Property Buyers Agents Association of Australia

History of Association

The Property Buyer's Agents Association of Australia was founded by Peter Kelaher in October 2001. Peter saw the need for an independent professional body to represent buyer's agents and operate as a regulatory body for this new and emerging industry. Peter's aim was to set high standards for the association to provide the consumer with a recognised group of property professionals with the relevant and necessary property experience.

Members

	Peter Kelaher - NSW President Peter is the president and founder of the Property Buyers Agents Association of Australia Inc. He is the director of PK Property Search & Negotiators Pty Ltd in Sydney NSW, a licensed real estate agent and has more than a decade of experience when it comes to property. Peter is a keynote property speaker for major banking corporations, a property editor for News Limited and today operates Sydney's first & largest buyer's agency. Website: www.pkproperty.com.au
	Richard Wakelin - VIC Richard Wakelin, Director, Business Development and co-founder of Melbourne’s Wakelin Property Advisory, has over 30 years experience in residential property. After working in property management, he went on to gain comprehensive experience in residential and commercial property. Early in his career, Richard identified a growing need among residential property purchasers for independent advice and representation. “The property industry was and still is very much geared towards representing sellers,” Richard says. By the early 1980’s, Richard was working with organisations that were developing specialist property acquisition and investment advisory services. In March 1995, he co-founded Wakelin Property Advisory – one of the first fully independent and comprehensive residential property advisory companies – with Monique Wakelin. Richard holds an Advanced Certificate in Real Estate and is a Member of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria. Website: www.wakelin.com.au
	Meighan Hetherington - QLD Property and client satisfaction are the driving passions for Meighan. At just 23 she bought her first property and has not looked back. Meighan began her career in Brisbane in recruitment and HR Consulting before being recruited to the one of the world's largest professional services firms. After several years with the firm in Brisbane and Melbourne managing projects for blue chip clients such as BHP, Fairfax and state governments, Meighan returned to Brisbane to pursue a change to the real estate industry as a sales person. Through her work with property sellers and buyers, Meighan recognised a real need for professional, exclusive representation for property buyers in Queensland and founded Property Pursuit in 2003. Meighan is a licensed real estate agent, member of the REIQ and the Australian Institute of Management. Website: www.propertypursuit.com.au
	Stewart Kestel - WA Stewart Kestel joined Hegney Property Valuations in 1996 as a property valuer and in 2000, he was appointed to the role of Managing Director to lead the company with vision and innovation. Hegney Property Advisers is now part of Hegney Property Group which is recognized as one of Perth's largest and respected valuation companies. Stewart is responsible for the ongoing growth of the business and innovative development of technology to better service their large customer base. His focus is on providing smarter solutions for clients and ensuring that they are leading the way within the valuation industry and creating new ways forward for property services. Website: www.hegney.com.au
	Stephen Hopson - TAS Stephen Hopson, a licensed Real Estate Agent and Property Developer is the CEO of BUYTAS in Tasmania. Mr. Hopson's twenty five years of experience includes residential and rural land development, resort development, commercial property search services, real estate agency management consulting, and property related e-commerce. He has more than five years of experience in his local area as a Buyer's Agent. Website: www.buytas.com.au
	Tod Peterson - NT Tod Peterson comes from a well respected family of Real Estate Agents. Dating back to 1931, the family set up business in the inner Sydney suburbs and continued to successfully sell and manage real estate properties in this very strong and competitive market. Tod entered the industry at the age of 18 and commenced working for the family business. With a focus primarily on residential sales the successes he achieved enabled him to take the reins for the agency from his father. In 27 years in the real estate industry, Tod has broadened his experience and knowledge working for large residential and commercial agencies in Sydney and in Darwin. Tod identified a niche in the Northern Territory for an Exclusive Buyers agency and has set up Peterson’s Property Search. His sole emphasis is in the interest of the needs of the buyer. He has the ability to make a clear analysis of the mood of the buyers and bring about results that surpass their expectations. Website: petersonspropertysearch.com.au