Knight Frank and Bayleys acquires third largest real estate firm in Australia
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Knight Frank and Bayleys acquires third largest real estate firm in Australia

The announcement follows shareholder and regulatory approvals being met

By Robyn Willis
Fri, Jun 28, 2024 11:48amGrey Clock 2 min

Knight Frank and Bayleys has completed its acquisition of leading Australian real estate firm, McGrath Limited, it was announced today.

The news follows regulatory and shareholder approval, with the Scheme of Arrangement coming into effect on June 17 and implemented on June 27.

McGrath Limited is the third largest real estate group in the country, according the data from CoreLogic, behind behemoth Ray White and stalwart LJ Hooker.

McGrath founder and CEO John McGrath said in a statement that he welcomed the move.

“We are delighted to be joining forces with two of the greatest real estate brands in the world,” Mr McGrath said. “Knight Frank is the most prestigious residential agency globally and provides us and our customers with instant access to the best global network and the most sophisticated international buyers in the world.

“Our goal is to build Australia’s leading and finest real estate brand over the next few years and this new partnership and network puts us in an extraordinarily strong position to do just that.”

John McGrath will stay on as CEO and managing director under the new terms of the agreement with Knight Frank and Bayleys.

Between them, Knight Frank and McGrath have 171 offices across Australia and Knight Frank is the largest privately owned real estate agency in the world with more than 740 offices worldwide.

Mr McGrath will remain at McGrath Limited as chief executive and managing director and retain his 23.3 percent shareholding in the company. Mr McGrath will also be on the new board of directors, along with Knight Frank Australia CEO James Patterson, Knight Frank Global head of residential Rupert Dawes, Bayleys managing director Mike Bayley and Bayleys finance director Ken MacRae. 

Mr Patterson, CEO at Knight Frank Australia, said the acquisition represented a significant milestone in the company’s international expansion.

“McGrath is a great fit culturally,” he said. “We are aligned on many areas including our values, how we operate and our brand positioning. The Knight Frank, Bayleys and McGrath teams will continue to operate on a ” business as usual” basis, but with each party gaining access to vastly broadened networks, stretching across multiple borders, unlocking greater opportunities for our clients.”

 



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An almost 900-year-old castle in Luxembourg has hit the market for €37.5 million (US$43.3 million), making it the most expensive residential property ever offered for sale in the small European country.

The listing comprises the ancient Château d’Ansembourg and the adjacent Domaine du Presbytère d’Ansembourg, which are within central Luxembourg’s Valley of the Seven Castles.

Château d’Ansembourg is one of the seven castles the valley is named for and is regarded as one of the country’s most important privately owned châteaus, according to Ignace Meuwissen, the founder of Whisper Auctions, who is handling the sale.

The castle sits at the heart of an almost 500-acre estate overlooking the picturesque village of Ansembourg, and records of its existence date to 1135.

Domaine du Presbytère d’Ansembourg, meanwhile, is a more than 110-acre estate comprising a former presbytery, a chapel dating to 1678, a historic school site, forests and meadows.

“Properties of this calibre rarely become available,” Meuwissen said.

“What is being offered today is far more than a chateau. The combination of nearly nine centuries of documented history, 245 hectares of land and a unique location in the Valley of the Seven Castles creates an opportunity that is exceptionally rare within Europe. Opportunities of this scale and heritage value are seldom brought to market and are often preserved within families for generations.”

The properties are being marketed through a “semi-off-market sales process,” with limited information and marketing materials publicly available, and access to the properties is reserved for a small number of pre-qualified candidates, according to Meuwissen.

Both estates have been privately occupied by the same owner, whom Meuwissen declined to identify. Mansion Global could not confirm who the seller is.

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