Canberra property powerhouse Luton Properties is celebrating 20 years in the real estate business.
โIโm very proud of it,โ says founder and director, Richard Luton, of his eponymous brand. โOur brand makes it easier for people to sell their homesโ.
Luton Properties burst onto the scene in 1999 as Richard Luton Properties, when Luton took a risk, leaving his job with Peter Blackshaw where heโd sold over 500 homes, to start his own agency. The company rebranded to Luton Properties in 2009.
โI had three daughters, we thought โฆ โhow are we going to get them jobs?โ Letโs start with our own real estate agency, a boutique agency in Manuka.
โEverybody said we were ridiculous when thereโs already 13 other real estate agencies here; but we did it, and we grew and grew and within a year weโd opened an office in Dickson. The next year we opened an office in Tuggeranong, then Weston Creek. Now weโve got nine offices; weโve just opened one up recently in Braidwood as well, thatโs only in the last six months.โ
He says the Luton brand has gone from strength to strength, with particular success in recent times, securing more market share than any other agency in the ACT. The brand continues to expand, with plans for further growth over the Canberra region and Southern NSW.
โWeโve had more listings uploaded [to All Homes] in the last three years than any other agency in Canberra, as far as residential homes โฆ which is around 15% market share.
โWe need to stay there; we need to keep ahead of the innovation and we need to keep providing exceptional service. Iโm a big believer in communication, not only with my team members but with buyers and sellers as well,โ Luton says.
Luton says the success of the brand comes down to the dedicated team working in Luton offices across Canberra, who are like โa familyโ who โall work together really wellโ.
โIโm not a negative person, I hate negativity โฆ I want everybody to be positive; I suppose thatโs part of the businessโs difference.
โI suppose I consider myself as a work colleague rather than the owner, I work with everybody โฆ Iโve got a strong management team and co-directors in place, as well.
โIโve got a great team working with me, and they also need the credit,โ he says.
For more:
