Michael joins Place Estate Agents Woolloongabba office with a mission to succeed in developing the brand and business.
Born and bred in Brisbane, Michael Garcia is passionate about his hometown and its thriving property market. Having already made impressive inroads with another major agency, he joins Place Group’s Woolloongabba office with a mission to succeed in developing the brand and business.
Committed to providing the best possible outcomes for his clients, Michael offers an unparalleled, energetic drive that guarantees success. In his new role with Place, Michael aims to build on the agency by servicing and expanding on its client base, cementing it as one of the most successful and highly-regarded offices in the business.
With a great appreciation of Brisbane’s charm and growing popularity, he can’t imagine ever moving elsewhere believing it’s one of the best cities in the world to live.
When he’s not working, Michael spends as much of his spare time fishing or camping in some of Queensland’s most breathtaking coastal areas such as Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island. His other great love is his family.
Source: Michael Garcia
WILLIAMS MEDIA spoke to Michael Garcia about the Brisbane rental market and its growing popularity.
What are your predictions about the 2021 sales and/or rental market in your area?
2020 threw everyone a real curveball with the pandemic slowing everything down while people worked out what it would all mean. Pretty quickly, everything began to move again with Brisbane seeing an influx of people looking to move here.
The rental market within the Camp Hill and surrounding suburbs is one market among many in Brisbane that is moving very quickly and achieving some incredible results in terms of pricing.
Peak periods of the year have shown stronger levels of demand from tenants as opposed to previous years.
Whether this remains the case throughout 2021 is hard to forecast. Moving into 2021, I am predicting that the market will stay strong with a larger segment of tenants coming from interstate along with the international relocations of executives.
What changes (if any) have you noticed in tenants since COVID-19?
At the beginning of COVID-19, there was a level of modifying that was required from leasing and business development agents to ensure that we were still able to convert as many listings from available to leased. FaceTime viewings became a regular occurrence, and this in itself was a challenge. But people adapted quickly.
The level of urgency from tenants has since grown exponentially and I am noticing many more qualified tenants at our inspections. Prior to my first open home with a new listing, I will have at least 10 enquiries and usually 1-2 applications from tenants wanting to try and get pre-approved for a variety of properties.
Source: Michael Garcia
What is the normal demographic for buyers and renters in your area and are they changing?
The main demographic that I am noticing are young professionals and families. At the higher end of the market, I am seeing a lot of interstate tenants looking to relocate with many of them willing to pay periods of rent upfront in a bid to make themselves more attractive to landlords. A lot of these tenants work in the health industry with many looking to move from the other capital cities as well as from other areas of Queensland.
Where do you see demand coming from?
The demand largely is coming from lack of stock on the market. We are noticing a large portion of tenants who were most likely going to upsize or downsize their homes, just staying on and resigning their leases for a further 12 months. The second strongest demand, as mentioned before, is coming from interstate relocations looking for properties at the higher end of the market.
What is one thing you have learned over your years as an agent?
Consistency is key in real estate. This is one of the main things I have learnt over the past four years that I have been in the industry. You don’t have the option of slow or off days. I have learnt to focus on being consistent in the level of service I offer to tenants and landlords. This also needs to be applied when prospecting for new clients which will ensure that our office will continue to grow into the future at a steady rate.
Outside of working hours Michael enjoys spending time with his family, while going camping and fishing every now and again is a favourite way to relax. "Camping is something I thoroughly relish as it is what I grew up doing from a young age with meandering holidays spent at Teewah Beach, Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island. They’re among the most beautiful camping spots in the world." He said
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