Raine & Horne Toowoomba opened its doors on 1 February 2024 under the dynamic leadership of local real estate leaders Chris Shine and Justine Dill. 

Mr Angus Raine, Executive Chairman of Raine & Horne, said, “Having over ten years in real estate, Chris and Justine, who started their careers with Raine & Horne in Toowoomba, are returning to their origins while also bringing a wealth of experience and a commitment to service excellence.

“I am thrilled to welcome Chris and Justine back to our team and eagerly anticipate maintaining the exceptional standard of real estate products and services that the Toowoomba community has consistently come to expect from Raine & Horne over the past three decades.”

Ms Dill, who began her journey with Raine & Horne in Toowoomba in 2012, was named Raine & Horne’s Rookie Agent of the Year in Queensland and nationally during her first year. Mr Shine, after joining the Toowoomba business in 2014, later partnered with Ms Dill to form a successful sales team that earned numerous accolades, including being rated as the best agent by Rate My Agent in Toowoomba for three consecutive years.

Returning home to Raine & Horne 

After leaving Raine & Horne in 2017, Mr Shine and Ms Dill worked with different brands. The decision to return to Raine & Horne came as a natural progression in their careers, with Mr Shine stating, “We’ve reached a level in our careers with other experiences and other agencies where we just felt that we needed to do our own thing just to round it out.”

Reflecting further on their decision, Mr Shine added, “The fact that we’re coming back now to Raine & Horne has a nice synergy, and we feel like we’re coming home.”

Both Mr Shine and Ms Dill expressed their excitement about the onboarding experience with Raine & Horne, praising the seamless transition and the support received from the team. They highlighted the advanced ecosystem of technology firsts, including products such as the AI-powered social media marketing platform Amplify and the first-to-market online appraisal tool DigiKitPlus, as valuable resources that enhance their operations.

“The onboarding process has been seamless, and everyone’s there to help us. It’s been fantastic, having Queensland General Manager Steve Worrad, who was at Raine & Horne during our last stint has been handy, but the whole Corporate team has been great to deal with,” Mr Shine said. 

Similar but much better – CompassPlus 

Ms Dill remarked, “We’re just beginning to explore products such as Amplify and DigiKitPlus introduced by Raine & Horne since our departure, and the exciting capabilities we’ve witnessed so far are fantastic.”

“It’s also excellent how everything’s interconnected and integrated and plugged into Printforce and all the other partners we use. 

“That process is seamless, and it’s all brought together by CRM CompassPlus that allows sales, property management and administrative staff to simplify and integrate various real estate operations, ultimately providing more efficient services.

“Compass, which we used during our time with Raine & Horne, is more user-friendly now. I’m thoroughly enjoying inputting our contacts into it; that’s impressive.”

Seizing opportunities in a thriving market

Moreover, the strategic decision to realign with Raine & Horne couldn’t have been timed better with the real estate market in Toowoomba in great shape. 

Mr Shine said, “The market is robust, with a shortage of housing stock and population growth driving prices upwards, while February and March are always strong months for real estate activity in Toowoomba.  

“The median house price is currently $550,000, while apartments are seeing a recent uptick. With the median price around $362,500, apartments are very affordable in Toowoomba for first time buyers and investors.”

Given the strong market conditions, Mr Shine and Ms Dill believe their launch comes at an opportune time, and they have ambitious plans for the immediate future, including announcing the recruitment of several high-calibre sales agents and expanding into property management and rural sales.

“We aim to engage a rural sales agent to expand our reach into lifestyle and farming areas of Toowoomba that have not been previously covered. Additionally, we are keen on leveraging Amplify and its social media capabilities to their fullest extent, ensuring we maximise our impact within the town,” Mr Shine said.

Mr Shine and Ms Dill are excited about the prospects of serving the Toowoomba community now that they are re-aligned with Raine & Horne, emphasising their commitment to client service, and achieving optimal results for sellers and buyers.

“As part of our commitment to the community, we have plans to support local causes, starting with Tony’s Kitchen, a group providing meals for the homeless,” Mr Shine said.