PRD Whitsunday continues to lead the way in technological innovation and research-based information.”
We were the PRD franchise’s No 1 Office for five consecutive years. We were the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s Agency of the Year in 2004 and won the REIQ Corporate Innovation Award in 2005. Our highly-motivated Consultants invariably appear in the annual lists of the nation’s 10 most successful salespersons.
These are remarkable achievements considering we operate in a region with a permanent population of less than 20,000, compared with other agents who practice in cities with hundreds of thousands of people.
Formed in 1977 with a staff of three, PRD Whitsunday today employs over 30 full time Sales & Support staff and operates offices on the Whitsunday Coast. In fact we consider ourselves to be a real estate business as opposed to a real estate agency. We are active in every aspect of property - Residential and Commercial Sales, Off-the-Plan Project Marketing, Residential & Commercial Property Management, Auctions and Holiday Letting.
People often ask what sets PRD apart from its competitors. PRD stands for Property, Research & Development, a mantra that has stood the franchise in good stead for nearly four decades. True to its tradition, PRD Whitsunday continues to lead the way in technological innovation and research-based information. The business has played a pivotal role in attracting Australia’s leading developers to the region, and is regarded as one of Australia’s leading project marketers.
PRD Whitsunday And Project Marketing
PRD Whitsunday has played a leading role in the development of the Whitsundays as one of the world’s most desirable lifestyle destinations. Back in the 1990's the region - in particular Airlie Beach - was on its knees economically. Rather than sit back and let fate determine the Whitsundays’ destiny, PRD Whitsunday took the initiative and campaigned to attract respected developers who could see the potential of this beautiful part of the world. The rest is history. Developments worth billions of dollars have been completed or are underway or at an advanced stage of planning. PRD Whitsunday became the region’s first project marketers and today continues to lead the field in assisting developers to “set” their projects - either as Project Consultants or Project Coordinators (see following page for further explanations). Increasingly, developers are using the expertise of Project Marketing specialists such as those who head up PRD Whitsunday’s dedicated Project Marketing division. Executed properly, Project Marketing takes the guesswork out of property development. By utilising the expertise of Project Marketers from day one of a project, a developer maximises the chances of a project exceeding expectations and minimises the risk of it encountering difficulties along the way.
The key to successful Project Marketing is research based on knowledge of local, regional and national markets. In fact, we are the Whitsundays’ leader in Project Marketing. In the past five years we have handled 43 projects worth more than $484 million. We are also market leaders in dealing with island leasehold projects, having marketed many projects on Hamilton Island and Long Island in the Whitsundays. As a further example of our ability to provide a complete real estate service, we have associated businesses handling residential and commercial property management and holiday letting for our clients.
Research is a critical element of our business and advice. We are committed to providing up to date market facts to assist our clients in their decision making process. Project marketers work day in, day out on development projects. They gain invaluable information of what is happening in the marketplace. This information can be passed onto clients planning developments. Proper research allows developers to make informed decisions when it comes to creating the correct package for a project (e.g. product mix, design, finishes, price). No other real estate network can provide the support PRD gives its member offices. PRD Whitsunday and Project Marketing “The key to successful Project Marketing is research based on knowledge of local, regional and national markets.”
How Project Marketing is different from General Brokerage?
Unlike general sales brokers, project marketers do not just list properties, find buyers and negotiate sale prices. A specially-trained project marketer performs many more functions than a general sales broker. A good project marketer is a strategic thinker who will assist a client through the whole development process. The skills of a good project marketer come into play long before a project gets underway. Working on developments on a daily basis, a project marketer can provide a developer with customer feedback on what the market wants (e.g. product mix, design, fixtures). This invaluable information can be used to help create the right product for the right market.
Do I have a role to play in Project Marketing?
At PRD Whitsunday we view all Project Marketing arrangements as a true Partnership between the developer and ourselves. We understand that many of our clients are experienced developers and well equipped to make correct decisions along the way. However, we recommend that clients talk to our Project Marketing division first before embarking on a project as we can provide vital information gained from past projects which will increase the chances of their project being successful. Other clients are not so experienced and we are able to provide developers in this category with a guiding hand and supply a one-stop shop for all aspects of their projects. For clients who are new to the property game or are new to the Whitsunday region we are able to recommend reputable consultants who will assist in getting a project off the ground. For all clients, we provide full reporting systems which ensure that all involved within the project are regularly updated on progress. We believed that the Partnership as described above is the best way to achieve a successful outcome for all parties.
Case Study: Peninsula Airlie Beach
The Seymour Group / Watpac joint venture Peninsula Airlie Beach which occupies pride of place beside Abell Point Marina was the region’s most successful project during the sales and marketing phase. PRD Whitsunday’s Project Marketing team were involved from the initial planning stages through to the end sales, which resulted in $60 million worth of the 42 units being sold within the first few weeks. The average price paid for each of Peninsula’s prestige units was $1.4 million, setting new price points for the town at the time.
Case Study: Whitsunday Horizons
The 40 hectare Whitsunday Horizons project by Gold Coast-based developers DMHP was Airlie Beach’s first master-planned residential community and PRD Whitsunday’s Project Marketing division has been involved all the way. The first two land sub-divisions, Stonehaven (29 lots) and Satinwood (16), sold out quickly and a third, Horizons (26), is now also developed. A 36-unit apartment complex known as Azure Sea is now operating as the Grand Mercure Azure Sea and achieving great occupancy levels. Whitsunday Reflections, a 45 unit project currently being marketed by PRD Whitsunday is open and trading under the Blue Chip umbrella. PRD Whitsunday offers three unique Project Marketing services to developers – the Project Consultancy Partnership, the Project Coordination partnership and Town Planning Approval and Development Management. Over the years many of Australia’s leading developers have benefited from the expertise our business has brought to the table in the setting of successful projects. In the main, developers have retained us for Sales and Marketing activities although we accept that clients may well wish to avail themselves of our expertise in Project Marketing but use their own or other real estate agent’s staff.
We offer the abovementioned serves as described further on the subsequent pages. We invite developers to discuss with us the fee structures for these services on the basis that if they sign an agency agreement with us for Project Coordination we will waive the fee for the Project Consultancy.
Town Planning Approval And Development Management
- Town Planning Due Diligence Reports providing details on the existing uses on the site, any approved uses and the town planning context on what could reasonably be located on the site subject to future approvals.
- Review of existing approvals – a detailed review of specific approvals to outline what could lawfully be changed in the existing approval, the cost of infrastructure charges and the requirements of any subsequent approvals which need to be obtained. Request to change existing development approvals – advice on what could reasonably be deemed a ‘permissible change’ in accordance with the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and managing the subsequent process to gain approval of the change.
- Extension of existing approvals prior to the approval lapsing; undertaking the relevant process to request extensions of lapse dates for existing approvals.
Advice, preparation and management of any development applications, including the preparation of a Town Planning Application to the Local Council or relevant State Agency, which can be prepared in-house by a qualified Town Planner. The service involves the subsequent management of the development approval process as dictated by current legislation.
Here’s how it works ...
The Project Consultancy Partnership
Assistance with the Setting of the Project to maximise the chances of it meeting and exceeding Sales & Marketing expectations
Advice on Site Acquisition
Project Feasibility Study
- Market Research relevant to the project - e.g. product mix, design (interior and exterior) and pricing PLUS In-house Research Analysis
- Liaising with Banks and other Finance Providers in relation to project funding
- Assistance with the appointment of Project Consultants - e.g. Town Planners, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers,
- Landscape Architects, Interior Designers, Surveyors
- Liaising with the Architect and other appointed consultants regarding Master Planning, Building Design, Interior Design, Interior
- Decorating and other matters
- Assistance with the selection of the Construction Company
- Assistance with appointment of and liaison with PR, Media and Marketing Consultants
- Development of the Sales Package and Sales Track
- Assistance with the design and fit-out of both On-site and Off-site Display/Sales offices
- Ensuring that the planned project is the best possible within the marketing opportunities presented at the time of launch
The Project Co-Ordination Partnership
- Co-ordinating the Brand Development and maximising Marketing, Advertising, PR and Media opportunities
- Ensuring the Regular Reporting of all matters affecting the project including General Market Trends and current Competition Sales Rates
- Providing professionally-trained, highly motivated and licensed Project Marketers and Sales Consultants
- Effecting the necessary Documentation and Contract Management
- Supplying a Weekly Contract Status Report
- Providing Leadership and Direction to onsite Sales Staff
- Setting and achieving Sales Targets for the project
- Weekly Reporting of Sales Enquiry Traffic and Status of Enquiry
- Seamless Project Accountability and Communication between Developer and Sales Staff
Case Study: Marina Shores
Marina Shores is another example of our team playing pivotal roles as both project coordinators and project consultants from site acquisition through to the completion of the project. Originally designed aimed at the owner occupier market at price points not achievable, our team lead the redesign to a traditional holiday letting development returning strong profits to the developers. This was the fourth project “partnership” with these developers.
Mission Statement
“To be consistently recognised by our peers as an industry and community leader by exceeding expectations with a diversity of services demonstrated by our knowledge, our integrity and our honesty in a caring and ethical manner.”
