Professionals Real Estate 
One of South Australia’s largest LJ Hooker offices has made the change to Professionals, with plans to build on its decades-long history of serving the Salisbury area in Adelaide’s north.
Agency principal Daren Morris has hit the ground running with Professionals Salisbury, an office he has owned for the past 19 years and the place where he started his real estate career 22 years ago.
Professionals Salisbury, located at 74 Park Terrace in the central business district of Salisbury, has a team of 15 in property sales and management servicing areas as far as Para Hills.
Mr Morris said the new direction positions Professionals Salisbury as a ‘Salisbury-centric’ business that can give back to the local community.
“The move will definitely help our bottom line, but at the same time it allows me to be more locally focused with our marketing and that will help our vendors get better prices for their homes,” said Mr Morris.
“This also allows me to support my team and give more back to the community which is something we’re passionate about.”
The Professionals Salisbury team has a strong connection to the Salisbury area with many working in the office for more than a decade.
“Out of the team, over half of them have been with me over 10 years,” said Mr Morris.
“That’s especially important in property management where the average in the industry is two years. All of my team have been with me for a minimum of four years so far.
“For a landlord to have the same person looking after their property for the past 10 years is rare in this industry.”
Mr Morris said his decision to join Professionals coincided with a review of his business after a long run of success in the highly active Salisbury property market which is primarily driven by first-home buyers and investors.
“We have always had a great deal of market activity in our area in both sales and rentals, no matter what the conditions,” said Mr Morris.
“As one of the top offices in Adelaide for LJ Hooker, we definitely went out on a high and with a clear vision.
“The biggest issue for me was the franchise model and how relevant that was to our business today. LJ Hooker has been great in getting my business to where it is today, but the franchise model inherently penalises offices that do well.”
Mr Morris could have opted to become an independent, but he decided a change to Professionals was the best way forward.
“As an independent you will need at least five years to create your own brand and build trust, whereas Professionals is a widely recognised brand.
“The feedback we have received from our clients, and even our competitors, since we opened has been very positive.
“I’ve also been humbled by the welcome we have received from the Professionals team. It feels like a family again.”
The Professionals is Australia’s fastest growing real estate network. It operates on a lower-cost membership system rather than a franchise, while still providing members with a comprehensive suite of tools and support services for their businesses. Established more than 40 years ago in Queensland, Professionals have expanded Into New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and now boasts a network that comprises more than 225 offices.
Professionals Salisbury began trading on July 1.
