The nine new recruits will be led by Daniel Goodwin, who until recently, was Principal of LJ Hooker Paddington.

Mr Goodwin will transition his entire sales team across to McGrath, with over 45 listings servicing key Brisbane suburbs such as Paddington, New Farm, Ashgrove, The Gap, Bardon and Teneriffe. 

McGrath Chief Executive Officer Geoff Lucas says they are excited to bring such strong agents on board to spearhead the agency's growth.

"We are excited to have nine exceptional agents and their support staff join our team to spearhead our continued focus and growth in Brisbane. Their success in the Paddington and New Farm precincts speak for itself achieving an outstanding string of sales by both auction and private treaty," Mr Lucas said.

“This is in line with our overall strategy to increase market share in our key markets with the recruitment of exceptional agents who have the desire to be part of a well-resourced and well-capitalised company.

"Their wealth of knowledge and experience will augment our existing sales teams of 16 agents in Paddington and 12 agents in New Farm where we have seen some strong sales results in the past few months.”

One of those strong results was the sale of 32 Burdenkin Drive in Sinnamon Park for $2.5 million by agent Reuben Packer-Hill.

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A vocal advocate for South East Queensland, McGrath founder John McGrath reinforced his enthusiasm for the Sunshine State in the recently released McGrath Report 2019. 

“Liveability, affordability, scale and future economic prospects all suggest that Brisbane is a market which you can confidently invest. Brisbane is one of the world’s great cities and in my opinion the best market in Australia for short to medium term growth. I’ve been bullish on the area for some time, and whilst there has been some growth I believe there is a lot more to come over the next few years," Mr McGrath said in the report.

Daniel Goodwin told WILLIAMS MEDIA the decision to join McGrath Paddington was a carefully considered one. 

"We felt this was the right time to join McGrath, a company that has the respect of our agents as being the market leader in property marketing, customer service and industry training," Mr Goodwin said.

"With margins constantly under pressure, I believe the high-level training and leadership by their entire management team, including John himself, is very important if agents are to adapt to a constantly changing and challenging market.

"Equally, as a public company, accountability and transparency are very appealing. 

“By joining the McGrath network in Brisbane, the team has a fresh energy heading into 2019 and we look forward to making a difference to the results of our clients going forward,” Mr Goodwin added.

Head of Sales for McGrath’s company-owned offices, Kon Stathopoulos said he was thrilled to welcome Daniel and his team to McGrath.

“In our discussions, it became clear to me that this was a dedicated team that was serious about growing their business with a clear desire to deliver the best experience for their clients without the pressure of running their own business," Mr Stathopoulos said.

Mr Stathopoulos said the recent recruitment typifies the calibre of agents McGrath wants to recruit.

“This also signified to us something that we can expect to see in the future. High performing agents wanting to step away from being traditional business owners with a desire to be part of a synergistic brand.

“Daniel has more 15 years experience in the Brisbane property market, and his combined team has over 60 years, so their local knowledge, expertise and understanding of the local market will be an added value to McGrath and its clients, both in Brisbane and across the borders”. 

Brisbane apartment market "represents tremendous value"

Mr Goodwin says the inner city apartment market offers outstanding value compared to its interstate counterparts.

“There are brand new 1 bedroom units available in the early $400,000 range and 2 bedrooms in $500,000 bracket in areas like Newstead and Fortitude Valley. These developments offer outstanding lifestyle features suited to Queensland’s enviable climate and have luxurious pools, rooftop entertainment areas, and private cinemas rooms," Mr Goodwin said.

“We are also finding a trend of upgrading from outer suburbs to places like The Gap, Ashgrove and Bardon within the 10km ring of the Brisbane CBD with many family purchasers seeking the catchments of a number of high quality and well regarded public and private schools whilst maintaining easy access and transport links to the CBD for working professionals. 

“In the higher end space, interstate influence is certainly being felt in suburbs like New Farm and Paddington with value again being a prime driver of these opportunities.

"Equivalent high-end property in Melbourne or Sydney could be up to double the price of that in Brisbane, and with new and planned infrastructure such as Brisbane airport’s new runway expansion, new Queens Wharf Casino under construction and Howard Smith Wharves development, cashed up buyers are recognising the value, lifestyle and connectivity that Brisbane now affords,” Mr Goodwin said.

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