Christopher Mourd, Head of Franchise Network for McGrath said he was delighted to welcome Ainsley and Sarah Driver to the company, regarding them as brilliant real estate talent who together run an exceptional team of 25 encompassing sales and property management.

“We feel honoured that Ainsley and Sarah have selected McGrath as their partner to evolve and expand their business and market share across the Wide Bay region. We are especially excited to move into this regional Queensland market that represents an outstanding opportunity for our clients to buy in these key locations.”

The Drivers today will relaunch their real estate business as McGrath Bundaberg and McGrath Bargara (previously PRD Real Estate) and will service as far north as Winfield and Childers in the south.

Bundaberg, best-known for its Bundaberg Rum, is the 10th largest city in Queensland situated on its coast and approximately 385 km north of Brisbane.

Ainsley Driver explains, “Along with our whole team, my wife Sarah and I are very excited about this important alignment with McGrath. We have a very accomplished team joining us in the transition, from the regions most experienced property managers and top salespeople including Vicki Hodges and Mark Gelsomino and Peter and Maree Barone, who are household names when it comes to real estate in our region. We are committed to bring the highest level of service to our clients and believe this will be enhanced by McGrath’s strong ethos towards excellence, customer service and progressive marketing.

“Our local market has experienced a huge influx into the region of the past 18 months for both coast and country homes. Having lived here for 25 years, I know firsthand that it is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We have an enviable lifestyle and climate here. Even with the recent boom, Bundaberg city is one of the most affordable places to live in South-East Queensland.”

Mr Driver adds, “More than 30 per cent of our enquiry is investor-based as they recognise the upside of their investment. We haven’t seen this degree of enquiry since 2002. The rental vacancy rate is the lowest I’ve seen in 25 years. The usual rate is between 1% and 3% however we’re sitting on 0.3%.

“Tourism is on the upswing post COVID. It’s a big industry for the region as the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, home to the Bundaberg Rum distillery and the Australian Sugar Cane Railway.

Recent outstanding sales by the team include:

• $1,430,000 sale of a 3-bedroom home at 470 Branyan Road, Branyan

• $1,250,000 sale of a 5-bedroom home at 12 Trinity Close, Bargara

• $1,250,000 sale of a 2.02ha homesite at 102-110 Shelley Street, Burnett Heads

Mr Driver notes that the region was attractive not only to the investor market, but to both sea and tree changers and young families seeking a more relaxed lifestyle with the amenities of big city life. Well situated it has access to the coast as well as the mountains.

The combined offices have an impressive rent-roll of just under 1,000 properties under management. On June, 15 The Courier Mail reported vacancy rates of around 0.2 per cent since late 2019. “Bundaberg has experienced a 15.2 per cent rise in rent levels over the past year. It has also grown 33.3 per cent over the past decade.”