Aussiehome.com CEO Charlie Gunningham has been appointed manager of websites. This is a great move for REIWA to work with an established brand in Aussiehome.com
As you know Charlie is a writer here on business2.com.au so I must be subjective in assessing this, but I do think it is a good move and will create real competition for major portals bring costs down to agents across WA and hopefully adding some key benefits.
Once things settle I would like to see some information from Charlie as what the plans are and some clear costs for agents going forward for subscriptions.
It will also be interesting to see whether REIWA will allow for competition amongst agents for top spots in search areas. I hope this does not happen and the combined effort becomes a pure site for agents and prospective buyers/tenants.
Here is the full press release…..
REIWA is to merge with Aussiehome. REIWA is pleased to announce that Charlie Gunningham, has been appointed as the new manager of the reiwa.com website and related services.
Mr Gunningham is the founder of aussiehome.com, a successful niche website for real estate listings with a strong presence in Perth’s western suburbs. The company is also renowned for web development and customer relationships.
REIWA CEO, Anne Arnold, said she was delighted that Mr Gunningham was coming on board and looked forward to his expertise and entrepreneurial skills taking reiwa.com to the next level.
“Charlie is well known, well liked and widely respected in the industry. He’s passionate about the internet and making the best use of it for customers and clients,” Mrs Arnold said.
Mrs Arnold said Charlie’s appointment begins a new era at REIWA as the Institute looks to improve its portal and to provide better personalised websites to members.
Mr Gunningham said that his appointment will mean that, subject to satisfactory due diligence, aussiehome.com will merge with reiwa.com on 1 July and over time staff from aussiehome will move across to REIWA to continue their work at the Institute’s headquarters in Subiaco.
“The aussiehome website will remain as it is now for the short term, and then we will merge the best elements of both sites ensuring that all the traffic and search engine benefits come together into one larger, stronger and more advanced WA real estate web site at reiwa.com, all owned and run by the industry for the industry,” Mr Gunningham said.
Mrs Arnold assured clients that all the personalised services they currently enjoyed from aussiehome.com will continue uninterrupted.
“Over the following year and beyond we will be combining all of these services with those offered by REIWA, to bring members an even greater array of products.
“This is a major strategic move by the two parties which believe that competition in the real estate portal space will be enhanced by this relationship and that clients and members will be direct beneficiaries of the enhanced combined site,” Mrs Arnold said.
9 Comments
Greg Vincent
Looks like being a move in the right direction for the industry in WA.
Both REIWA (via reiwa.com.au & REIV (via RealEstateView.com.au) have played a good role in providing some competition within the portal sector. It’s time for the rest of the states to embrace what they have done, especially Qld & NSW (where a large percentage of the agents & listings are).
Great to see Charlie bringing his skills, technology and team into REIWA.
Congratulations Charlie, the AussieHome team & REIWA.
Robert Simeon
Indeed a very smart move – which could possibly expand all the way across Australia. The only thing standing in the way are individual egos – although this does signal a significant changing of the landscapes.
Peter Ricci
I just wonder what other portal/institute marriages could work across Australia?
Robert Simeon
It would make sense to see them all merge under the one umbrella and third party advertising revenues be determined on the amount of traffic that each individual state and territory attracts.
Mac
*L* The horse has long bolted, Robert. The original Property.com.au was the missionary in this area and only truly national portal for a few years. It was shared by the REI’s with a commercial operator who brought the deal to them and marketed it – as they knew nothing about such things (and still don’t!)
Then Realestate.com.au came along as a battling start-up that basically went broke until Macquarie and News Ltd invested in it. Unfortunately, Property.com.au’s Industry vested interest / dominance was blown-apart by a couple of shortsighted Vic agents who couldn’t see the wood for the trees! They ensured the REI’s got out of it. Property.com.au was eventually sold to REA who could then aggregate with their main competition and the rest is history.
My advice would be to not worry too much about the portals; Pay them as little as possible, stoke-up Google, concentrate on your own websites, and use some nice innovative services coming along that aren’t associated with the portals. Let’s face it, REA, Domain, Homehound, Myhome, Realestateview, REIWA, Aussiehome, etc etc etc are just like the old newspapers. We’ve got to get ahead of that game!
Greg Vincent
Domain’s recent move isn’t going to win them too many friends in the real estate industry.
http://www1.propertyportalwatch.com/2010/05/buymyplace-com-au-now-on-domain-com-au/
This move has allowed some 1,739 properties for sale privately to be uploaded onto their site
As I commented on PropertyPortal Watch, “I
Sal Espro
Don’t agree Peter. This subject has been done to death in this forum. Some agree with you and others like me think that FSBO is such a small % of the market and a poorly serviced one when it comes to having to service the actual buyers, that these vendors are rich pickings especially as the market softens – as it seems is occurring.
Peter Ricci
Don’t agree Peter? Not sure what you are not agreeing with Sal, but if you are not agreeing for not agreeing sake, then I do not agree with your non agreeance.
I think we should agree to disagree on whatever thing we are disagreeing on.
Charlie
Thanks for the comments on our proposed merger – take your points Peter, and everyone; have to say I also agree that Mac that Google will be important, and have commented as such many times on this blog (have not changed my opinion); both reiwa and aussiehome fed to Google day one when they opened up last July. Two notable property portals in Australia did not – we know who they were.
Had a coffee with someone today who said that Google are (I think I’m remembering right) a “castle of search surrounded by a moat of free” – a good way of looking at it, and that makes them very powerful, and anyone would be unwise to underestimate them.