Proud past, bright future – the history of Established Property

Celebrating 25 years in real estate, Established Property, the new name we have chosen for our agency, has been part of the Sanctuary Lakes story since 1996. In fact, we were the first real estate agency to open our doors at the start of the housing estate development.

Not long after this, we established a second real estate office in Point Cook, in line with the rapid land development in this thriving suburb, and then eventually founded Wyndham Residential to cover the property needs of the wider region. So as you can see, we’re proud to have supported Melbourne’s expansion to the west and have been part of the fabric of this wonderful modern community since its inception.

The organic growth of our business closely followed the geographic footprint of the new housing estates, so after 25 years we’ve decided to bring our three much-loved businesses together under one name – Established Property. Nothing has changed in terms of who we are – we will continue to harness our knowledge, experience and contacts to help our clients buy, sell and manage their properties. We’ve simply chosen to unify our brand to demonstrate our breadth and depth of local knowledge.

Who is Established Property?

It’s funny to remember that back in 1996 when we first started selling land in Sanctuary Lakes, there were more sheep than people living in Point Cook! Obviously, this is no longer the case, but what has remained consistent is that we continue to be proudly independent, offering a full suite of property services; from land sales, new homes, established home sales, leasing and property management.

Today, we’ve reached a point where clients of ours have bought and sold with our help several times over. Plus our history and knowledge of Wyndham’s new residential housing estates, from the subdivisions through to new home builds, makes us the region’s most experienced and knowledgeable team.

We asked our directors, Rob Sinni, Fadi Saad and Alex Sherwin, to share some insights into their journeys into real estate, their time spent in the Wyndham City region and to highlight what’s changed over the past two and a half decades.

Rob Sinni

“Over the past 25 years I’ve seen a lot of change in this area. As one of the first housing estates in the area and what was once the site of the Cheetham Salt Works Sanctuary Lakes has been reincarnated from barren wasteland to a modern and first-of-its-kind residential and recreational community – housing around 9,000+ people.

“Like so many Melbournites, my heritage is Italian and my parents emigrated to Australia in the 1950s. After studying Engineering, I worked originally in civil design and construction, then project management; sourcing land for developers and helping them realise the vision of what that land could become. I come from a family of builders and so I also got my building licence and joined our family, building homes in Templestowe. An estate agent in that area encouraged me to join their company and I was soon selling houses, mostly after a period when the 1990’s recession hit.

“During that time an opportunity arose to sell land in what would become Sanctuary Lakes Resort. Back in 1996, there were no shops and no schools here. The vision to have the best residential estate in Victoria was one I believed in, and Greg Norman’s involvement with the golf course added instant credibility and brought interest to the project. My instincts told me that Sanctuary Lakes was going to be a huge success, and it most certainly is a well established and highly sought after lifestyle today.

“Not long after, in the early 2000’s, several housing estates popped up in Point Cook. The growth of the area has been phenomenal. Over a time span of 20 years, the population morphed from 500 residents to more than 50,000 and it’s still on the rise.”

Fadi Saad

My story is not too dissimilar to Rob’s, as my parents migrated from Lebanon to Australia in the 1970s – like all migrants, in search of a better lifestyle. My childhood was spent in the north and southeast of Melbourne, then as a young adult, in 2002, I moved to Point Cook, and it’s been home ever since.

“Initially, my background was in hospitality, but one weekend my wife and I drove out to Point Cook and connected with the area straight away. We loved the fact that we could be equal distance from family in the coastal town of Geelong and other relatives in the city of Melbourne.”

“My wife, brother-in-law and I also took an interest in property investing which led to a few successful deals and an introduction to Rob and his team. After gaining my real estate license, I formally switched careers and focused on Sanctuary Lakes’ residential, starting up the established home sales department. The lure of the advertisements for the Sanctuary Lakes Resort and Club, with its first of a kind recreational facilities, including cutting edge Greg Norman-designed golf course were so thrilling to me that I just had to get involved, and haven’t looked back since. The relationships built and friendships made over this time have been monumental for our growth and success in the industry.”

Alex Sherwin

“By contrast, I’m of anglo-saxon heritage and was born just a little further around the bay in Newport, closer to Melbourne. My father is English and my mother has Scottish ancestry and I enjoyed a typical 90s suburban upbringing, alongside my two older sisters.

“My mother worked in real estate, and it was a happy accident that I chose the same career path. At first, I worked for a real estate franchise located closer to Newport, before following a colleague across to join Rob’s real estate team. As one of the longest-standing sales staff, I became a director after 10 years with the company.

“People that choose to make the Wyndham City region home do so because it’s an area with possibilities has all the modern amenities – great shops, great schools and medical facilities – and within easy reach of Melbourne city for work. With lots of green space and easy access to the Bay and the many beaches along Victoria’s coast – it’s just a great place to live.

“Rob, Fadi and I are all excited to be taking the next step in our business as the market is now the best we’ve ever seen. There are so many opportunities for sellers, investors and buyers, and we’re equally excited to continue to play our part in the growth of the area.“

Talk to us

No other real estate team has been in the Sanctuary Lakes, Point Cook and Wyndham City region as long as us at Established Property. Our longstanding area knowledge, market knowledge and historical records means we have information on pretty much every lot, property, street and estate in the area.

As only 25 years young, we’re excited to continue to evolve in conjunction with the area’s expansion and welcome many more new residents to this part of Melbourne’s west.

If you have a real estate or lifestyle related question, call us – because nobody knows the area like we do!