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Australia’s first industry-run utility connection service has been launched by two innovative agents who saw a gap in the market.
YourPorter, a joint venture between Victorian agents Barry Plant Real Estate and hockingstuart, offers renters a full range of connection services including electricity, gas, water, telecommunications and pay television from leading suppliers such as AGL, Origin, Telstra and Foxtel.
According to hockingstuart CEO Nigel O’Neil, YourPorter was created to boost the level of services offered by real estate agents and provide direct benefits to the industry through the business’ market-leading commissions and equity.
“Agents are the sole source of leads for utility connections businesses, yet traditionally their commissions have been relatively low,” he said.
“YourPorter’s mandate is to ensure that real estate businesses derive maximum value from utility connections on both income and capital basis.”
Mr O’Neil said that unlike the company’s competitors, YourPorter will allocate 47 per cent of its equity directly to the agencies that refer utility connections.
Connection industry veteran Tony Zarka has also been appointed as general manager of YourPorter and he sees it as a game changer for the real estate industry and consumers.
“It’s taking the reins off external providers and providing consumers with a service that is convenient, fast and reliable, because it’s in the hands of the people who really understand the property market and the dramas of moving house – real estate agents,” he said.
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