HOOKER TOP GUN JOINS FORCES WITH TOOMA

LJ HOOKER’S national head of development projects Tony Trpeski (pictured) has teamed up with Anna Tooma’s LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise to open a new branch at Sorrento.

Trpeski has stepped down from the corporate role at Hooker to tackle the new venture, which is targeting growing interest in Gold Coast development opportunities by both domestic and foreign buyers.

Under the agreement, Trpeski is principal of LJ Hookers Sorrento, while he and Tooma are directors of Tooma companies LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise and LJ Hooker Gold Coast Projects.

The move is seen as a major coup for Tooma’s business development plans, with Trpeski earning a solid reputation in the property industry - including his efforts in positioning Independent Property Group as one of Canberra’s largest real estate agencies.

Trpeski grew up in Canberra, but has spent several years managing operations across Australia through his senior role with LJ Hooker.

One industry insider says he could have chosen to set up a business anywhere in the country, and the move to the Gold Coast is a coup for Tooma and her team.

Tooma says it “speaks volumes” for the Gold Coast’s development potential.

“As LJ Hooker’s head of projects, Tony had a national perspective on where major players in the development industry were placing their focus and where the market was most receptive,’’ she says.

“I believe the Gold Coast is on the cusp of a new era of development, and the fact someone of Tony’s knowledge and background has chosen the Gold Coast to invest, underlines our opinion.

“The expansion into Sorrento is also a logical decision, allowing our group to better serve the 4217 postcode.” 

As LJ Hooker’s national head of projects, Trpeski oversaw deals involving a broad spectrum of the property development sector, including acquisitions, brand development and sales to match developers with LJ Hooker’s network of agencies.

“The Gold Coast has been through some intensive development cycles in the past three decades,” Trpeski says.

“Right now, local national and international developers are exploring options in the city.

“The Gold Coast is firmly in the sights of domestic and Asian markets, and the desire of those markets for new product in an unmatched coastal environment will serve as a strong driver.

“Developers are already negotiating along the spine of the light rail corridor; the Gold Coast’s reputation as an education hub is gathering momentum; and contracts are beginning to be awarded for sports infrastructure for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“It all bodes well for the Gold Coast reclaiming its title as the hotspot for development and tourism.’’

The new venture caps an award-winning run for LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise, with the agency named the real estate network’s Gold Coast property investment agency of the year.

Tooma says the award reflects the office’s sustained growth over the past year and underpins the confidence in the local market and her office.

“The business is in a rapid growth phase, and we are expanding our residential and projects divisions,” she says.

The award comes a year after Tooma assumed control of the business after the sudden death of her husband Tony.

“It’s been a very challenging year, but I’m very pleased with the direction of the business going forward and the opportunities on offer in Surfers Paradise and the wider Gold Coast,’’ she says.

In another coup, agent Kathy McPhie has been named LJ Hooker’s best Gold Coast marketer.

McPhie, who joined LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise this year, has a solid background in the Gold Coast’s property market. Her husband Cameron is also an LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise agent.

The McPhie’s once owned the Pelerman Group and, after selling it to Woolworths in 2005, took on the task of rebuilding the Fisherman’s Wharf business at Main Beach.