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Two Murray River real estate agencies are to fall under the First National brand in a bid to better harness the regional relocation trend.
Charles L King & Co owners Colin Ibbs, Rohan Ibbs and Brock Fletcher have revealed they will be moving forward as part of First National Real Estate.
The strategic play will see their Barham and Cohuna offices rebranded as First National Charles L King & Co.
The bordertown offices, of which Barham is in New South Wales and Cohuna is in Victoria, are located approximately three hours north of Melbourne, between Echuca and Swan Hill.
In a recent statement, Mr Ibbs said the agency owners wanted to be prepared to service the needs of customers migrating out of the cities.
He explained that training, brand, human resources, marketing and business support were the most important factors in the business owners’ decision-making.
“We needed to streamline those functions so we could focus on our areas of greatest productivity and opportunity, and First National Real Estate ticked all those boxes that will enable our growth,” according to Mr Ibbs.
In addition to First National’s established strength in Riverina, the principal cited their historic links to the First National Charles L King & Co office in Echuca as a factor that influenced the move towards the rebrand.
The current owner of First National Charles L King & Co in Echuca, Gary Wood, began his career in the Cohuna office of Charles L King & Co brand, which dates back to 1911. Eventually, Mr Wood decided to move to Echuca and open a real estate agency, keeping the brand name in the process.
In time, Mr Wood became a founding member of the First National Real Estate in 1982, but the Barham and Cohuna offices continued as independent businesses until recently.
Looking ahead, Mr Ibbs and the other principals aim to leverage First National’s modern marketing and systems to elevate their services in both offices.
“We’ve strengthened our brand awareness and are diving into all of the great products and services offered by First National so we can better communicate with lifestyle and tree changers and service their needs as they move to the country,” Mr Ibbs concluded.
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