HARCOURTS TAKES TO STAGE AT MAJOR US CONFERENCE

Australasia's fastest growing real estate group, Harcourts International Ltd, represented New Zealand and Australia with Managing Director, Mike Green in the spotlight on stage at the RELO real estate conference in New Orleans, United States earlier this month.

RELO is a worldwide network of real estate companies which Mr Green described as the "who's who of the international real estate industry, covering virtually every corner of the globe with more than 700 companies and over 3,500 offices. In short, it's a highly successful chain of real estate companies who work together in marketing properties and specialise in global relocation and resettlement." Harcourts joined RELO last year as the exclusive Australasian and South Pacific representative.

Mr Green was part of a panel of international real estate executives including Ireland and Argentina speaking at the 'Where in the World?' session providing information on their property markets. He said the continuing security concerns in North America and Europe saw strong interest from conference delegates in Australasia providing a safe destination for both holidays and an immigration option. The successful "Lord of the Rings" trilogy had further heightened awareness and interest in 'downunder'.

As well as providing considerable exposure for Harcourts, a core outcome was networking with some of the world's most respected and dynamic property professionals including Ron Peltier, CEO of HomeServices, one of the largest residential real estate company in the United States and part of billionaire and financial guru, Warren Buffett's empire.

Mr Green added that Harcourts continued to pursue its strategy of growth and as a result of two key expansions already this year, now had just on 320 offices. The expansions were into:

• Western Australia with the purchase of the Perth based Roy Weston real estate group of 61 offices throughout Western Australia, Northern Territories and Indonesia.
• South Australia through a joint venture with Adelaide based Brock Real Estate.