A Victorian real estate group is capitalising on the flow of city dwellers to coastal regions, opening its sixth agency in the greater Geelong area.
Buxton expands its footprint into the Bellarine Peninsula with the launch of its new Drysdale office.
A rise in demand from former city residents looking for a sea change has the network confident in its expansion plans, despite the slow post-COVID recovery experienced in Melbourne and across the state.
The new office will be helmed by Buxton’s Geelong group director Ben Riddle, who felt the moment was right to strike with the area experiencing unprecedented population growth.
“We are seeing Melburnians continue to flock to Geelong for its mix of easy lifestyle, space, world-class beaches, hospitality hotspots and some of the best schooling across Victoria,” Mr Riddle said.
“The shift has seen housing pricing continue its double-digit growth trajectory, making Geelong and the Bellarine a destination now not only for homebuyers but holiday-makers, tourists and investors,” he added.
Mr Riddle described the expansion in the region as “natural” and pointed to the success of their office in Leopold, which launched two years ago, as proof of the area’s potential for the business.
“The increased presence in the region means we will be able to offer our customer base an even better service, with cutting-edge technology, local know-how and much more,” he said.
Buxton CEO Nathan Jones commented on the new office’s strategic importance.
“The Bellarine was an obvious expansion target for our team given the shifting trends of our client base. Our central position in Drysdale is the beginning of the next stage of our Geelong/Bellarine strategic plan, which will further develop and unfold over the next six months,” Mr Jones said.
He expressed his confidence in Mr Riddle’s ability to lead the new team and hinted at the group’s big plans ahead.
“Ben is a tremendous leader who has a long track record of attracting the best agents and those who share our vision to be the most recognisable and successful culture-first real estate group in Australia,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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