Commercial, industrial and retail real estate agency Colliers has entered the residential sales arena in Newcastle.
The new venture brings Anthony Merlo [main picture] to the Colliers Newcastle team to facilitate the progression into residential sales and strengthen their residential project division.
Ed Crawford, head of Colliers Newcastle Project Division, said Mr Merlo was a welcome addition to the residential team.
Mr Merlo has a long history in Newcastle real estate as a senior sales consultant and auctioneer with more than 33 years of experience.
"He is well placed to guide and offer the best sales strategies to those wanting a seamless sales transition from their home to low-maintenance apartment living," Mr Crawford said.
He added that Colliers Newcastle would be looking to recruit specialised staff and grow the general sales business throughout 2023 and beyond given the variety of new projects coming online in the near and distant future.
Frank Knight expands to Central Coast with new office
Commercial and residential real estate agency Knight Frank [pictured far right] has opened a new office on the Central Coast at Tuggerah.
It will act as a secondary office to Knight Frank's existing space in Newcastle, which has until now also covered the Central Coast region.
The two will operate closely together to provide services covering the Central Coast and Newcastle, as well as Port Macquarie and Armidale.
Knight Frank CEO James Patterson said the Central Coast office opening marked the first physical permanent presence for a major national real estate agency in the area.
"We will be the first global real estate consultancy dedicated to providing commercial property services in the area," Mr Patterson said.
"We are undertaking this expansion because this is a key growth area in NSW and Australia, with the local market having strengthened during COVID in line with the move towards the regions and working from home."
Ross Cooper of Knight Frank Newcastle and Central Coast will head up both offices.
Mr Cooper said the commercial property markets in the NSW regions were growing and there had been a noticeable increase in investor demand.
"Over the past few years people have seen Newcastle and the Central Coast as a more desirable place to live, which has led to more activity from a business and commercial perspective," he said.
"Along with this growth, we have seen more investors looking outside the major capital cities to these regional areas.
"In the current market interest rate rises have led investors to search for stronger returns, and generally speaking they can be found in more affordable areas such as Newcastle and the Central Coast."
The new office will be a full service agency including agency services, valuations and asset management.
Expansion into the Central Coast sees the addition of sales executives including Jackson Sinclair.
Brent Sinclair, Knight Frank's head of agency Newcastle and Central Coast, will also be largely based in the Central Coast office.
