Development Ready Podcast

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TC Bakhour sat down this week with Robert Wilson of Prime Square, a hotel advisory and investment business. Robert is an expert in the hotel property sector, working with many of the major affiliates before joining Prime Square. His breadth of experience and insight into the industry makes this episode a 'must-hear' for any commercial and hotel minded property enthusiasts.

Show notes

01:14 - Introduction
01:59 - Who he is and what he does
03:02 - How he got started in real estate
04:59 - Prime Square and their focus
07:47 - Clientele
09:47 - Hotel acquisition
11:51 - Prime Square’s involvement and value
14:10 - Assessing hotel development sites
18:54 - Operator’s involvement in design
20:36 - Relationship between operators and developers
22:49 - Length of process
24:54 - Operator’s demands and goals
28:51 - How Airbnb has affected the sector
31:02 - The future of the sector
33:14 - Best advice; life or business

Links

Robert Wilson
Prime Square
Holiday Inn
Marriott
Morgan Stanley
2008 GFC

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In the Development Ready Podcast's latest episode, we hear TC Bakhour and Robert Langton discuss the current and future states of the property development market with Jon Purcell, Director of SEMZ Property Advisory and Project Management.

Through the episode's discussions you'll hear some of Jon's experiences in the sector, including his time working at Grocon, as well as his expertise relating to initial project feasibility studies, the structuring of joint ventures and project management.

Show notes

01:13 - Introduction
02:07 - What he does, how he got into property
04:23 - His time at Grocon, Crown Casino project
07:32 - SEMZ and how he started it
16:41 - SEMZ today and how the business has grown
18:59 - The current market and where it’s going
24:21 - How the process is different for each client
25:34 - Passion and philosophy
30:11 - Developers in today's market
34:17 - Build-to-Rent model, home ownership
38:04 - Biggest problems facing developers
40:09 - The future of the market and SEMZ
43:38 - Characteristics of a good development manager

Links

SEMZ Property Advisory and Project Management
The University of Melbourne
Grocon

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This week in the Development Ready Podcast, Rob Langton and TC Bakhour were joined by Kris Daff, Director of Make Ventures. This episode was incredibly insightful as Kris shared his broad and detailed experiences through the property development sector. Topics broached were Kris' movements from Docklands Authority to Evolve Developments, experiences with is Assemble venture and his views on and the exciting build-to-rent sector.

Show notes

01:48 - Introduction
02:40 - Who Kris is and what he does
03:51 - How he got into working in property
06:14 - His time at Docklands Authority
09:19 - The Docklands development
15:41 - Ashley Williams, Evolve Development
22:54 - Learnings from his time at Evolve
25:38 - Ron Walker and his involvement at Evolve
28:43 - Greenfield development
31:57 - Make Ventures
38:15 - Socially responsible development
41:40 - Assemble & their partnership with ANZ bank
49:12 - Inspiration for the Assemble business model
52:50 - Assemble’s pilot project
01:02:43 - Community focus, tenant retention, risk
01:10:47 - Future of Assemble
01:15:39 - Marketing, how his companies stand out
01:18:32 - What it takes to excel in development
01:21:31 - Best piece of advice, life or business

Links

Kris Daff
Make Ventures
Evolve Development
Ashley Williams
Fieldwork
Assemble & ANZ partnership

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In Development Ready's latest podcast episode, TC Bakhour and Robert Langton were joined by Hugh Gretton-Watson, Founder and Director of HGW Projects, a project and development management firm in Melbourne. Through their enlightening discussion, these three industry experts discuss entering the property development sector, the ins-and outs-of project and development management and Hugh's first hand industry insights; including where it is currently placed and where he sees growth and movement in the future.

Show notes

01:49 - Introduction
03:02 - How he got started in the property industry
05:16 - HGW Projects, current and past projects
07:48 - Evaluating large projects
09:18 - Clientele
10:24 - What value HGW brings to the table
12:03 - What products are moving in the current market
13:47 - Investment property
16:22 - Projects that anticipate that future markets
18:13 - A look at specific markets
20:50 - Problems & opportunities facing developers
23:43 - Investment market, lenders
26:41 - Child care & aged care
27:41 - The acquisition process, evaluating a viable site
30:32 - Derisking retail sites
31:15 - Technology in the industry, Aconex
33:31 - What hasn’t changed but should, solar/thermal interest
36:59 - What it takes to be a good project manager
37:52 - Best advice, life or business
38:34 - The benefits of working with HGW Projects

Links

HGW Projects
Impact Investment Group
Woods Bagot
Stockland
High Point Property Group
Aconex

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In the latest episode of Development Ready's Industry Podcast, Rob Langton and TC Bakhour were joined by town planning expert, and Bennett+Bennett's Brisbane Director, Craig Wood. Through this comprehensive and insightful discussion, Rob and TC dug deep into Craig Wood's property development journey to uncover key learnings of the town planning and surveying sector.

Show notes

01:50 - Introduction
03:08 - His journey into property surveying
04:38 - Bennett + Bennett, surveying
06:50 - Growth they’re seeing
07:15 - Their niche, specialties, current projects
08:55 - The Queen’s Wharf project
09:54 - Development process
12:22 - Brisbane market
15:39 - Investing and development in Queensland
16:23 - Surveyor’s day-to-day, technology
18:07 - Adapting from the old to the new
20:10 - Town planning compared to surveying
22:21 - Relationships with the local council
23:09 - What to look for in a surveying firm
24:59 - Skills needed to work in town planning/surveying
26:21 - Best piece of advice, life or business

Links

Craig Wood
Bennett + Bennett

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This week on the Development Ready podcast we have Alex Mirzaian of CBRE, Western Sydney.

Show notes

01:49 - Introduction
02:33 - Background and how he got into real estate
04:37 - CBRE and their 360 offering
06:17 - What it’s like working for a large agency
07:38 - CBRE’s edge over competitors
09:05 - Collaboration within CBRE
10:29 - Current state of the market
11:39 - What developers are doing differently now
15:17 - The build-to-rent sector
17:05 - Biggest problems facing developers
17:47 - What’s hurting demand, affordability
20:12 - Developer opportunities, quality vs quantity
22:23 - Vendor expectations, educational process
24:45 - Prospecting nowadays
27:24 - Developer relationships
31:18 - Consulting and advising
34:23 - Next 18 months of the development space
36:52 - Characteristics of a good agent
37:57 - Best advice, life or business

Links

Alex Mirzaian at CBRE
CBRE

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This week on the Development Ready podcast we have Michael Ryan, Director of Allard Shelton.

Show notes

01:12 - Introduction
01:51 - Allard Shelton
03:31 - His role and background
07:13 - How he started out
09:02 - His time with ASL and Beller
14:54 - Experience working for a startup
16:26 - Niche based agencies, fluctuating market
20:55 - His experience with Fitzroys
24:59 - The transition to Allard Shelton
30:36 - Adapt or die
31:30 - Long-term vision for Allard Shelton
32:15 - Current state of the market
35:34 - How developers are adapting to the market
37:43 - Problems agents are facing
39:36 - Vendor expectations
41:29 - Foreign buyers, local developers
43:40 - Interactions with developers and owners
48:03 - Next 18 months of the development space
49:34 - Best advice, life or business

Links

Allard Shelton
Beller Commercial
Fitzroys

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This week on the Development Ready podcast we have Gus Moors, the National Director of Hotels at Colliers International.

Show notes

01:33 - Introduction
02:23 - Background
03:37 - Colliers International
05:42 - Their roles within the hotel sector
07:20 - What makes a good developer
09:48 - When they get involved in projects
11:19 - Length of process
13:37 - How competitive the space is
19:11 - How big hotel operators/developers work
22:36 - Establishing yourself in the space
24:22 - Off-market transactions
25:41 - Operators role in hotel transactions
27:52 - Nature of hotel market, supply
30:59 - How hotel development differs
32:14 - What buyers are looking for in a hotel
33:58 - Where they’re seeing the most activity
36:13 - Foreign interest in hotels
37:43 - Transitioning to the hotel space
40:25 - Advice for newcomers
43:27 - Best advice, life or business

Links

Colliers International

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This week on the Development Ready podcast we have Property Specialist and Co-founder of Secoya Property and Project Marketing, Spiro Skiadopolous.

We speak to Spiro about his journey into the property industry, and discuss topics such as:

What makes a development project successful
The evolution of amenities within apartment developments
How the emergence of the local buyer is changing the development landscape and
Why listening to consumer demand is so important plus much more.

Remember as always to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who we have on next week’s series.

Show notes

01:33 - Introduction
02:19 - What he does and how he got started
03:25 - How has the industry changed
04:13 - Secoya Property
05:36 - The current project marketing space
06:29 - Oversupply
08:38 - What stock is in low supply?
09:41 - Development areas of interest
10:32 - Sale case study and the wow factor
14:21 - Developer approach
15:25 - How Secoya works with developers
18:21 - When Secoya gets involved
19:40 - What value Secoya offers the consumer, investor
20:48 - Consumer’s deposit to settlement process
24:46 - Local and foreign buyers
27:00 - FIRB’s impact on foreign investment
28:26 - Where he’s finding the most opportunity
30:41 - Difference between good & bad project marketer
32:04 - Best advice

Links

Secoya Property
Foreign Investment Review Board

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This week on the Development Ready podcast we have Managing Director of Di Marco Group and publisher and founder of The Urban Developer, Adam Di Marco.

We speak to Adam about his journey from property developer to start-up founder & entrepreneur, plus discuss topics such as:
⁃ Boutique development and its place in the Brisbane market
⁃ How technology is changing the way we find and acquire property
⁃ How the urban developer was conceived and founded and
⁃ What the future of information looks like.

Remember as always to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who have on next weeks series.

Show notes

01:34 - Introduction
02:31 - Who he is and what he does
03:08 - His business startups
05:29 - Background
07:32 - The purpose of The Urban Developer
09:46 - The Urban Developer
14:37 - Events and connecting with community
18:09 - Urbanity Conference, September 2018
22:57 - Their content readership
24:30 - Extracting and sharing information
26:49 - Education and delivery
29:36 - Current market trends
31:37 - Foreign developer data
34:58 - Biggest problems facing developers right now
36:24 - Offshore funding
37:35 - Di Marco Group
40:15 - Brisbane boutique development
42:06 - Target market area
43:02 - Lessons learned and key traits
45:10 - Getting started
46:30 - The future of the Urban Developer
48:51 - Founding core values
52:50 - 1 focus, 1 goal
53:47 - Best advice

Links

The Urban Developer
Cityshape
Urbanity
Leighton Properties
Marquette Properties
Neometro

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This week on the Development Ready podcast, we have Commercial Agent and Sales Director, Nick Moloney, of Raine and Horne Commercial North Sydney.

We speak to Nick about his journey into the property industry and discuss topics such as:

What the development market is trending towards and how developers can adapt
What the differences are between buying a development site and an investment asset
Why commercial assets offer good long term value
How developers are reassessing there strategy when making acquisitions

...plus much more

Remember as always to Like and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who we have on next week’s series.

Show notes

01:34 - Introduction
02:58 - Who he is, what he does
03:39 - How he got into real estate and Raine & Horne
06:00 - Development market, pockets of value
07:07 - Competition & prospecting
08:58 - Image and how you present yourself
09:53 - Developer competition and inquiries
11:21 - Local and foreign buyers
13:35 - Difference in commercial and development space
16:21 - Vendor management and expectations
19:00 - Rising vendor expectations
20:47 - Vendor knowledge
22:12 - Properties with a development angle
24:36 - Commercial and residential investors
28:35 - Successfully transition from residential to commercial investor
30:19 - Why someone would want to transition to commercial
32:45 - Evaluating tenants
33:53 - Retail leasing
35:08 - Sophisticated developer inquiring trends
37:57 - Demand for long-term tenant commercial properties
39:11 - His strengths and what he has to offer prospective clients
41:30 - Development Ready
42:09 - Most important role of the agent
45:00 - Repetition and experience
46:45 - Most valuable skill of a new hire
48:21 - Best advice, life or business

Links

Raine & Horne Commercial

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This week on the Development Ready podcast, we have Finance Expert and Partner at Varna Capital, Simon Howlett.

We speak to Simon about his journey into the finance industry and discuss topics such as:

How to evaluate and assess risk in a development project
Why establishing strong relationships with lending partners is so important
How great teams make great projects
What really matters to a lender when assessing an opportunity, plus much more.

Remember as always to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who we have on next week’s episode.

Show notes

01:33 - Introduction
02:20 - Background, who he is and who Varna Capital is
03:41 - How deals are made and referral partners
06:50 - Length of process
08:01 - Lender’s expectations and processes
09:37 - Deals involving multiple referrers
11:49 - Current state of the market and lending from banks
15:48 - Banks criteria and what Varna’s future looks like
19:25 - Private lenders and establishing new work relationships
22:15 - De-risking projects and a look at a high-risk example
27:50 - % of equity included in deals
29:16 - Projects that are sold into the local market
30:21 - How hard the current market is for new developers
33:26 - The importance of the team
37:24 - What makes a strong team
40:31 - His role and where he adds the most value
44:45 - The perfect deal
47:20 - What’s in short supply?
50:18 - Varna’s current outlook
51:12 - Best piece of advice

Links

Varna Capital

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This week on the Development Ready podcast, we have Investment Sales Manager and Investment Sales Executive at JLL, Elliot O’Shea and Blake Goddard.

We speak to the guys about their Real Estate journey and discuss topics such as:

Why the Brisbane market still offers great investment potential for investors
Which pockets of Brisbane are set to hit a boom
What developers should be considering
When evaluating the viability of a development site and
Why Adapting to a changing market is pivotal to a developers success

...plus much more

Remember as always to Like and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who we have on next week’s episode.

Show notes

01:11 - Introduction
02:07 - Backgrounds, who they are
04:11 - JLL and their roles in the company
06:35 - Exposure to other elements of business
08:45 - Current market of development sites
11:11 - Foreign developers
12:56 - Settlement risk
14:18 - Commercial sales and investment markets
15:22 - Vendor expectations and how to manage them
19:06 - Holding onto assets for a more opportune time to develop
23:12 - Commercial investors turned developers because of market
24:59 - Sale trends in hot markets
27:41 - Value of commercial assets in Brisbane
29:19 - Outside investor interest in Brisbane
31:47 - Difficulties involved in transitioning across states
33:00 - Developing in one area
34:24 - Undervalued areas of Brisbane
36:01 - Evaluating areas to develop
38:18 - Important skills/attributes/roles of a good agent
42:46 - Agent perception transitioning to advisor
44:22 - Developer’s and investor’s expectations
48:05 - Best advice, life or business

Links

JLL
Blue Sky
Aria Property Group

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This week on the Development Ready podcast, we have Melbourne Developer and Director of Better Living Group, Dino Mazzei.

We speak to Dino about the changing face of the development industry and discuss topics such as:

What makes a development project viable
How to maintain longevity in the development industry
Building for the consumer
How to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving development market

...plus much more.

Remember as always to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see who we have on next week’s episode.

Show notes

01:11 - Introduction
01:55 - What he does and how he got started
03:52 - Their niche and what area(s) they work in
05:00 - How they evaluate a potential job and where they search for work
07:07 - Funding and what it’s like working with banks
08:53 - Obstacles faced when taking over Better Living Group
11:25 - What they focused on when starting out and present day
12:45 - Shift in market
14:25 - Biggest problem facing developers in today's economy
15:01 - Alternative lenders and funding sources
17:43 - Equity in deals
18:31 - De-risking projects with a focus on a recent project
22:52 - How being builders and developers gives them an edge over competitors
25:21 - Obstacles faced with over a long-term business
26:38 - Conservative model
28:49 - Development Philosophy
32:02 - Transitioning to industrial from residential development
32:46 - Retirement living space
34:33 - Areas and markets
37:31 - Transformative and opportune areas
39:11 - Vendor expectations and joint deals
41:47 - Opportunity to contract as builders
43:11 - Best advice, life or business

Links

Better Living Group
Mazzei Homes

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This week on the Development Ready podcast, we have Business Development and Technology Manager Tony Hope, of LJ Hooker Commercial Brisbane.

We speak to Tony about his journey into the real estate industry and discuss topics such as:

How technology is changing the face of the real estate industry
Where and how the industry will be disrupted
New technologies being adopted by forward thinking real estate agencies
And how the adoption of new technologies is giving the LJ hooker business an edge over some of its competitors plus much more

Remember as always to Like and Follow us on Facebook and instagram to see who we have on next week’s episode.

Show notes

01:11 - Introduction
01:53 - Background - who Tony Hope is
03:26 - Why Tony transitioned to real estate
04:04 - What the tech role at LJ Hooker entails
05:07 - Disruption of the commercial sector
10:03 - Tech adapted at LJ Hooker, the edge over their competitors
13:47 - Outdated practises in the industry and how to improve them
15:53 - How his tech background helped him at LJ Hooker
19:14 - Inspiration drawn from tech companies
21:21 - The marketing landscape
23:29 - Where they focus their marketing budget
25:54 - Which tech enables them to find buyers faster
27:22 - Marketing channels, the commercial market in Brisbane
30:13 - Developer & buyer expectations
31:37 - How competitive the market is
32:36 - How they assist developers & investors
34:29 - Plans with the data & tech they’re developing
35:33 - How investors & developers have adopted technology
36:27 - Best advice, life or business, he has been given

Links

Tony Hope
LJ Hooker Commercial Brisbane
Purple Bricks

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In episode 2 of the Development Ready podcast, we sit down with Neil Cooke, Director of residential site sales Sydney.

Neil has over 25 years’ property experience and specialises in the Sydney Metropolitan market with a prime focus on the advisory and sale of small to large-scale residential and mix-use development site sales. His experience ranges from Development Management, Site Acquisition, Project Marketing, Project Management, Construction and Civil Engineering.

In this episode we covered:

The state of the Sydney real estate market
What the competition among developers is like
How do you manage vendor expectations
How much business is done off-market
The development site stock that’s in short supply

We hope you enjoy this episode and stay tuned for next week’s episode where we catch Tony Hope of LJ Hooker, and discuss how technology is changing the way we buy and sell development property.

Remember as always to like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram or visit us at DevelopmentReady.com.au

Show notes

01:11 - Introduction

02:09 - Who and what is Savills

03:12 - Transition from Engineering to Sales

04:53 - Savills edge over competitors

05:35 - The state of the Sydney real estate market

06:21 - What the competition among developers is like

09:06 - How do you manage vendor expectations

11:27 - How much business is done off-market

12:46 - What stock is in short supply

13:33 - A successful campaign he worked on

15:23 - What they look for in a real estate agent

17:30 - What it’s like as a new agent

19:40 - How much trust is put in him and his team

20:15 - Best advice, life or business, he’s been given

Links

Neil Cooke - Savills, LinkedIn

Helm Properties

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In episode 1 of Development Ready’s new podcast, we sit down with leading industrial agents Guy Naselli and Jake George of CBRE Melbourne.

Commencing his career in the early 2000’s as an engineer in the construction industry, Guy leveraged his extensive people skills and thorough knowledge of the Melbourne market and began working in the residential sector of the real estate industry. After cutting his teeth in the residential market, Guy quickly transitioned into the commercial sector with a boutique agency before moving to CBRE in 2015 and working within the City fringe industrial markets.

Jake George is a former radio host whom made the move into real estate following the encouragement and advice of family friends. Jake boasts extensive experience in the residential sector but now finds himself entranced in the industrial space where he’s never looked back.

In this episode, we covered:

Their career trajectory and what led them into the real estate industry
The fundamentals for evaluating industrial development sites
How residential developers are successfully making the transition into the industrial market
How industry sites are being re-zoned within city-fringe areas
The future of the industrial sector

Enjoy this episode and stay tuned for next week’s episode where we catch up with leading Sydney agent, Neil Cooke of Savills Australia.

Show notes

01:12 - Introduction

01:45 - Who they are and what they do

02:51 - How and why they got started in the industrial property sector

04:54 - How CBRE is able to thrive

07:24 - How different is CBRE from a boutique commercial agency?

08:15 - Communication & collaboration within CBRE

09:19 - Is this collaboration unique to CBRE?

10:35 - Why people are transitioning to industrial development

11:45 - Industrial due diligence

14:04 - The difference between residential and industrial development in terms of exit strategy

16:54 - Changes in the industrial sector over the past 12-24 months

18:11 - The rings of Melbourne

20:48 - Rezoning potential

25:35 - How industrial assets function as leased assets

27:51 - How to advise residential developers looking to add industrial investments

29:37 - How much of what they do is advising and how that differs with who they’re dealing with

32:40 - Where the industrial sector is going in 2018

33:55 - Are traditional industrial assets undervalued?

34:54 - What skills/character a successful industrial sector candidate should have

36:23 - Best advice in life & business

Links

developmentready.com.au

Jake George

Guy Naselli

CBRE

Development Ready Podcast: Recent Episodes

Robert Langton & TC Bakhour