The AHI difference
Ken Regan started in the residential property industry in Perth WA in 1985 following a long and successful career as an airline pilot. His love of selling real estate has taken him from Australia, to Singapore, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and London.
"Although I enjoyed flying I grounded myself," he says with a laugh, "because I wanted to concentrate on my interest in real estate."
He started selling Australian property in Singapore in the early 90's and his business partner Bill Adams joined the company in 1995. “It proved to be an extremely successful venture," Bill told me from their recently opened Canary Wharf office in London, "we sold literally hundreds of properties to Singaporeans. Many of them still own their homes and, without exception, they have made substantial capital gains. I can show you the figures of some who have made a million dollars plus profit. Many of our customers over the years have bought multiple properties from us, so inevitably a few have hit six figures."
Following the economic boom in Dubai, Australian Homes International, decided to move to the United Arab Emirates where they opened an office servicing most of the Middle East.
"Between 2004 - 2009 we were regularly conducting property shows and seminars in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain Qatar and Iran," Ken told me, "Tehran proved to be an enormous source of business so we opened a full time office there. We were competing to sell Australian real estate in a highly competetive market, but whever we participated in an international property show the queues to our exhibition stand sometimes extended 100 metres. Believe me Australia remains a hugely popular destination for both migrants and investors. "
When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, and the Dubai property market stalled, they moved back to Australia which was one of the few countries that managed to weather the storm without going into resession. Australia is rich, tranquil and mostly overlooked, despite avoiding both the Asian crisis and the recession that hit the States in 2001 and the most recent one.
"People forget that only a dozen economies are bigger and only six nations are richer than Australia which makes investment attractive to our Asian neighbours, especially the Chinese," Ken said. We've set up an office here in the UK because we believe there has never been a better time to invest in Australia. We still receive many enquiries from Singapore, the Far East and the UAE, in fact more than 50% of our clients in the Middle East are expatriates from the UK and approximately 40% of our new business comes from referral."
They have always been in the building side of residential property therefore everything is new.
Ken told me, "We strongly believe that this is the only guaranteed way of getting exactly what you want or need rather than an agent pushing his or her property listing. Almost without exception, it is always cheaper to build than buy established/second hand. if that wasn't the case, then builders would not exist.”
Of course there are legal fees including Government stamp duty when buying an Australian home, that's universal, but the good news is that it's approximately 50% less for a new home than established.
"To us," Bill added, "buying a second hand property from a website filled with listings is like a buying a second hand car. How does one really determine the value, quality and maintenance required? Getting a second hand home up to scratch for rental or living in oneself, normally requires additional money to be spent on the property. In some cases we know it can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Every component of your new home is under a legislated builders’ maintenance and warranty period. This all means saving money."
So what's the difference when you deal with Australian Homebuyers International?
"In a nutshell," said Bill, "the story begins and ends with AHI, because we do everything from start to finish."
"Like a One Stop Shop?" I ask. "Exactly right," said Bill, "Ken will talk you through the process".
"OK - the first step is to find a block of land that suits the clients needs. This part is equally as critical to get right as the home itself. Then we will design and build a home to our clients requirements and budget. Of course we will be continually consulting with our client to choose the right style and size home to suit the location to maximise capital growth. All architectural work, planning and working drawings are done in-house and all building licence fees are included.
That means, No Hidden Costs!! All is done on a fixed price contract therefore, no risk of increases during construction. Every single one of our homes is what we call Turn Key. That means everything is done inside and outside the home. It's fully completed right down to the last blade of grass. In fact, we guarantee not one more dollar need to be spent on the home before owners or tenants move in. Just your own private furnishings, and we'll even do the interior design if required.
"How about the title-deeds of these properties? I ask, “In some countries you get a limited leasehold and in other places people have been badly stung by investing hundreds of thousands in property to which they have no legal entitlement.”
"Can't happen with us," replied Ken, "All our properties are FREEHOLD. Which means the buyers owns it in perpetuity or until he sells or transfers the title to another party.
"We arrange every single aspect from start to finish and beyond. Including the legal process, government approval to acquire the property, finance and also the management of the property if required. We also have one of Australia's best most successful migration lawyers on the team and as part of our European expansion programme we intend to appoint a German Migration expert early next year."
Bill says, "We believe an office to service our clients needs to be open 7 days a week. Answering clients calls promptly is critical. I can't tell you how many times we have seen people buy a property in the heat of the moment at a property show, then two days later the developer/agent has gone? How do you get answers and assistance?
"With our many years in the industry, we have a constant supply of new land opportunities changing daily. We do not believe listing thousands of properties on our website is any value at all. We have dozens of carefully chosen great opportunities in our UK head office. How can we or anyone else honestly recommend a property when we have not seen it and the surrounding area? That's why all of our staff are highly trained and have many years’ experience.”
“That’s right,” said Ken, “we are here in the UK full time and for the long term and we are prepared to travel to meet our clients and discuss their needs.. We want to make buying an Australian home as easy as possible.”
Ken Regan & Bill Adams were talking to Joanna Thorndyke a freelance journalist based in London.
