In Queensland, a grant of $15,000 was provided to the North Queensland Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and $10,000 was provided to Butterfly Babies, a charity within the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation.

Three charities in South Australia received funding grants including the Legacy Club of Adelaide for $5,000, Operation Flinders Foundation for $5,000 and St Vincent de Paul Society for $1,000.

In New South Wales, KidzWish Foundation also received a funding grant of $5,000 and in Tasmania Give Me 5 for Kids were provided with a grant of $5,000.

The money granted will provide these charitable organisations with the funds to carry out important research and development projects, purchase vital equipment for those in need, and run significant community projects and services.

Mike Green, Managing Director of Harcourts International, is thrilled that The Harcourts Foundation is able to provide much needed support to charitable organisations.

“I’m incredibly proud of The Harcourts Foundation and am so thankful that as an organisation we are able to help so many communities in need. Our local communities have supported us so well over the years and I’m thrilled that we are now in a position to give back to them,” Mr Green said.

Established in August 2008, The Harcourts Foundation aims to provide financial support that helps, grows and enriches local communities, and has received over to $2 million in donations to date.

All funds have been raised by dedicated Harcourts team members and clients in the form of fundraising events, auctions, workplace giving, individual donations or ‘off the top’ giving (a percentage calculated from each sales commission).

“I encourage all Australian charities to jump online at www.harcourtsfoundation.harcourts.com.au and download the grant application form. We look forward to funding as many applicants as possible,” Mr Green said.

The upcoming grant application deadlines are:

• 1 July – 30 September 2013
• 1 October – 31 December 2013
• 1 January – 31 March 2014

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.

“It also serves a large rural community and lately, there has been a strong inflow of contractors working on various infrastructure projects. At the moment, for instance, there are 55 schools under construction in surrounding areas area and the majority of the contractors working on these are from elsewhere and require local accommodation.”

However, she adds, Mthatha only has about 14 000 housing units, which can only satisfy only about 60% of current demand. “The town urgently needs at least 10 000 to 12 000 additional units but privately-owned development land is very scarce.

Most suitable land is either tribal or government land and developers shy away from the complex procedures required to rezone it.’

Consequently, the turnaround of properties is very slow because there are few suitable units available for owners to upgrade to, even when they are keen and financially able to do so. And the result of that is that new entrants to the market are now also having a tough time finding any homes for sale in their price range.

Thomson says prices have been rising quickly in response to the stock shortages and that buyers are now often willing to pay more than bank valuations if they have large enough cash reserves to make up the mortgage shortfall.

“So a home that would sell for about R1,4m in nearby East London, for instance, will easily sell for around R1,8m in Mthatha.”

The local entry level for free-standing homes is between R650 000 and R800 000 but, she says, such units are really very seldom available now, and the rental market is benefiting as locals who are currently “priced out of the market” are joining contractors in a scramble for short-term accommodation.

“A standard three-bedroom home with a single bathroom that would fetch R4000 a month in other centres can easily be let here for R6500 a month, while four-bedroom units in the popular Fort Gale area are achieving monthly rentals of between R8500 and R15 000.

“In addition, homeowners who have converted their outbuildings into cottages or built small flats on their properties are reaping the rewards now by letting them to contractors happy to pay as much as R5000 a month.”

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.

View the latest issue of NAI Harcourts’ Market Leader by clicking here.

In this month’s issue:

• What’s Driving the Current Market?
• Phil O’Reilly Speaks at Client Evening

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.