REA Group

From a humble garage in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to a global powerhouse, the REA Group story is truly remarkable. REA Group’s founders, Karl Sabljak, his wife Carmel, his brother Steve, and business partner Martin Howell, started the company in 1995. Their vision was simple yet revolutionary: to harness the power of the internet to transform the property market. REA Group quickly outgrew its garage beginnings. In 1999, the company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) with the backing of News Ltd. Despite facing the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, REA Group persevered. By 2004, over one million unique visitors were embracing digital property searches every month on realestate.com.au. REA Group’s innovative spirit continued to drive its expansion. In 2007, it launched squarefoot.com.hk in Hong Kong and realcommercial.com.au in Australia. This broadened its reach into commercial property listings. The company reached another milestone in 2009, with realestate.com.au attracting five million unique visitors monthly. REA Group recognized the mobile revolution early on, launching its first iOS app in 2010. The same year marked the beginning of its “Hack Day” tradition, fostering a culture of innovation. The REA Group’s growth extended beyond Australia, with a new office opening in Xi-an, China, in 2011, in partnership with Thoughtworks. The company’s mobile app hit one million downloads in 2012, further solidifying its mobile presence. REA Group continued its expansion in Asia, launching MyFun in China in 2013. In 2014, REA Group strengthened its community ties through partnerships with The Big Issue and Launch Housing. The same year saw the opening of its headquarters at 511 Church Street, Richmond. REA Group made strategic acquisitions, acquiring the rental application platform, 1form, and entering the U.S. market with a 20% investment in Move, Inc., the operator of realtor.com. REA Group celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015, marking two decades of transforming the property landscape. The company’s expansion continued with the acquisition of iProperty Group in 2016, extending its reach across Southeast Asia. The same year, REA Group moved into the share housing market by acquiring Flatmates and further invested in the Indian market with a 14.7% stake in PropTiger.com. In 2017, REA Group launched Spacely, connecting people to short-term workspaces, and entered the home loans market by acquiring an 80% stake in Smartline. It also established a community partnership with Orange Sky.