Knight Frank will launch a new office in Bowral after joining forces with a 100-year- old real estate agency in the area.

Knight Frank Partner, Head of Valuation and Advisory Alistair Carpenter will head up the office, which was previously run by his family for the past century, and will now rebrand from the W M Carpenter Real Estate (WMC) name to Knight Frank.

The new Knight Frank Southern Highlands office, located at 22 Merrigang Street in Bowral, will open with seven people, with plans for expansion over the coming months.

This will include the addition of more residential, commercial and rural agents, as well as people in valuations and asset management to provide the full suite of property-related services to clients.

Knight Frank’s Head of Residential Erin van Tuil will manage the residential component of the office, with Knight Frank already having been active in Residential Sales and Residential Project Sales in Bowral for nearly 12 months, and Knight Frank’s residential agent Nathan Berlyn will now work from the office.

In addition, local agent Kate Johnson will move to Knight Frank’s Bowral office establishing a much needed commercial, industrial and retail management and agency business in the area.

The valuations team for the office will include Alistair Carpenter, Alison Flood, Tracey Barrow-Cliff and Paul Williams.

Mr Carpenter said Knight Frank’s decision to join forces with WMC, a brand dating back to 1923, will allow the next phase of growth for the office, with the existing business leveraging Knight Frank’s established efficacy.

“The heritage and established track record of the office provides a solid platform to move forward and expand in what is an exciting and rapidly-changing real estate market,” he said.

“While traditionally the focus has been on residential for the existing brand, Knight Frank’s Southern Highlands office will service rural, residential, commercial, industrial and retail, as well as providing valuation and asset management services.

“We are excited to take the office into the next phase of growth, with Knight Frank’s global reach able to provide exciting opportunities moving forward.”

Ms van Tuil said Knight Frank had had great success operating in the Southern Highlands to date from a residential perspective.

“We have launched and sold multiple development sites and luxury projects, including apartments and townhouses, over the past year including Maeve, Springfield Residences and Elmsdale,” she said.

“Our team is also currently marketing several luxury houses in the area including the estate built for Charles B Fairfax at 4 Ranelagh Road in Burradoo and Wombat Hollow at 300 Kirkland Road.

“Knight Frank are passionate about the Southern Highlands, with Bowral having experienced substantial growth in popularity particularly since COVID, as remote working made it possible to live full time in a lifestyle area still within commutable distance to Sydney.”