Gavin Rubinstein is set to shake up the Hunter’s Hill property market, with plans to open The Rubinstein Group’s (TRG) third office.
Just days ago he signed the lease on 94 Woolwich Rd, Hunters Hill, with the 140sq m office set to be redesigned and refurbished in keeping with the style on offer at TRG’s Woollahra and Rose Bay offices.
“It’s the same formula as all of our offices, we want to be in the hub of the market that we’re selling in and, if we can, avoid saturation with other offices and agencies,” Mr Rubinstein said.
“What I loved about this location was it’s next door to some pretty epic community spots, like the Ironwood Cafe and Cucinetta Italian restaurant, and we’re using Anna from Esoteriko, who was the architect and interior designer for both Rose Bay and Woollahra, so it will look cool.”
Mr Rubinstein said over the past 12 months, Hunters Hill vendors had called on him to sell their properties and he had achieved some stellar results, selling 22 Farnell St for $6.458 million.
He also sold 11 Tiree Ave for $12.6 million, on the back of a campaign that saw the listing video viewed more than 230,000 times.
“Last year, we were called in to a few properties because the owners had seen my work and, with 22 Farnell St, we got the highest price paid on that street last year,” Mr Rubinstein said.
“Then we followed it up with Tiree Ave, which is also the highest price paid on that street, successfully selling that after two local agents couldn’t for 12 months prior.
“So we were pretty encouraged. Call it a sign, call it what you want to, but it definitely led me towards Hunters Hill.”
Mr Rubinstein said he would operate out of the Hunters Hill office as his listings required, but TRG’s Oliver Williams would head the new location.
“I really feel like there is an opportunity to shake things up,” Mr Rubinstein said.
“With regard to the other agents, I think you’ve got a couple of key players that are very good, and have been quite comfortable having dominant market share for a long, extended period of time.
“I think it (the Hunters Hill market) is going to benefit from adding some extra competition to the mix and fresh energy.”
Mr Rubinstein said Mr Williams was the perfect agent to head the new office.
“Oliver Williams is one of the hardest working real estate agents I know,” he said.
“He has had pretty intense training with me over the past four years and he is one of my righthand men.
“He’s been involved in every Hunters Hill sale I’ve had over the past 12 months, quite intimately, and together we’ve built this passion for the area.
“I find the scenery very pretty, I find the houses, the character and the architecture extremely appealing and I feel like it’s very on brand for TRG.”
Mr Rubinstein said TRG Director of Commercial Jake Fahd had been instrumental in securing the right premises for the Hunters Hill office, with renovations due to start in about two weeks.
The fitout is expected to take about three months to complete, but Mr Rubinstein said TRG was already very active in Hunters Hill, with 75 Alexandra St heading to auction in June.
Mr Rubinstein said the new office would comfortably cater for 20 to 25 people.
“We’re not aggressively looking to recruit but we would love and welcome conversations with agents who sell in that area and would like to level up and who think they can help us,” Mr Rubinstein said.
