The disruptive proptech company, the British real estate agency Purplebricks has set up office in Sydney, though its business is pitched currently elsewhere.
It has secured a short-term lease for a 300sq m office to use as its first headquarters in the the Coca-Cola building on Macquarie Street.
Cadigal Office’s Nicholas Mulcahy and Knight Frank’s Jessica Roberts negotiated a gross annual rent of $550 a square metre.
Given its is set to be converted into luxury apartments, the group's lease is for six months to March 2017.
It reportedly could not find suitable larger premises in a tight Sydney office market.
The company will seek about 600 square metre space next year.
After establishing a presence in Melbourne and Brisbane, Purplebricks will be rolled out to Sydney and the other capital cities
The Australian business is being led by Ryan Dinsdale, the former marketing director of Virgin Money.
London-based Purplebricks chief executive officer Michael Bruce reckons Australia's "infatuation" with real estate, but dislike of the way traditional estate agents operate, will fuel the success of his company.
The British estate agency, which operates a fixed-cost, high-tech model, was recently launched with 50 "local property experts" and a $17.2 million marketing budget to spread the word among home sellers.
They will be charged a flat $4500 fee to sell their home through Purplebricks.
For those selling a $614,000 median-priced home (according to the ABS), this will be $11,500 cheaper than if they used a traditional estate agent charging a 2.2 percent commission.
Home sellers will also get access to Purplebricks' bespoke online platform
It grew to 300 local property experts in the UK in less than two years.
