Final Offer — a digital platform for home listings and offer negotiations — has expanded into the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area through partnerships with several Keller Williams brokerages, the company announced Tuesday.

Participating offices include GO Network — Keller Williams’ largest franchise network — as well as Keller Williams Realty Allen, Keller Williams Heritage West, Keller Williams Brazos West, Keller Williams Fort Worth, Keller Williams Johnson County and Keller Williams Legacy.

Together, the brokerages represent more than 6,000 agents.

The platform allows homebuyers and sellers to receive real-time updates on property activity — including when offers are submitted and when deadlines are set.

“Buyers and sellers today don’t want cookie-cutter deals — they want options that fit their situation,” said Smokey Garrett, co-founder and CEO of GO Network. “Partnering with Final Offer gives our agents a powerful way to deliver pre-market inventory, stand out in the crowd, and deliver clients more ways to win.

“It allows our agents and the GO Network to dominate the market.”

Final Offer’s tools include features such as “buy it now” pricing, reverse offers to interested buyers, flash sales and offer windows.

The company says the approach is designed to create transparency and reduce the time agents spend on individual transactions.

“Real estate is evolving, and consumers deserve a modern experience that matches the speed and transparency of the world around them,” said Miquette Martinez, operating principal and broker of ONE West Group. “Final Offer is setting that new standard, and we’re excited to lead the way for our clients and our market.”

Final Offer also aims to give listing agents more options beyond price reductions to generate activity.

“We brought Final Offer into our offices because it gives our agents a real advantage,” said Richard Licare, operating principal of Keller Williams Realty Allen. “The platform creates a transparent, efficient experience for their clients — and it helps our agents stand out by delivering faster results with less friction.”

Buyers paid $100,000 above expectations for a basic three-bedroom character home in Geelong West where all the work’s in front of them.

The 354sq m property at 21 Britannia St offered plenty of drawbacks for potential buyers, Buxton Newtown agent Nicholas Allison, said, which helped determined the $500,000 to $550,000 price guide, such as the state of the weatherboard residence and the fact the property shared a common driveway with the neighbouring property.

But two bidders who came upon the property more halfway through the campaign, led the interest at Saturday’s auction.

RELATED: Green light for $60m Geelong West apartments

Tiny homes offer hope to first-time buyers

Geelong’s biggest suburbs for rent losses, gains revealed

“It’d had some other interest on it but those two who drove it were basically only around a week and a half ago,” Mr Allison said.

“So a bit of Melbourne migration again – which is good at the end of the day – was always going to determine what land value is in Geelong West.

“And the house was, we were honest it as it needed a fair bit of work. The shared driveway as well which wasn’t attractive to all.

“I think people just realised if you’ve got any opportunity in Geelong West that’s entry level, you’re always going to have competition.

“It’s Geelong West – it’s what everyone knows, and they know it holds value.

“And being where it is located, so close to Pakington St, it really is going to just drive interest from there.”

Mr Allison said the buyers could choose to retain the period house, a key characteristic of living in Geelong West.

“The house was in a state that although it needed a lot of money spent on it, it’s still savable and it’s still got some nice charm and character features that I’m sure new purchasers can use to their advantage and add their own flair.”

Geelong West’s median house price of $813,000 is 7.6 per cent below what was recorded the same time last year, PropTrack data shows.

The post Rundown Geelong West home fetches big price at auction appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Crittora has introduced Qripton Verify — a platform designed to protect title companies, closing attorneys and real estate professionals from fraud attempts that have become increasingly common in property transactions.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) estimates that one in three real estate transactions are targeted for wire fraud attempts.

“Real estate professionals are under pressure to protect clients without slowing deals,” said Erik Rowan, co-founder of Crittora. “Qripton Verify secures wire instructions and critical documents using cryptographic identity checks — no portals, passwords, added overhead, or IT setup required.”

Platform features include:

• Identity-locked encryption allowing only the intended recipient to access documents.
• Audit-ready logs that record all access, downloads and verifications.
• Zero-integration deployment requiring no software installation.
• DNS spoofing insight that identifies gaps in email authentication settings such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Qripton Verify is intended to secure the delivery of wire instructions, settlement statements, powers of attorney and payoffs.

The company said the system is designed specifically for title and escrow workflows, and it uses a per-file pricing model that complies with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.

Many locals haven’t even heard of this tightly held harbourside suburb. But as it finally pops onto buyers’ radars, many are discovering they’re already priced out.

Most waterside Sydney suburbs with big blocks on tranquil, leafy streets are firmly on the wishlist of property buyers, but one seems to have flown blissfully under the radar.

Many residents of the Sutherland Shire haven’t even heard of Burraneer, or know where it is, let alone people living in other parts of the Harbour City.

A narrow slither of land where homes enjoy picturesque views across Port Hacking to South Cronulla on one side and Dolans Bay and Caringbah South on the other, Burraneer offers a superior lifestyle to its better-known neighbours, agents say.

They’ll tell you that, compared to glitzy and touristy Cronulla, it has less traffic, fewer people and bigger blocks, many boasting deep waterfronts.

“Burraneer is the hidden gem of the Sutherland Shire,” said Matthew Johnson at Matt Blak Cronulla.

“Most people who come from outside the area don’t know it exists. But once they realise how busy Cronulla is, they go back one suburb and they find Burraneer.

“It’s a great family area, you’ve got a little shopping village, a couple of coffee shops and a bakery. So everything’s just there.”

Agent David Smith Highland at Sutherland Shire and St George, who lives in the suburb, said Buraneer’s low-profile stemmed from the very few number of sales in the suburb and its geographical isolation. There are no through-roads, with most of its land slipping into harbour.

“It’s wrapped in water. You would only drive down there if you lived there, or you were lost. It has beautiful tree-lined cul-de-sacs full of families. It’s a really easy place to fall in love with.

“Plus it’s the most eastern peninsula that offers waterfronts; in South Cronulla, it’s either esplanade or beachfront,” he added.

But while Burraneer may still be something of a secret, that doesn’t mean you can snag a bargain.

Prices have jumped a massive 78% in the past five years (compared to 51% in Cronulla and 50% in Caringbah South). The median house price is now $3.4m, though waterfront homes can fetch up to $20m.

In Cronulla, by contrast, the median house price is $3.3m and in Caringbah South, $2.3m.

Mr Johnson said Buraneer was starting to attract buyers from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, Inner West and even the North Shore. 

“People are renovating older-style homes or knocking them down and building big ones. People are spending some serious money in the area.”

Mr Smith said the performance of the upper-middle sector of the market — your five-bedroom homes with two living areas and a double garage — had taken even agents by surprise.

“Not so long ago, you were paying around between $3m and $4m for one of those.”

Then in March 2024, a non-waterfront block at 1A Travelsa Place sold for $6.5m, which he said “blew the doors off every comparison”.

“It was beautifully renovated and landscaped but had none of those hallmarks that you commonly see in an out-of-line sale. Since then, there’s been quite a few trading for above $5m, even $6m.”

One property currently for sale in the upper-middle market band is the six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate at 260 Woolooware Road, being sold through Mr Johnson.

This elegant, Hamptons-style home on $1,970sqm is being offered via expressions of interest. Mr Johnson said it had already attracted plenty of interest from families moving into the area, as well as those downsizing from waterfront blocks.

“It’s private, expansive and is on a level block of land, which allows the property to have virtually a single-level layout,” he said.

The spacious home, renovated around a decade ago, features a living and dining zone with soaring raked ceilings and a stone gas fireplace, while a second formal lounge provides a cosy, wood-burning stove. Outside, landscaped gardens surround a pool and an entertaining cabana equipped with a built-in BBQ.

There’s also a secure double garage plus additional off-street parking for multiple vehicles, boats or a trailer.

The vendor, fintech entrepreneur Leigh Dunsford, moved to Burraneer with his young family around five years ago, relocating from Mosman, another premium harbourside suburb.

“It had a similar village feel but was quieter,” he said. “We like being near the hustle and bustle, but we don’t like living in it. We like to come back to the sanctuary again, which is why we chose Burraneer.”

The family plans to stay in the area, and are renting while they wait for the ideal waterfront block to come onto the market.

“Burraneer is extremely tightly held; we need to have the resources available to jump when the right opportunity comes available,” said Mr Dunsford.

“Good properties in this area tend to get snapped up very quickly.”

The post The little-known Sydney suburb that’s surprised even agents appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty has reorganized its North Carolina marketing support team — naming two specialists who will provide regional services to its agents.

Hunter Parrish was appointed senior advisor marketing specialist for the firm’s Asheville and western North Carolina offices, including Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone and Linville Ridge.

Chris Krauss was named marketing specialist for the Charlotte metro area. Both will report to Jessica Johnson — the company’s North Carolina senior marketing director.

Krauss will be based in Charlotte and also brings more than seven years of real estate marketing experience.

He most recently served as marketing director for a regional real estate company — where he managed programs for more than 250 agents — and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Salisbury University.

“Our global advisors deserve a marketing experience that is as elevated as the properties they represent,” said Kathy Forrester, Sotheby’s chief marketing officer. “By evolving our structure and appointing highly experienced marketing support specialists with deep market knowledge like Hunter Parrish, we have answered the call to deliver exceptional, responsive and results-driven service across North Carolina.”

Parrish — who has nearly seven years of experience in real estate marketing — previously worked with a local brokerage.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Carolina University and will work in a hybrid role across Asheville and western North Carolina offices.

“These appointments reflect Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s continued investment in elite marketing talent and its commitment to advisor success through innovation, service and strategic regional leadership,” Forrester said.