With over 10 years experience in customer relations, Samantha Camera has extensive experience in face-to-face client services, and as such, her business has been built on building long-term relationships and from referrals.

“My talent for finances and first hand property investment experience ensure I am a useful ally when my clients are ready to buy,” she said.

“For the life of my clients’ loan, I enjoy in simplifying the complex mortgage process, and as a successful property investor  myself with an impressive portfolio, I understand the importance of securing the right finance product from the beginning, as this can be a costly mistake when handled poorly.”

Working with Ms Camera gives property buyers and investors the opportunity of accessing over 30 highly rated lenders, ensuring a competitive rate.

Ms Camera’s reliability, experience, excellent work ethic and good time management ability ensure she is an ideal fit to the professionalism of the Mortgage Express brand. She assists her clients create prosperity through property, successfully and effortlessly.

Over 250 people, both men and women, donned a pair of high heels and walked a mile along the Southbank Spillway to Melbourne’s City Square. The driving force behind the campaign was CEO of Harcourts Victoria, Sadhana Smiles, who is one of only a handful of female CEOs in Australia’s property industry.

“When we started on this journey, our goal was simple, as one team, in one voice, to make a stand that violence of any type towards anyone is simply not ok. We have achieved that,” said Sadhana.

It was Sadhana’s passion for making a difference that lead to this worthwhile partnership with White Ribbon Australia, which helped to raise over $30,000 for the cause.

“Violence exists in our homes, workplaces, communities and schools – our objective is to raise awareness of the underlying determinants of violence. Although there was a humorous side to Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, the intention was to encourage people to think more seriously about the everyday reality faced by many in our community,” Sadhana said.

“The walk was an incredible success and we were able to raise so much money for this very worthy cause. This is a positive step in the right direction,” Sadhana said.

With former Melbourne Demons AFL star, Places We Go television host and documentary filmmaker, Clint Bizzell as the national ambassador for Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, Harcourts Victoria has paved the way for change.

No stranger to a challenge, Clint has produced several documentaries, including his most recent, Taking the Tackle – a documentary where he led a team working with the AFL and the State Government, addressing the issue of respect for women.

“As men are often the main perpetrators of violence, I am proud to be taking a stand to stop violence in its tracks. It is up to men to speak up and step in when they witness violence against women, and it is up to men to condemn the indefensible actions of the few and assert the will of the many.”

Former Sydney Swans player, Luke Ablett and former Hawthorn player, Luke Brennan also donned high heels and joined the team, amongst others.

White Ribbon Australia and Harcourts Victoria will be accepting donations for Walk A Mile in Their Shoes until the 27^th of May.

Donations can be made by visiting http://www.mycause.com.au/events/walkamileintheirshoes.

For further information, please visit http://www.victoria.harcourts.com.au.

The RBA’s decision has no doubt come as a relief for mortgage holders across the country.

As well as offering reprieve for Australian home owners, Mike Green, Managing Director of real estate group, Harcourts International, says that the RBA’s decision to cut rates signifies a positive step forward for the country’s property market and wider economy.

“Given the current challenges facing Australia’s property market, the RBA’s decision to cut rates was the best possible outcome.

“Although we have started to see some positive data come out of the property market, Australia’s housing industry is yet to fully recover from the effects of the Global Financial Crisis.

“I believe that the latest cut to interest rates will encourage renewed consumer spending and should increase buyer activity within the housing market,” Mr Green said.

“This is the first time in history that Australia’s interest rates have been lower than 3 per cent so the effects of this decision will be interesting to monitor,” Mr Green said.

“Many of Australia’s major banks have already passed on the rate cut in full, meaning the average loan repayment will now be $481 per week. This is $115 per month less compared to the figure recorded a year ago and should help to ease mortgage stress on home owners,” Mr Green continued.

One of only a few honoured with the Roy Weston Medal, Mr Wilson is the Licensee and Director of Harcourts Victoria Park, one of the region’s oldest and most established real estate agencies.

“A quintessentially old fashioned Australian, Paul’s honesty and integrity is beyond reproach. He is incredibly passionate about doing the right thing and putting people first,” said Jenny Birrell, CEO of Harcourts Western Australia, in an opening address.

“Paul is driven by the personal growth and development of others. He loves to see people in his team succeed and often pushes people outside of their comfort zone in order for them to achieve greatness.

“A much better coach than a player, Paul believes in hard work, honesty and integrity, and leads by this example every day,” Ms Birrell said.

With a real estate career spanning almost 45 years, Mr Wilson established Harcourts Victoria Park – formerly Roy Weston Victoria Park – following a successful move to Perth from Port Macquarie in 1998.

Since then, Mr Wilson and his team have grown this office into the success story that it is today.

The Roy Weston Medal is judged on several areas including length of service with the group, peer recognition, and promotion and contribution to the Harcourts group.

Focused on attracting and retaining quality staff, People Power is designed to help leaders in all industries understand recruitment and aims to teach people how to manage, engage and coach employees for maximum performance.

“Finding and keeping good people is the key to business success but it is also one of the biggest challenges for leaders,” Ms Smiles said.

“The different generations in the workplace create further challenges for managers as a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.

“People Power explores these themes and offers practical information on how to manage the recruitment process from attraction to long-term retention,” Ms Smiles said.

Mike Green, Managing Director of Harcourts International, said “People are the lifeblood of any industry and so a focus on attracting and retaining the very best talent is vital for any leader. Sadhana’s insights and experience provide a clear framework and foundation”.

Ms Smiles is as well-known for her wit, energy, sense of fun and inspiring personality as for her enviable track record of success in real estate.

She is also a popular speaker and presenter, and contributes to a number of national real estate industry publications.

In this month’s Property Focus newsletter (May 2013, Australia):

Rain – A Blessing in Disguise?: It may be tempting to give house hunting a miss when the rain starts falling but this is actually the perfect time to view your next possible home.

Market Facts: Get all the latest property market facts from around Australia.

Property Market Recovery Accelerates: Every capital city apart from Adelaide has seen dwelling values rise over the past quarter.

Harcourts Announces New Australian Group Operations Manager: Mike Green, Managing Director of Harcourts International, has announced the appointment of Marcus Williams to the role of Operations Manager for Harcourts Group Australia.

Home Renovations that Add Security: In this day and age, it’s more important than ever to take precautions to keep your home and family safe.

View this month’s Property Focus newsletter in full here.

Mr Heinemann, co-founder of Ray White Rural, will work alongside Landmark Harcourts CEO, Darren Cole, in the role of Director of Rural Growth across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Bringing deep experience and an exceptional depth of knowledge, Mr Heinemann will drive recruitment and sales for the group’s north east division, as well as strengthening corporate and institutional relationships, and developing receivership work.

“Having Lex on board is a real coup for Landmark Harcourts. Given his enviable reputation in the industry as well as his extensive knowledge and contacts, I have no doubt that he will make an outstanding contribution to our network,” Mr Cole said.

Mr Heinemann has specialised in rural property sales for over 40 years and has been involved in sales of diverse and substantial pastoral groups. His client network is very active and includes various rural industry identities.

Prior to co-founding Ray White Rural, Mr Heinemann spent 15 years with national rural business, Dalgety which eventually formed Landmark in the early 2000s.

“Lex has strong ties to the Landmark business so it’s great to have him back on board to drive growth in the brand’s newest phase.

“I will be working closely with Lex as we strengthen our position in both Queensland and the Northern Territory,” Mr Cole said.

“This is an exciting time for the Landmark Harcourts business and our performance over the past year has been solid with a year-on-year uplift of 32 per cent.

“Comparatively, two of our largest competitors reported declines of 11 per cent and 6 per cent respectively over this period, whilst Herron Todd White – the national valuation firm – reported a national rural sales volume decline of 45 per cent,” Mr Cole said.

“Landmark Harcourts are already Australia’s fastest growing regional and rural real estate brand and Lex’s involvement will only strengthen our position further,” Mr Cole added.

The move brought Harcourts New South Wales’ Dougmal-branded offices into line with the group’s more than 780 offices internationally.

Rob Forde, Chief Executive Officer of Harcourts New South Wales, said the decision to re-brand the group’s Dougmal offices was made to strengthen the network and encourage brand consistency.

“Harcourts has a very powerful network across the globe and branding which is instantly recognisable.

“Our aim for the Dougmal Harcourts rebrand is to really capitalise on these factors and add further strength to our group in New South Wales,” Mr Forde said.

Colin Roberts of Harcourts Northern Beaches stated, “Harcourts has really brought their expertise in marketing, technology and training to the table. They have certainly excelled in this area and we look forward to incorporating this into our day to day business”.

Mr Forde also said clients who are currently working with Dougmal Harcourts offices will still receive the same strong level of service.

“It will be the same great people. We’re just fine tuning our business and our clients should see a marked improvement in our marketing materials and branding,” Mr Forde said.

Doug Malouf, founder of Dougmal, said, “Real estate is ever changing and the Harcourts group will constantly assist the Dougmal people with growth and strategies. Harcourts’ marketing is first class and the people of the Illawarra will still enjoy the old fashion Dougmal service with added bonus of the 780 Harcourts offices.

Michael Garside of Harcourts Dapto said, “Harcourts has improved the service we offer by providing a complete solution with competitive insurance products, great mortgage brokers and the ability to help match sellers to buyers in the HarcourtsOne system”.

Mr Forde said those working within Dougmal Harcourts branded office are incredibly excited about the change.

“The people in the field believe the rebrand will enable them to embrace the full Harcourts system and build upon the great service that we are known for,” Mr Forde added.

Daniel McConnell of Harcourts Shellharbour City/Albion Park said, “The most exciting aspect of the re-brand is being part of something bigger with advanced technology, sharper advertising and an incredible networking program. This, alongside Harcourts’ values and beliefs, puts me and my clients in good stead for the future”.

In some of the group’s offices, the number of auctions booked has increased by 20 per cent compared to this time in 2012.

Sadhana Smiles, Chief Executive Officer of Harcourts Victoria, says that a sense of optimism is returning to the state’s property market.

“We are starting to see more buyers in the market and investor activity is increasing.

“12 months ago there were only small groups at auctions and many properties were being passed in. We are now seeing clearance rates hovering between 65-70 per cent, clearly showing that buyers are back in the market,” Ms Smiles said.

“From our observations, buyers are starting to realise that the market is competitive again. We are starting to see more and more properties being sold under the hammer, often above the reserve price with multiple bidders,” Ms Smiles added.

Ms Smiles reports that at a recent auction in Mill Park, the group conducted over 100 inspections of the property, handed out over 18 vendor statements, and had over 200 in attendance on auction day. There were multiple bidders on auction day, with the home selling for well over its reserve price.

“In Melbourne, we’re starting to see a slight growth in the sub $600,000 property market however I do expect to see improvement across the board.

“I doubt we’ll see the big spikes that have occurred in the past however we should see more of a slight rise and a return to market stabilisation,” Ms Smiles said.

The ceremony, which was held at the Burswood on Swan, celebrated the major achievements of the group over the January to March 2013 quarter.

Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Jenny Birrell said the event was a great success which highlighted how strong Harcourts Western Australia is as a group.

“WA’s property market is really bouncing back and our group’s strong quarterly results have reflected this market growth,” Ms Birrell said.

“At this quarter’s awards we had a great crowd of people who wanted to share in each other’s successes which created a great atmosphere on the night,” Ms Birrell added.

13 top sales consultants were presented with Platinum Achievement Awards, representing the highest accolade for real estate sales within Harcourts.

The winners included Thomas Massam and Creagh Ferdinands of Harcourts Alliance Joondalup, Shaun Mellet of Harcourts Central, Craig Edwards of Harcourts Busselton, Clare Seamer, Ben Hatch and Lee Perry of Harcourts Mandurah, Eric Hartanto of Harcourts Applecross, Tom Carlin of Harcourts Vogue, and Paul Thomason, Jock Drummond, Neville Tutt and David Jannings of Landmark Harcourts.

Five sales offices were also presented with Platinum Achievement Awards in recognition of their efforts throughout the quarter including Harcourts Alliance Joondalup, Harcourts Mandurah, Harcourts Busselton, Harcourts Central and Harcourts Realty Plus.

“From a results perspective, this quarter has been our strongest in the past 12 months. This is a great way to start the year and puts our group in a solid position for the rest of 2013,” Ms Birrell said.