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The winner has been announced in the inaugural realestate.com.au The Real Ideas Prize, a nationwide competition for real estate professionals to reimagine the rental experience, with a total prize pool of $100,000 up for grabs.
And the winner is Sophie Lyon, director at Jellis Craig Hawthorn, for her ShowMeNow app, an on-demand Uber-style concept for roaming agents to book prospective tenant viewings.
Ms Lyon said ShowMeNow makes it easier for tenants to inspect properties when it suits them, and save property managers time opening up vacant rental properties for inspection.
“It’s hard for prospective renters to take time out from work, so to be able to create a way for them to see a property when they wanted to, with someone who knows the area — it’s a win-win,” she said.
“The Real Ideas Prize was an opportunity for me to branch out and try a unique new challenge. It’s exciting that someone with very little tech-savviness can have an idea that resonates with a wide group of people.”
Realestate.com.au executive manager of rent Kul Singh said The Real Ideas Prize challenges real estate professionals to improve the rental experience for all stakeholders.
“With one in three Australians currently renting, we wanted to create a platform to support and celebrate our industry partners in managing all stages of the rental journey. We’re excited that Sophie now has the opportunity to drive value within her local community and across Australia with ShowMeNow,” he said.
“The quality of ideas we saw this year were exceptional, which is a testament to the passion and insight of the real estate professionals in Australia. We’re excited to see ShowMeNow come to life and look forward to continuing the success of The Real Ideas Prize next year.”
The initial ideas were narrowed down to a final five who were invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of five judges. The pitches were also shared online for voting.
The top three finalists share in a prize pool of $100,000. Ms Lyon won $50,000 for Jellis Craig Hawthorn as well as $10,000 for herself.
Anna Molinaro from Stockdale and Leggo Blackburn took home $30,000 for coming second for her idea around managing maintenance requests.
Stefan Deffert from Mypm received $10,000 for coming third for his idea that will benefit both tenants and landlords.
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