“KM Sales & Marketing is a specialist residential property sales and marketing group providing tailored project marketing solutions for property developers, financiers and government bodies throughout Australia and overseas.
“KMSM” has achieved particular success with the Chinese real estate buying phenomenon that is a major driver of growth in the Gold Coast economy.
The business draws on the collective experience and skills within its national team of qualified real estate specialists. It produces and executes sales and marketing strategies for residential and mixed-use development projects. KMSM has offices across the Asia Pacific, including Australia, Singapore and China.
Jayde, 37, has been involved within the real estate industry for more than15 years and is a leader in his field.
He has a proven capability in positioning developments to maximise their potential and has a wealth of experience in the creation of integrated sales, marketing and place management strategies for property assets.
Jayde is a strong supporter of YPGC. “YPGC provides not only a voice for younger members of the Gold Coast business community, but a forum for them to be exposed to the highest levels of business leadership in the city, “ said Jayde. “Being part of YPGC is extremely empowering for young people and it most certainly expedites professional growth.”
Jayde Pezet in profile
What sparked your interest in the property industry?
“I grew up in Byron Bay, the son of a third generation builder who focused on architecturally designed residential dwellings in beachside enclaves and throughout the surrounding hinterland.
“While property was in my blood it wasn’t until after I spent time working in the surfing industry and before travelling throughout Europe that I became seriously interested in a career in property.
“After moving to the Gold Coast at age 21, I was perplexed by the staggering number of high-rise buildings that seemed to be coming to market at an alarming rate.
“I often wondered where the masses of people came from to purchase these apartments and how developers marketed these developments across the globe.
“But I was fortunate enough to be able lean on my father’s contacts in the real estate industry – I bounced questions off them and soon learned about the cyclical nature of Gold Coast property and how these cycles directly affected the broader Gold Coast community, not just property and construction.
“My first job in the real estate industry was with a small agency in Broadbeach and within ten months I was given an opportunity to work with Niecon Developments, which is renowned for building some of the most spectacular towers on the Gold Coast.
“I quickly established, that property and in particular project marketing, was definitely my calling – it has enabled me to focus on not just sales, but also the creative collateral and methodology behind transactions.
How important have intentional markets, including China in particular, been to your business?
“During the past four years, our business has been focused on real data and digging deep into sales origins and the cultural nuances behind sales from international markets.
“Asia was obviously of great interest due to growing demand from real estate agencies in that region to sell stock within projects we were marketing.
“We are a small team and rather than spreading ourselves too thinly we chose to focus on Hong Kong and China, with Shanghai as our base and also opened a small office in the Jing’an district.
“It was imperative to have a presence on the ground rather than trying to execute transactions flying in and out for weekend sales seminars and expos.
“We have had great guidance from Juan Zhou, a Chinese national from Nanjing, who has worked with us for the past six years after finishing her MBA at Bond University and is now an Associate Director in the business.
“Although the Asian market is a substantial part of our business, the impact that Asia and specifically China has made on the Australian property market is staggering.
“Not only has it greatly assisted in escalating property prices post GFC, but it has kept our property industry afloat on the Gold Coast with flow on effects to the tourism industry, construction industry and other sectors.”
Is enough being done from a cultural perspective to cater for Chinese people on the Gold Coast?
“The Gold Coast City Council has been proactive in promoting the Chinatown precinct in Southport and executing several trade missions to China, which is extremely encouraging to see.
“I meet with many Chinese developers, students and prospective property owners who have had to travel to Sunnybank Hills and Brisbane to get their dose of Chinese culture, which essentially takes their money out of the Gold Coast economy.
“A key driver for Chinese purchasing Australian property is wealth preservation and a succession plan for future generations.
“The younger generation of Chinese nationals are well educated and often well versed in western culture which enables them to fit into the Gold Coast way of life and enjoying the many Chinese restaurants that are popping up in Surfers Paradise, Southport and Broadbeach.
“However, their parents are not so well informed and the Gold Coast needs to be conscious of catering for this generation as they are the ones with the final say when it comes to investing their own capital.
“Hopefully, Chinatown will bridge this gap and provide a cultural precinct that provides the same sense of homeliness that is offered in other cities across the country.
What is your opinion about current City of Gold Coast planning and development application policies and procedures?
“Many land acquisitions over the past few years have been purely opportunistic plays with developers amalgamating sites and seeking DA approval just to on-sell with the value uplift.
“The Gold Coast City Council is very conscious of this and would rather see more development activity, which in turn drives the local economy and provides greater stability for the city.
“I believe that the council is providing a solid platform that affords more scope for developers.
“In the high rise sector, building design plays a huge part in improving the city’s spectacular skyline and this is something that deserves more consideration within council.”
Is there evidence of new, small, local development companies coming out of the woodwork in the post GFC environment on the Gold Coast?
“Yes there is and it’s very encouraging to see a new wave of young developers moving into the space and making their presence felt in the Gold Coast market.
“Its great to see young guys you have known and worked alongside for years doing extremely well and creating developments that are offering a lot to the Gold Coast.”
How important is online/social media to reaching the Chinese market?
“It is extremely important.
“Property websites like Juwai and MyFun provide opportunities for Chinese nationals to easily access information on properties available in the Australian market.
“In addition WeChat is the preferred communication method for much of Asia and it’s also an extremely powerful form of marketing property.
“We have been avid users of WeChat for many years and it has proven to be not only a powerful and highly effective marketing platform but also a great way of communicating with our offshore developers and sales channels.”
What do Chinese buyers think about the Gold Coast and are they confident in buying off the plan, or do they want to see the final product first?
“Chinese buyers have proven to be fond of the Gold Coast, however we see end users often having several homes across the world and only spending time in their Gold Coast residence for a portion of the year.
“The Gold Coast has clean air, provides a lifestyle that is unobtainable in China and for people that are looking for a place to reside in Australia, it is a compelling offering.
“Buying off the plan is commonplace in China and property is in such great demand that it’s often very difficult to secure a property in certain cities in China.
“In my experience Chinese nationals, have had no objection to buying off the plan and as they are required to buy new product, purchasing free hold off the plan provides certainty to securing a property in a highly publicised and stable Australian property market.”
What do you say to those who feel negative about the increased Chinese presence on the Coast and the extent of property being sold to them?
“First and foremost I don’t know where we would be as a country if we hadn’t had the injection of capital from the Chinese market.
“Sure property prices are hyper inflated in some cities, but here on the Gold Coast the escalation of prices has been sustainable and the rise in prices is largely due to the investment appetite of both Chinese property developers and purchasers.
“I think any negativity around the influx of Chinese people living in Australia will be short lived as long as there is a level of mutual respect amongst both cultures.”
