Bells toll for Hope Island

JULY 2010

FORECAST demand for housing along the Gold Coast’s northern corridor has spurred a merger between Ray White Surfers Paradise Group (RWSP) directors Andrew and Greg Bell and Hope Island real estate Guardian Realty.

Guardian Realty was headed by Barbara Broderick who will continue a senior sales position with the RWSP managed agency.

The two Guardian Realty offices at Hope Island’s Marina Shopping Village and nearby Monterey Keys will now operate as Ray White Hope Island.

Andrew Bell says the move is indicative of the group’s strong commitment to the northern region, where they have operated an office for the past six years.

“This is one of a number of major strategic steps we are committed to in the northern Gold Coast region,” says Bell.

“We wanted a platform to be able to offer our clients the best resources, and with Guardian Realty being clearly the best-positioned real estate office in the area, the merger was a very attractive option for us. With the real estate industry being under a great deal of pressure over the past few years, it was also an attractive proposition for Guardian Realty.”

The merger will allow the Bells to tap into international investor markets that are seeking opportunities in the growth corridor.

“Many properties in this northern hub certainly qualify to be exposed and sold to foreign nationals, so we are really looking to push this to new heights, particularly through our strong presence in China,” says Bell.

“What we bring to Hope Island and the surrounds is our own database of 183,000 people and an additional 700,000-plus contacts as part of the Ray White network. Combine this with innovative marketing and expansive capabilities to reach a broader market segment and the area will really be taken to a new level.”

RWSP’s latest move forms part of an overall expansion strategy being driven by the Bell brothers, who have recently set up the innovative new Ray White Marine entity.

Within the last 18 months, RWSP added Ray White Southport, Ray White Industrial Gold Coast, and Ray White M1 at Yatala to their expanding umbrella of subsidiaries.

Earlier this year the Bell’s established Ray White Hotels Australia, in conjunction with hotels and pubs identity Tony Bargwanna, which is currently handling the sale of ALH’s Queensland portfolio.