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Harcourts will bring over 500 properties to auction on a single day, hoping to set a record and raise money for a good cause.
There’s no current data on how many residential properties have been auctioned by a single real estate network within one 24-hour period, but after Harcourts gets through its event on 22 September, there will be.
The firm is attempting to auction more than 500 properties in a single day dubbed “Blue Friday”, which may well be a record.
“To my knowledge, an auction event on this scale has never been attempted before,” said the brand’s CEO of Australia, Adrian Knowles.
“We believe that this will be Australia’s first national auction event by any real estate brand in the country, but certainly Australia’s largest by total number, national auction event by any real estate brand in the country.”
Capitalising on the idea of “Black Friday” sales, the company, which is known for its azure branding, will also be raising money for Australian mental health support hotline, Beyond Blue.
One hundred dollars from the sale of every property sold on Blue Friday will be donated to Beyond Blue, with a minimum of $50,000 guaranteed to be provided by the Harcourts Foundation.
Moreover, the network is hoping the event will have an industry-wide effect, as the country eases its way out of a listings dry spell.
Mr Knowles said they are hoping to “shake up the real estate market by getting buyers and sellers involved in a one-day property bonanza,” though he added that the brand is looking for some good PR as it aims to “paint the country blue in the process”.
“With Blue Friday, we’re working hard to find new ways to create value for our network and clients, whilst being motivated to help others, which is why we have chosen to support Beyond Blue,” continued Mr Knowles.
Providing counselling, mental health coaching, information and advice, the service is free and operates 24 hours.
Beyond raising money, Harcourts has said it supports the organisation as a way to build awareness on the importance of getting mental health counselling when needed.
“At Harcourts, we place a huge importance on workplace mental health, and we are ecstatic to be supporting Beyond Blue again to help them continue to make a positive difference,” said Mr Knowles.
Beyond Blue CEO, Georgie Harman, said that Harcourts’ event would help keep the service available at any time of the day.
“We are focused on making it easier for people to get the support they need as early as possible. All donations go to the Beyond Blue Support Service to ensure our trained counsellors are available via phone or webchat 24 hours/day,” Ms Harman said.
The sales on 22 September will take the form of in-room auctions, in-office auctions and on-location auctions, spanning the entire country.
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.
