The Northern Rivers Times
November 9, 2023
40 REAL ESTATE
Casino independent set to cash in with shift to Raine & Horne Rural Highlights • Prominent independent real estate firm Meridian Property Group, led by dynamic duo Kate Morgan and Gary Mortimer, joins forces with real estate powerhouse Raine & Horne. • Raine & Horne Rural Casino will gain a competitive edge with access to first-to-market technology like Amplify, enhancing its marketing precision and reach. • Raine & Horne Rural Casino has already scored several early wins, including listing a magnificent 560-acre property at 807 Tunglebung Creek Road, Tunglebung, for $2,850,000 Prominent Casino independent real estate firm Meridian Property Group has taken the significant commercial step to align with leading real estate powerhouse Raine & Horne. This strategic decision coincides with Raine & Horne’s rapid expansion into the rural property market through their rapidly expanding brand, Raine & Horne Rural. The Northern Riversbased real estate office, established in 2017, will now operate as Raine & Horne Rural Casino, as well as Raine & Horne Casino for residential sales and property
management. The dynamic duo of Kate Morgan and Gary Mortimer will lead the new office. Other members of the team, Michael Downes, Gail Copper and Mathew Morgan, will continue to support Mrs Morgan and Mr Mortimer in their decision and are excited to be part of the next chapter for the business. According to Mrs Morgan, the move to Raine & Horne Rural was a simple choice. “We were finding it challenging to compete independently against offices associated with other brands. “We’re predominantly a rural-based business, and we’re very interested in the direction Raine & Horne Rural is going with its aggressive push to expand,” she said. “We can’t wait to get going and join the rush. We wanted to shift to Raine & Horne Rural months ago, but processes and steps exist to make it all happen.” Travis Wentriro, NSW Network Manager, Raine & Horne Group, said he was excited about working with Raine & Horne Rural Casino as Mrs Morgan, Mr Mortimer, and the team embark on their new chapter of growth. “Kate and Gary’s dedication to the rural
property market is commendable, and we anticipate great things from this partnership. The future certainly looks promising for the rapidly expanding Raine & Horne Rural and our new Northern Rivers flagship, Raine & Horne Rural Casino.” Early gains from association with Raine & Horne Rural Even before the official launch of Raine & Horne Rural Casino, Mrs Morgan and Mr Mortimer’s affiliation with the superbrand yielded substantial rewards. The office recently listed an increasingly scarce 560acre parcel of land at 807 Tunglebung Creek Road in Tunglebung for $2,850,000. “There’s no denying that being part of Raine & Horne Rural positions us to compete for more significant rural property listings. This property is the cream of the crop in the Casino region and can run 185 cows and calves on its ear,” Mrs Morgan said. Another primary reason for rebranding as Raine & Horne Rural Casino includes the opportunity to tap into Raine & Horne’s ecosystem of technology firsts, such as the AI-powered digital marketing platform Amplify.
“Amplify is a point of difference between us and the other agencies in town,” Mrs Morgan said. “We love that Amplify will put more of our property listings in front of more people than we, or our competitors, can now. “Another advantage of Amplify’s strategy is its precision in targeting, which enables us to reach individuals actively seeking properties of a specific nature. This service has not been readily available to vendors in our region up until now, and we are proud to be the ones to bring this offering to market.” Mrs Morgan continued, “Interestingly, the owner of 807 Tunglebung Creek Road was drawn by Amplify. He extended an invitation to us “to come out, sit down around the table and have a yarn. He said, “I want to know more about Amplify.” Local farmers to lifestyle buyers drive Casino rural property markets According to Mrs Morgan, local farmers usually acquire most of the rural property between 800 and 1,000 hectares. In comparison, smaller parcels from around 100 to 200 acres tend to draw interest from individuals seeking a lifestyle change and
who often have minimal agricultural experience. “We recently sold a lifestyle property of 350 acres at Ewingar for $520,000 that could run 40-50 heifers on it to a couple from the Central Coast of NSW with no farming experience. They fell in love with the area and were determined to have the property in question,” said Mrs Morgan. “The rural property market has been pretty quiet, but over the last month, we have noticed many more enquiries, which could relate to more buyer confidence now that interest rates seem to be on hold.” While NSW’s Northern Rivers has gained recognition for its prominent cattle industry, it boasts diverse rural property types. “The agricultural sector in this region is not solely centred on cattle. It all depends on the specific areas you’re interested in exploring. If you venture out towards Ewingar and Drake, you’ll find more distinctive lifestyle properties,” said Mrs Morgan. “To the east of Casino, the focus shifts towards farming.” Affordable family living and commuting convenience Regarding the residential market, Mrs Morgan says Casino,
conveniently located just 2.5 hours from Brisbane, is an ideal choice for prospective buyers seeking spacious and affordable properties, especially those with growing families. For example, Raine & Horne Casino has listed a spacious 4-bedroom house for sale at 112 Sheppard Street, Casino. This ideal family home with size, position and outlook that ticks all the boxes is for sale for a very affordable $565,000. “Casino experienced an influx of buyers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it seems that the market has now returned to a more normal state,” Mrs Morgan said. “Nevertheless, some people still appreciate the advantages of making a green change by moving to a town like Casino. “This allows for the flexibility of working from home a few days a week while maintaining the option of commuting to Brisbane for work when necessary.” For all your rural and residential sales and property management needs in Casino and surrounding areas, contact Raine & Horne Rural Casino and Raine & Horne Casino on 02 6662 6666 or visit the office at 100-102 Walker Street, Casino.
Councils must be part of the housing density solution Councils are seeking urgent talks following reports that seven zones in the Sydney
metropolitan area have been chosen for a massive increase in housing density.
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The President of Local Government NSW, Cr Darriea Turley AM, said that for the plan to succeed, councils needed to be part of the solution not sidelined. “I urge the Government to cooperate and include local councils and their communities in any future planning decisions for these sites,” Cr Turley said. Without community buy-in these plans will be very difficult to accomplish. “Councils are the closest level of government to the community, and need to be a key voice in the process.
“We all want liveable communities with high quality housing. “Home buyers investing their life savings in these higher density developments have a right to know the homes they buy are long-lasting quality builds. ”We need to ensure all these conditions are met to give communities fresh confidence in higher density housing.” Cr Turley said an additional key requirement to get communities on board was a clear commitment by the Government to provide critical local infrastructure, including roads, public transport,
parks, public schools and hospitals before any housing is approved. “It’s not acceptable to drastically increase housing supply and suburban populations without the infrastructure to support them,” she said. She noted that the Government had offered the Opposition a full briefing on the proposal
in a bid to secure bipartisan support. “I’m calling on the Premier to give councils the same briefing,” she said. “We have consistently sought to take a collaborative and positive approach to working with the Government to help ease the housing crisis.”
