_A dual-branded McGrath Knight Frank Residential Projects division is launched
McGrath Chief Executive, John McGrath said:
“As many buyers of new projects originate from overseas including Australian expats, we have found our partnership with Knight Frank is invaluable. So we have forged a new division, McGrath Knight Frank Projects, for our Project Marketing specialists.
“This also signifies the close relationship our Projects teams have with our international partners and coincides with one of Australia’s most exciting team of specialists joining our Group as Owen Moore and Brennan Latimer now will head up our South East Queensland and Melbourne regions. Owen and Brennan are at the forefront of the Australian project’s space in their respective states and they will join with Henry Burke in Sydney and our regional projects teams to offer our clients the very best in project marketing expertise.”
The new division will be headed up by a team who have a proven track record of success in residential project marketing. Owen and Brennan collectively have more than three decades of experience in project marketing, and have moved to McGrath Knight Frank Projects from another major brand. Henry will join the team after being Head of Projects at McGrath and has more than 16 years’ experience in the industry.
Knight Frank Chief Executive Officer James Patterson said:
“We are thrilled to be building on our partnership with McGrath with the establishment of the dual-branded McGrath Knight Frank Projects arm.
“We’re looking forward to providing all of our developer clients, regardless of size, with a full-service offering, from the purchase of a site right through to the marketing and completion of a project, with our sales teams working closely with the Projects team.
“Knight Frank’s global reach will elevate McGrath Knight Frank Projects in Australia, with the ability to market via our networks overseas, including our Private Office team, being a huge point of difference.
“Together Owen, Brennan and Henry are an exceptionally successful team, with a strong track record, and we are really excited to have the opportunity to partner with and support them.”
This new team plans to double their 2025 sales of circa 1,000 across the Melbourne, Sydney and South East Queensland. These will be marketed via public and private releases with key sales partners, and nationally and internationally via the Knight Frank global network, its Private Office and Bayleys in New Zealand.
In its Data Driven Analysis, the McGrath Projects team utilises their in-house research capability with predictive analytics to identify emerging buyer demographics. This "intelligence-first" approach allows developers to design floor plans and amenities that meet the demands of 2027 and beyond, rather than reacting to the trends of recent years.
Precision Feasibility and De-Risking for the "Pre-Sale Certainty" Engine: In a high-interest-rate and high-construction-cost environment, the primary hurdle for developers is building then funding. McGrath Projects acts as a "feasibility partner," providing the sales velocity required to trigger construction finance faster than the industry standard.
Micro-Market Granularity: The team has intimate knowledge of their East Coast Markets, such as specific streets and lifestyle pockets with the multiple buyer types. This intimate knowledge allows them to advise developers on "product-market fit," minimizing the risk of expensive unsold inventory.
Owen Moore, Principal, McGrath Knight Frank Projects said:
“With international events coming to our shores such as the Rugby World Cup and Olympic Games, the global attention is going to transform some of Queensland’s major markets.
Our local and national team is dedicated to delivering a multi-billion-dollar pipeline of new real estate projects over the next few years.“With the risks developers are facing to deliver new supply in a challenging market currently facing a housing crisis, our deep expertise of the five key buyer types for new residential real estate in each market is invaluable in safeguarding a developer’s position when undertaking these major construction projects.”
Brennan Latimer, Principal, McGrath Knight Frank Projects said:
“Our unified collaboration over three states enables us to work with developers across the entire east coast, delivering a project sales offering like no other in the Australian marketplace. As a result, we are able to deliver the best results to our developer clients while offering our sales partner networks access to the best projects and development teams that Australia has to offer. The Victorian market is particularly exciting given the value opportunity in Melbourne metro when compared to our other capitals, and when coupled with the future growth prospects creates an exciting opportunity for developers and buyers alike.”
Henry Burke, Principal, McGrath Knight Frank Projects said:
“With over $3 billion of apartment and master planned projects launching to market in Greater Sydney over the next 18 months, we see our role as the bridge between visionary developers and astute buyers, ensuring every project we represent stands out in a competitive landscape.”
EXAMPLES OF CURRENT PROJECTS:
Hamilton Grove, Hamilton (Brisbane)
Developer: Wentworth Equities
Price range: $1.75M - $20M
60 residences
Rooms: 2, 3 & 4 beds
https://hamiltongrove.com.au/
Halcyon, Northcliffe (Gold Coast)
Developer: Sydney Land \ Group
Price range: $1.2M - $15M
105 residences
Rooms: 2, 3 & 4 beds
https://halcyonsurfersparadise.com.au/
Park Modern, South Melbourne
Developer: Time & Place
Price range: $690K - $6.8M
246 residences
Rooms: 2, 3 & 4 beds
https://parkmodern.com.au/
Newport Green, South Kingsville
Developer: Metro
Price range: $955K - $1.5M
114 residences
Rooms: 2, 3 & 4 beds
https://newportgreen.com.au/
Kew Tallawong – Sydney
Developer: Positive Investment Enterprise
Stage 1: 4 buildings | 456 apartments
Price range: $560K - $1M
Rooms: 1,2 & 3 beds
https://www.mcgrath.com.au/projects/kew-tallawong
Ava Five Dock - Sydney
Developer: K2 Property Development Group
Price range: $1M - $4.41M
27 residences
Rooms: mix of 1,2,3 & 4 beds
https://www.mcgrath.com.au/projects/ava-five-dock
Attributable to McGrath Research:
- McGrath Research has tracked Australian development activity for 15 years, with the average price of new East Coast apartments rising twofold (up 96.3%) over this time to $16,100/sqm.
- East Coast apartment delivery reached 27,545 in 2025, nearly double the 13,240 completed in 2011, yet population growth has continued to outstrip new supply, keeping demand strong among first-home buyers, investors and downsizers.
- Despite new build and lending challenges, 75,952 new apartments are now under construction for delivery by 2030 along the East Coast. Another 20,501 new apartments are being actively marketed, which represents only one-tenth of all approved but unbuilt stock.
- Given persistent undersupply and solid population growth, many East Coast projects that break ground today could potentially see an average of up to 15% price growth by completion.
- Amid global uncertainty, buying new apartments in Australia remain a safe haven for locals, expats and international buyers with transparent ownership, reliable returns and added rental supply.
- International buyers are still allowed to invest and buy new homes in Australia with the intention to expand the number of rental homes available. Non-resident buyers in Australia trended between 5% and 10% of all new home purchases in the past year.
- Down the eastern seaboard, South-East Queensland has seen apartment values rise sharply in the lead up to a significant infrastructure spend ahead of the Olympic games in 2032 with some buying as an investment play whilst others are buying to relocate. NSW developers remained focussed on delivering luxury apartments to balance their feasibilities given the high cost of land and construction. Victoria is well-placed for its relative value for interstate investors as locals upsize to high-quality apartments with premium design and lifestyle amenities.