24 Sep 2025
Words Blair Macdonald Informer

GO WEST

ResortBrokers had its best financial year on record in Western Australia, thanks to our local broker Blair Macdonald who has more than capably represented us in the west for six years.

Both a licensed real estate agent and business valuer with over 20 years’ experience, Blair has sold luxury resorts, regional motels, Quest franchises, caravan parks and management rights across the state.

In FY25, he settled a record 10 sales. How’s he managed it? We asked the man himself.

You had an incredible run in FY25. Where’s buyer interest coming from?
All over. Karratha Central Apartments, my largest sale, was purchased by an eastern states’ buyer who had been managing Noosaville’s largest resort for the last 12 years. Karratha Central Apartments enticed him to come west. Ibis Styles Albany, my second biggest sale, was bought by a Brisbane buyer. Quest Midland was bought by a joint venture. The majority stake investors were eastern states buyers, but their JV partners are both originally from Perth.

What are buyers looking for?
Strong businesses. Good returns. Great locations. The latter is a major factor for interstate buyers in particular. Properties in far flung locations are a hard sell for interstate buyers who want a Perth location or major regional city since it reduces their travel time from the eastern states.

So not hard to attract buyers …
Not at all. I’m getting lots of enquiry on my listings, have had no problem selling stock and have sold things quite quickly. ResortBrokers’ buyer database helped me get a regional motel leasehold in Albany under offer almost at full price. That was just off our database alone without going to market. All we did was send out an email to anyone who had previously enquired on our listings in Albany. That generated enough interest for me to get four offers. The accepted offer was almost the full asking price.

What are the hotspots for buyers looking to invest in WA?
Kalgoorlie is hot because there’s been huge demand for mining accommodation. Karratha and the greater Pilbara are also locations in high demand. Port Headland is very popular as well. Anything Perth-based, too.

Mining is still a major driver of the WA economy. Right now, mining is quite strong despite lithium and nickel going quiet. Gold is still obviously doing very well, so Kalgoorlie is doing well. There’s quite a lot of gold in the Pilbara, too. Overall, mining seems pretty strong at the moment which is driving those local economies and occupancy for accommodation businesses in those areas. A good example is Karratha Central Apartments. The property has 84 keys. All are in the letting pool, which is practically unheard of. Mining in the Pilbara is largely driving that.

You had great success selling Quest franchises in FY25 …
When it rains it pours. I settled four Quest business sales inside five months. Quest Rockingham and Quest Innaloo in November 2024, Quest Yelverton Kalgoorlie in January 2025 and Quest Midland in March 2025. Buyer interest for Quest businesses is the highest I’ve seen in my time as a broker. Perth-based Quests are especially sought after. Demand for non-Perth Quests might be less but is still high.

All the Quests I listed received enormous interest, which speaks to the strength of the Quest brand and the winning formula of its franchise model. Quest Corporate Office is also strategic in where they place their hotels, which are always in high growth locations.

Finally, how do you see WA’s accommodation property market looking in FY26? Will interest rates have an impact?
While the WA economy is strong, the accommodation property market will be strong. I don’t see interest rates having much of an effect on the market. Interest rates have been high for the last couple of years, yet the accommodation property market has been hot. I believe it will take more than interest rates to slow it down. END

Blair’s incredible run in FY25

Karratha Central Apartments
Karratha, WA