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Don’t be fooled by the beachy atmosphere – the Gold Coast real estate sector is an intensely competitive battleground.
Dane Atherton has been in the Gold Coast property space for over a decade, and in that time he has learnt that this pocket of Queensland is a tale of two halves.
“I would describe the Gold Coast real estate market as ‘cut-throat’ and ‘casual’,” said Atherton. “There is a casualness to the lifestyle on the Gold Coast, but on the other hand we have fierce and unrelenting competition, which demands constant vigilance to stay ahead of the game.”
Since the turn of the century, the Gold Coast has rapidly transformed from a holiday destination made up of a small base of local buyers to one of Queensland’s largest cities.
It’s a market that may feel intimidating to navigate without the security of a large network, but Atherton believes that going independent offers rich rewards to those willing to take the risk.
Earlier this year, he and his co-director Kym Atherton founded their own independent franchise, Coastal, which previously operated as Harcourts Coastal.
“The big players are now all independent,” said Atherton. “Going independent has shone a light on our true scale and reach by making us stand out and become more visible in the market.”
As the director observed, being in a franchise can create a kind of optical illusion.
“When you’re small and in a franchise, it makes you look bigger than you are. Conversely, the bigger you are in a franchise, the smaller it makes you look in the market as you blend into the profile of the group.”
For large teams like Atherton’s – the director oversees 200 staff members and six offices – being part of a major network has another downside: inflexibility.
When an agency belongs to a franchise, he said that simple fixes like altering an advertising design to better suit a client can be time-consuming and complicated, requiring approval from the head office.
This, Atherton noted, “makes it hard to be nimble and on the edge of first-class marketing”.
Now that Coastal is an independent business, Atherton has ambitious plans for the company. Already, this month has seen the brand secure its sixth office in the northern Gold Coast suburb of Coomera.
Once fit-out is completed, the Coomera office will include a dedicated auction room and capacity for 20 sales agents.
In recent years, Atherton and sales director Rob Forde have noticed “a trend of lifestyle buyers gravitating to the northern end” to make the most of growing infrastructure.
“From an investment standpoint, there’s exceptional rental returns and the capital growth we’re seeing is significant. There are some beautiful acreage properties in the city’s north supported by a huge number of amenities, and this expansion positions Coastal to tap into the growth we’re seeing in the northern suburbs,” said Atherton.
“From Coomera to Coolangatta and beyond, we’ve got it covered,” he concluded.
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