Ex-Adelaide Crows defender Daniel Talia launches Haume – a new residential investment firm

Former Adelaide Crows footballer Daniel Talia is kicking goals in a new career, promising to remove the hassle and stress when selling your home.

Former Adelaide Crow Daniel Talia with wife Megan at their new home in Unley. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

A new real estate investment outfit promising to remove the hassle and stress when selling a home has launched in Adelaide, led by former AFL footballer Daniel Talia and backed by a group of South Australian property investors.

Haume – pronounced ‘home’ – directly approaches owners of residential properties it is interested in acquiring, seeking their interest in negotiating an ‘off market’ sale to the company.

Talia has partnered with a group of local investors – including property groups and others across his football network – to launch Haume, which is exploring acquisition opportunities across the state.

An advisory board is chaired by former CBRE SA managing director Philip Rundle.

Talia, Haume’s general manager, said the business model enabled home owners to avoid the costs, time, preparation and stress associated with the traditional selling process.

“The whole idea of Haume is to go out and give homeowners an alternative in the market,” he said.

Talia during his playing days with the Adelaide Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed

“Usually when you sell your home, you go to an agent, there’s a couple of months of preparation, you pay your sales, marketing and advertising fees, and then you wait for the right buyer.

“You’re not really in control of the whole process – and we thought how good would it be to put the power back in the hands of the homeowner, going direct to them as an unconditional buyer and for them not have to pay any of those fees?

“It’s not that we’re cutting agents out of the market because we work with them all the time – we buy a lot of property through agents and engage agents for the homes we sell and for referrals.

“It doesn’t suit everyone, but vendors that might need a bit more time, need a deal done the next day, are too busy to prepare a home for sale or want to save the $20k or $30k in sales and marketing fees – that’s where we thought it would be a good business idea to provide something different.”

Haume’s process begins with a letter to the homeowner, seeking their interest in a potential sale. After an initial discussion, if the owner approves, an offer is made and negotiated, including the opportunity for flexible settlement periods, including lease-backs.

“If the owner is not interested, or we can’t pay their figure we leave them be,” Talia said.

Talia said his long-standing passion for real estate began when he bought his first home at 21.

He later completed several residential developments during his playing career under the mentorship of the late Bob Foord – a former board member at the Adelaide Crows.

After retiring from football in 2021, he spent two years in acquisitions at investment and advisory group MRS Property.

He said the idea of Haume was in part inspired by his own experience moving his young family to their new Unley Park home earlier this year.

Talia with wife Megan and kids Adeline, 2, Ivy, 5, and Maximillion, 3, at their new home in Unley Park. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

“We bought the home we’re in now at auction before we sold our old one, so I had to go and find a rental in a short timeframe the week before Christmas with three young kids,” he said.

“As part of that process I realised just how much of a nightmare it is to move under pressure on a tight timeframe.”

Talia said Haume was mainly focused on development opportunities across South Australia, suitable for new housing at the more affordable end of the market.

“We’ve got a set of criteria. Usually it’s a block over 600sq m, typically homes built between 1960 and 2000 – your older homes that need either renovating or are better suited to being demolished for new housing,” he said.

“We are looking to partner with builders and the housing we’re providing is either the more affordable product, under $700,000, or newer product suited to downsizers that are both in shortage in the current market.

“That ability to work with great people in the residential community and helping South Australians either realise some wealth in their homes or assisting the next generation with much-needed housing is a drawcard for us as well.”