Peard leads by example

IN just over a decade in the market, Peard Real Estate Group has established itself as one of Perth’s most successful locally owned and operated real estate groups.

According to Real Estate Institute of Western Australia statistics, four of the top 10 real estate offices in WA ranked by listings sold in April 2010 were agencies under the Peard umbrella.

Last financial year the Peard Group sold 1,704 properties at an average of nearly $2.5 million in sales each day, taking its average sale price to $509,375.

It has also grown its staff from three in its original Hillarys office in 1997 to 177 across 10 offices this year.

Along the way, the group also established Evolutions Home Loans in 2004 and Evolution Settlements in 2006 to provide financial services to complement the core real estate business.

Evolutions Home Loans provides finance through more than 25 lenders in the Australian Finance Group.

Part of the group’s success has been its commitment to innovation. In 1997, Peter Peard opened the first office at Hillarys under his vision for a singularly owned real estate organisation rather than the franchised model traditionally popular in WA.

Today, the company’s nine branch offices are each 51 per cent owned by the Peard Group and 49 per cent owned by shareholders within that office.

Marketing and administration is centralised at a corporate head office to allow for standard systems and processes throughout the group.

This structure has strengthened the Peard brand and simplified everyday processes and operations for employees.

The firm’s commitment to innovative marketing practices has also become a point of difference for Peard.

In 2002, coinciding with the opening of the group’s second office, Peard Cox Mindarie, Peard produced Peard Property Magazine, the first of its kind in WA.

The following year, Peard launched its first property gallery at the Hillarys office, implementing interactive touch screen programs and plasma screen displays, which were also a WA first.

Peard were also the first real estate agency in Australia to produce an iPhone application to advertise its listings.

At street level, the Peard Group has demonstrated it will push the boundaries in order to get its properties noticed.

Peard research shows street signage accounts for more than 20 per cent of buyer inquiries for properties that are listed with the group.

Peard was the first real estate agency in Perth to introduce doubled-sided street signs and curved signs,

and last month announced it had developed a new premium sign to market properties priced above $800,000, which feature a prominent metallic strip to reflect sunlight and draw the attention of passing motorists.

On the back of its marketing initiatives and corporate structures, Peard Real Estate Group is confident it will continue to grow its brand alongside market and industry trends.