Dynamic Duo Forge Fresh Approach to Project Marketing

A dynamic new project marketing agency is reshaping the residential development industry with a fresh approach to achieving more value for its developer clients.

Seeing a gap in the currently challenging market for a more specialised project marketing service, industry veterans Dennis Vertzayias, former head of Colliers NSW Residential, and James Lampropoulos, a former Meriton project director, have come together to create Laver Residential Projects.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in only a short time, Laver has sold more than 160 new apartments in various projects right across Sydney, making them one of the best performing project marketing agencies in Australia this year.

The two business owners, who have more than 50 years of combined industry experience and notched up more than $10 billion in direct new-home sales, say they saw an opportunity to improve the standard of service in the market and provide more value to developers.

“The partnership we forge with our developer clients aims to better position their project in the market and carefully manage their sales in a manner that will constantly protect development value and maximises sales conversions.

“We are not a typical agency that is simply focused on the numbers as it churns through developments without being focused on achieving maximum value or effectively completing the sale of the entire development,” Vertzayias said.

“Our strategies from the outset are designed to achieve 100 per cent completion of sales.”

“In most cases, we dedicate ourselves at the frontline of sales where our developer clients need us most—we’re fully invested, just like our client.

“This hands-on involvement at the cold-face enables us to better manage inventory and sales to protect the project’s longer-term position in the market,” Vertzayias said.

“We have our finger on the pulse and can be more personal with a development and more reactive, adding value in real time—which is what developers need in the current market.”

Based in Sydney’s trendy Surry Hills, Laver works with developers to market and sell various types and scale of new residential developments right across Sydney, as well as sourcing and selling development sites.

The company has nine active projects currently on market across Sydney metro.

Off the back of its early success, the agency has been appointed to sell several new Sydney projects including Bondi Beach, Elizabeth Bay, Balmain, The Rocks, Ashfield and Heathcote in the Sutherland Shire.

Developers, Golden Age and Hannas, recently appointed the agency to exclusively manage the sales campaign for their iconic project, The Harrington Collection, located in the historic Rocks precinct just footsteps to Circular Quay.

“The Harrington Collection is a world-class development in a world class location, rarely do these premium located opportunities come to market,” Vertzayias said.

Laver’s early performance comes as no surprise when you consider the wealth of experience behind the company.

Vertzayias helped pioneer off-the-plan selling when back in 1997 he landed Toga Group’s Bay Gardens at Maroubra, selling 100 homes and apartments off the plan in less than three months.

Lampropoulos, in contrast, spent 16 years honing his skills at Australia’s largest residential developer, Meriton, having managed some of Sydney and Brisbane’s highest-profile new developments, including Sydney’s landmark World Square in the CBD and Soleil in Brisbane CBD.

“By coming together and starting Laver, has enabled us to combine our skill set and experiences to provide developers more value and better sales results than they were previously achieving,” Lampropoulos said.

For Vertzayias and Lampropoulos, offering a point of difference hinged on providing their entire team with strong sales skills across all levels of their agency.

“We felt that some other agencies were top-heavy, with a strong focus on top-level management, meaning they have their best operators in the back office, disconnected from the market.

“Our model aims to provide our expertise and our best people right at the frontline of sales and work backward from there,” Lampropoulos said.

“We want the best people in our company engaging with the market and actually selling product—everything we do is geared towards generating sales for our clients.”

The rapidly-growing business recently announced the appointment of two highly-experienced operatives in Sam Elbanna and Tony McGinley as project directors.

Tony brings 15 years of extensive property industry experience across residential projects, development sites and the planning and development management of projects, from concept to DA plus hands on project marketing sales experience.

Industry veteran Sam, one of the most experienced and accomplished operatives in the project marketing space, has more than 20 years’ experience and is also the founder of CPM Realty.

“As the market changes, we are seeing an increase from both institutional and private clients aligning themselves with highly experienced personnel who can deliver results,” Vertzayias said.

“Laver will continue to invest in highly skilled, knowledgeable operatives who are market leaders.”

To find out how Laver Residential Projects can maximise value of your next development, visit laver.com.au.

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