Achievements

ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE 2020–2021 FINANCIAL YEAR

NEW PROPERTY AT MIRANDA

Moving forward, EchoRealty, on behalf of Altis Property Partners and Aware Super, will be managing 51 brand new, high-quality apartments to eligible key workers at a new building in Miranda.

The development will open in October 2021, and includes studios, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom apartments.

Key worker tenants will pay only 80% of the market rent, giving them the chance to live near their workplaces in a high-quality property without falling into financial stress.

Features include living spaces with a functional open plan design and seamless integration through to balconies and terraces. The apartments have modern kitchens with Caesarstone benches, Smeg appliances, and stylish Parisi tapware. Timber flooring and wool carpets give an elegant look to the dwellings, which also have built-in wardrobes and internal laundries with dryers.

Ducted air conditioning, secure parking, intercom and lift access complete the list of luxury features that tenants will enjoy. External communal gardens, green spaces, and rooftop entertainment areas allow tenants to relax and mingle.

The apartments are just 450 metres away from Westfield Miranda shopping centre, 900 metres from Miranda train station, and close to natural recreation areas such as Cronulla Beach and Royal National Park. UDIA NEXT GEN CONFERENCE

The EchoRealty team were exhibition sponsors at the 2021 UDIA NSW NextGen West Conference, held in May.

Our team enjoyed a day of networking and discussions around the booming infrastructure of Western Sydney, and future opportunities for growth in the affordable housing sector.

The event also gave us an opportunity to promote our brand and educate other people in the development industry about the importance of affordable housing and the services our company offers.

TEAM LEADER JOEL FLOWERS WINS AWARD

EchoRealty’s Team Leader Joel Flowers was awarded the Outstanding Young Employee Award at the 2020 Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence. The award recognises the contribution of high achieving professionals under the age of 35 who have demonstrated exceptional ability and potential.

Joel has been with EchoRealty since 2016 and began in a contract position as a Property Officer but was soon hired as a permanent Property Manager and eventually promoted to Team Leader. He now manages a team of four staff and has excelled and showed outstanding dedication to his work.

SUPPORTING MELBOURNE’S ESSENTIAL WORKERS

During last year’s extended COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, EchoRealty was there to support our residents and also helped to provide affordable housing to essential workers who needed it.

We manage 105 dwellings including 76 affordable properties in a near-new apartment building in Moonee Ponds that are reserved for key workers only. As a consequence of this key worker policy, many of our Melbourne residents were essential workers that were vital to the COVID-19 response, such as nurses and ambulance staff.

During the challenges of 2020, EchoRealty was there to support our residents and adapted many of our policies to ensure we could continue to assist them.

We accommodated contactless inspections and lease sign-ups so that we could continue to offer affordable properties to essential workers in a safe way.

This experience resulted in improved software and processes, which are now in place and facilitating continued business operations during the 2021 Sydney lockdown.

We also undertook policy reviews for our Key Worker scheme, which had only been recently drafted at the time, to accommodate case-by-case assessment of household eligibility.

This was especially important for health care worker residents, as many had changes in household needs and income levels as a result of additional hours worked due to COVID-19.

“MY EXPERIENCE RENTING WITH ECHOREALTY HAS BEEN FANTASTIC…”

EchoRealty Tenant, Katie

KATIE: WALK TO WORK

CASE STUDY: KATIE

Nurse Katie, who works at a children’s hospital in Sydney, moved into an EchoRealty key worker housing property after seeing it advertised online.

Since moving into the property, which is located in a suburb nearby her hospital, Katie has said she has been able to save more money and reduce commuting time.

“I can walk to work each day and don’t use my car much at all so I have saved time and money … I’m currently saving to build a house alone and living in this property has made that possible,” she said.

Katie, who lives in the property with a friend, said she had been impressed with the service and even recommends the real estate agency to other people now.

“My experience renting with EchoRealty has been fantastic and I have recommended people from work to consider Echo for their next property.”