demand for real estate here at the moment is incredibly strong and the next six to 12 months will be massive.”
Mr Watts said he decided to join @realty because of the cost-effective support on offer, while being part of a network that let agents run their own race rather than being tied down to the procedures of a major franchise.
“From my perspective, it’s about the systems and being in a position where the support is there,” he said.
“To set up all these platforms and systems for cloud computing or trust accounts would cost me more on my own, not to mention the time involved.
“@realty looks after all of this for me, leaving me to focus on listing and selling.
“I’m also excited about working closely with Dee who is such a superb operator.”
Mr Watts said the @realty commission model, where agents keep 93 per cent until $20,000 has been paid to the office in fees, and then keep 100 per cent, was a fair and sustainable long-term option.
@realty Chief Executive Officer James Taylor hailed the agency’s first presence in Tamworth as a big step forward.
“We’re so excited to now be operating in Tamworth – a town with serious growth prospects,” Mr Taylor said.
“Stuart and Dee are first-class operators and we’re excited to see what they accomplish in the coming years.”
