Munro & Co joins forces with nationally expanding local agency Explore Property

A Townsville real estate agency which has grown from 20 to 200 staff, expanding across Australia, has now recruited a prominent local agency.

Explore Property director Andrew Acton has welcomed Townsville agents Jools and Errol Munro into his real estate franchise. Picture: Supplied.

Townsville real estate group Explore Property has gone from humble beginnings to opening franchises across the country, and now it’s recruiting a prominent local agency to join the team.

Andrew Acton founded Explore Property in 2014 after helming the number one Ray White business in regional Queensland.

Calling it an “agency for the people”, he aimed to fill a gap in the market between big crowded franchises and isolated independents.

From 20 staff, his workforce has grown to 200, with two franchises opening in Western Australia, and an additional 11 offices in regional Queensland including Atherton Tablelands, Cairns, Townsville, Burdekin, Whitsundays, Mackay, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, and Moreton Bay.

Five of those were opened in the past year, with Mr Acton on track to launch additional offices in Mission Beach and Hervey Bay before the end of the year.

“Our key focus has been on strong regional markets, but we’re kind of getting that way that we’re filling them up now,” Mr Acton said.

“People are the heart of our business and there’s only so many people you can work with in those markets, so moving into Southeast Queensland is our next focus.”

Veteran Townsville real estate agent Jools Munro has teamed up Explore Property director Andrew Acton to launch a new Explore Property agency in Hermit Park. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Mr Acton has attracted some of the state’s most successful agents, with veteran local agents Errol and Jools Munro announcing on Friday that their Hermit Park agency Munro & Co had joined the franchise.

He said working with the couple was the natural thing to do given how well they got along, an alignment in values, their runs on the board, and mutual ambitions to do more.

“Uber passionate” about servicing regional communities, with 34 years of combined industry experience, Ms Munroe said they had been itching for a new challenge.

Jools and Errol Munro with Anthony and Robert prepare for a Pooch Party. Picture: Evan Morgan

“The people we were doing business with weren’t here in Townsville so over the last eight months, we’ve been pulling all of our business relationships back here and we really wanted to make that change in who we hitched our wagon to,” she said.

“Explore Property is a grassroots, service driven brand who focus on clients receiving the best results every time, every day … not on the hip pocket of the agent or the franchisor.

“I am very passionate about the Townsville community. We’re hoping for a hands-on interaction, but also to continue challenging our business forward and to have that growth and become a bigger contributor to the community.”

After building their business when Townsville’s property market was like a “driveway slope to a gutter” with a median house price of $340,000, Ms Munroe said the city was resurgent with a median price of just above $400,000, and a rental vacancy rate plunging from 10 per cent to one per cent.

This was being driven by people migrating to the city, attracted by the affordability, short transit times, having more space, beautiful weather for nine months of the year, flexibility to work from home, and an increased industry focus.

Explore Property businesses has been recognised with multiple awards including Queensland Agency of Year and Australian Agency of the Year.

Mr Acton said the key to their success was empowering team members to reach their potential and become better leaders with mentoring, coaching, and support, rather than being treated as “numbers”.

“Who we are as a group comes first, and we’ve proven that by having excellent people and good training and supporting each other, we’re able to attract buyers and sellers,” he said.

Originally published as Munro & Co joins forces with nationally expanding local agency Explore Property