Canstar Blue’s 2021 small business real estate agents review has seen Ray White and LJ Hooker compared and rated on their property management services, value for money, sales processes, knowledge & advice, communication, marketing, leasing services and overall satisfaction.
Ray White has moved into top spot in Canstar Blue’s small business real estate ratings, scoring five stars in multiple categories, including property management services, value for value and overall satisfaction.
While many businesses like to think of their workplaces as more of a community than simply bricks and mortar, the bricks and mortar part can be incredibly important, especially if your business grows quickly! Being crammed in like sardines, or operating in a location out of the way for customers, can impact how well a business operates and succeeds.
When it comes to finding a suitable location for your small business, owners and operators are met with plenty of options, making it a tough decision to make. Add into account how quickly the market changes, as well as what goals your business aims to achieve in the short-term, and the premises you operate out of can quickly become one of the biggest decisions you’re likely to make.
Thankfully, real estate agents can take some of the stress out of the situation, helping you find the ideal place for your next big venture. Even if you’re just a sole trader starting out and looking for an appropriate spot to lay down your business roots. But finding a real estate agent to work alongside is the first thing you have to worry about. To help narrow down the search, Canstar Blue has surveyed more than 280 Australian businesses owners and operators on their recent dealings with real estate agents, with their experiences reflected in the star ratings above. Brands were rated on their property management services, value for money, property sales process, knowledge and advice, marketing, leasing services and overall satisfaction. Those which received the minimum survey sample size of 30 responses are featured in our results.
Our latest ratings saw Ray White move in on the top spot, after scoring five stars for overall satisfaction.
Here are the best commercial real estate agents chains in Australia, as rated by business owners in Canstar Blue’s 2021 review:
Ray White topped our ratings for real estate agents (commercial), with a five-star rating for property management services, value for money, property sales process, marketing, leasing services and overall satisfaction. LJ Hooker got the edge over our rating’s winner with five stars for communication as well as knowledge and advice, while also rating four stars for overall satisfaction.
Ray White has been operating for over 100 years within the Australian property market, with agents working in commercial and residential real estate, along with marine vessels and rural land. The Ray White brand name operates in multiple countries, with hundreds of offices located around Australia, and also offers Ray White Concierge, which helps businesses and individuals look at moving services, insurance and other property-related services and products.
Though there aren’t many of us who enjoy moving, staying put can be a bad decision, especially if the property market changes, or you outgrow your current office space. Only 45% of our survey respondents described their current property as adequate for their business needs – almost half on the previous year (86%) – with 31% also stating they were considering moving to another property in the near future. This means that even if you find the perfect office or warehouse space for your business now, you could well outgrow your premises down the line and have to rely on the services of a real estate agent every few years as your business prospers. And that was evidently clear with Aussie businesses dealing with COVID, with 26% of all survey respondents stating that since the onset of COVID, they don’t need as much office space.
Over a third of owners and key decision-makers (37%) surveyed stated that renting is the biggest financial expense for their business, down from 65% last year. The survey results also revealed a decrease in the average monthly spend on rent to $2,337, down noticeably from $3,585 last year. That’s why finding the best deal available for your business is more important now than ever to keep your bottom line healthy.
Finding a store or location to operate out of can be a tough ask for businesses, particularly if you’re just starting out. Add in the ever-changing nature of the Aussie property market, as well as how quickly the business world changes, and the perfect place you’ve found may not be suitable a few months down the line.
With the sheer variety of properties available on the market, utilising real estate agents to help you find the best spot for your small business could save you hours of work as well as sleepless nights. Ultimately though, which commercial estate agent you decide to do business with will come down to your personal situation and preferences. As a result, it’s best to look into all of your options, as like potential premises, one may suit your business better than others.
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This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.
Photo credit: Sirtravelalot/Shutterstock.com.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 2,000 Australian small to medium-sized business owners or key decision-makers (i.e. the key decision-maker for the business) across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have used the services of a real estate agent for business purposes in the last three years (Note: this refers to commercial real estate agents specifically for your business premises) – in this case, 285 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s small business real estate agents ratings:
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