Development Ready Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  

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

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  

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  

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  

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

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

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

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

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