Media release - 24th August, 2016

Raine & Horne Goulburn won the coveted 2016 Excellence in Business Ethics award from Goulburn Chamber of Commerce
Director Zeb Alaia was also named as one of Raine & Horne’s best sales agents in at the Superbrand’s Annual Awards held recently on Queensland’s Hamilton Island
The Goulburn real estate firm has almost quadrupled its property management business since April 2013
Repeat and referral business contribute to about 80% of sales, while 60% of all referrals are generated through social media platforms

Leading local real estate firm, Raine & Horne Goulburn, has proven a big winner at the recent 2016 Goulburn Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, after it was presented with the prestigious Excellence in Business Ethics gong.

RH Goulburn team (Zeb and Courtnie Alaia, centre) “The award from the Chamber of Commerce follows hot on the heels of our sales director Zeb Alaia being named among Raine & Horne’s Top Ten Principals for Number of Sales,” said Courtnie Alaia, Co-Principal Raine & Horne Goulburn.

“Making the top ten means Zeb has beaten hundreds of Raine & Horne agents operating in some of Australia’s biggest capital city markets, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and it’s a massive honour for him to be recognised in this way.”

Raine & Horne Goulburn has built its strong sales results on the back of its growing market presence, the use of contemporary marketing strategies, and its strong commitment to business ethics and community relations, according to Mrs Alaia.

“We’ve used a lot of new techniques to market properties in Goulburn, which our competitors haven’t embraced. This includes the use of the latest 3D imaging technology from Matterport, which is enabling buyers to feel like they are in a property when viewing it online on our website or one of the real estate portals,” she said.

“We’re also using social media to great effect, with around 60% of our total referrals coming through our Facebook page and so on. This compares to about 20% of referrals from social media 12 months ago.

“We’ve worked social media very hard over the last year making sure to post content and listings regularly.”

Raine & Horne Goulburn has almost quadrupled the size of its residential property management business since Mr and Mrs Alaia took over the business in the middle of 2013. The firm also manages commercial properties and storage sheds.

“The massive growth of our rent roll has also helped boost our sales business, as we are selling more properties on behalf of our landlords than ever before, while our owners are referring business our way too.”

In total, repeat and referral business is generating about 80% of sales for Raine & Horne Goulburn.

“We don’t have business targets as such, rather our success is being driven by the fact we love coming to work every day and doing the best we can for our vendors and landlords,” said Mr Alaia.

“There is also a strong link between our ethics and the success of the business. We always put our customers first, and this commitment has contributed significantly to us winning the Excellence in Business Ethics award and the stunning growth of our business.

“This culture also includes being fair to all parties involved in a real estate transaction, while a commitment to compliance is the foundation of the business. Our values are very important to us and we expect all our employees to adopt them when they join us.”

An equally strong commitment to the local community is proving to be another factor in the success of Raine & Horne Goulburn. Mr Alaia is into his third year as a coach at the Goulburn Stockmen Junior Rugby League Football Club, while Raine & Horne Goulburn supports the Goulburn Dirty Reds Rugby Club and the Drifters Hockey Club.

“We also regularly donate to the Cancer Council, World Vision and Unicef and support a number of local causes,” said Mr Alaia.

Prue Martin, Vice President of the Goulburn Chamber of Commerce, commended Raine & Horne Goulburn for its commitment to conducting its business ethically.

“Raine & Horne Goulburn is a deserved winner of the Chamber’s Excellence in Business award, which it won for demonstrating strong ethics internally and externally,” said Ms Martin.

“They have committed to regular training to ensure that whenever there is a change in legislation relating real estate sales and property management, Zeb, Courtnie and the entire team always comply.

“Raine & Horne Goulburn has a reputation for being a great place to work in this community, and how the employees are treated is a reflection of the principals’ commitment to their customers.

“Zeb and Courtnie have created a fun, flexible and creative environment, where their employees can contribute to the day-to-day running of the business. This speaks volumes for the way they conduct their business with a high-level of ethics.”

For all residential sales and property management matters in Goulburn and surrounding areas, contact Raine & Horne Goulburn on 02 4821 9088.

–ENDS–

For further media information contact:

Courtnie Alaia, Director, Raine & Horne Goulburn on 0423 672 856

Andrew Harrington, National Communications Manager, Raine & Horne, on 02 9258 5400

Innovation and strong ethics driving Raine & Horne Goulburn’s growth