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Kooky
Builder of Shaka, the payment router that pays every agent their commission on closing date.
About Kooky and Shaka →A Townsville agency that traded under its founder's name for 30 years has become First National Townsville, Elite Agent reported on 22 September 2026 and Real Estate Business on 24 September. The change is the third in three weeks to show how differently agency networks are pitching themselves to independent Queensland businesses: YPA appointed a franchise growth director for the state on 7 September, and One Agency announced new owners on 16 September while promising its flat-fee model would not change.
The three networks offer three different bargains. One is a co-operative owned by its members, one charges a flat fee, and one is a franchise. Each is competing for the same thing, an established local agency that wants national resources without giving up control.
Sources: Elite Agent, 22 September 2026; Real Estate Business, 16 and 24 September 2026.
A Townsville agency joins a co-operative
The Townsville business was founded three decades ago as Helen Munro Property. Its founder retired seven years ago and the agency has since been led by its director, Tracy Crome, with a team of 24 across residential sales and property management, according to Elite Agent.
Ms Crome's explanation of the move is a description of what many independents want. She told Elite Agent she was looking for the strength and resources of a national network "without losing our independence", and she stressed that clients would notice no change in who they dealt with.
"This is still the same local business, with the same people," she said in the report.
First National's chief executive, David Edwards, said the decision reflected what the co-operative model was designed to provide: national resources and shared knowledge with ownership and decisions kept in local hands. The reports list marketing, training, technology and compliance support as what a member gains.
Related readFive Darling Downs offices take one name as office groups growThe brand is not new to the city. Real Estate Business headlines the move as First National's return to Townsville, and both reports note that two former First National Townsville principals, who between them led the brand's office there for more than four decades, influenced the decision.
One Agency changes owners and keeps its fee
One Agency's announcement was about ownership at the top. Real Estate Business reported on 16 September that four long-standing principals of the network have taken control, with one of them, Mark Stewart, as chief executive. The co-founders, Paul and Annie Davies, are stepping back but remain involved. The four new owners have been with the network since 2017.
The network gave its size as 120 offices in four countries. It added 24 offices in 2025 and 13 so far in 2026. Two weeks earlier, on 2 September, the same publication had reported the twelfth of those, in the New South Wales Southern Highlands.
The message to members was continuity. "Our flat-fee model is not changing," Mr Davies said in the report, adding that the independence members value would not change either. Mr Stewart said the new owners saw themselves first as custodians of the network.
A flat fee is the feature that separates One Agency from most branded groups. A conventional franchise commonly takes a percentage of an office's commission income, so the fee grows as the office grows. A flat fee is the same whatever the office earns, which appeals most to offices with high turnover. The new owners have said they intend to invest in technology and member support while keeping that structure.
Related readREMAX has a new owner: what the Real merger means for local officesYPA sends a franchise director to Queensland
The third announcement is a hiring. Real Estate Business reported on 7 September that YPA, a franchise network that already has offices in Queensland, had appointed Stephen Lea as its franchise growth director for the state. His career, as the report sets it out, includes senior roles with several large agency brands and a property portal, and he established another network's Australian operations in 2019.
Neither Mr Lea nor the network gave a target for the number of offices. He said his first task was to listen to business owners and understand what they wanted their agencies to become.
"Success won't be measured by how quickly we can put YPA signs across Queensland," he said in the report.
YPA's franchise manager, Kayla Ridolfi, described the search as one for the right operators in the right markets. The appointment itself is the news: a network does not create a state growth role unless it expects to sign offices.
| Network | Model | September development |
|---|---|---|
| First National | Co-operative of member agencies | A 30-year Townsville independent joins |
| One Agency | Flat-fee network of independent offices | Four principals take ownership |
| YPA | Franchise | Queensland franchise growth director named |
Sources: Elite Agent, 22 September 2026; Real Estate Business, 7, 16 and 24 September 2026.
Why independents are being courted now
An independent agency of long standing is the most valuable recruit a network can make. It arrives with a sold history, a rent roll, trained staff and a name people in the town already use. Opening a new office from nothing takes years to reach the same position.
The independents, for their part, face costs that have risen faster than their size. Technology subscriptions, training requirements and compliance have all grown. Since 1 July 2026, agencies that sell property have had to run an anti-money-laundering program and verify the identity of their clients, an obligation that falls on a 24-person office in the same way as on a national group. The Townsville reports list compliance support among the benefits of joining, beside marketing and technology.
Related readWhat a rent roll is, how it is valued and why agencies trade themMarket conditions sharpen the choice. With fewer sales to share, a recognised brand and a larger buyer database are arguments an office can put to a seller. Networks know this, which is why the weeks before the spring selling season tend to produce announcements of this kind.
The same pattern was visible in August. Elite Agent reported on 18 August that two agents had opened Century 21 Rise in Gympie, returning to the brand under which each had won its rookie of the year award. Their stated reason was systems and support that would let them concentrate on clients.
What joining a network does not change
For the people who deal with an agency, a change of brand alters less than the new signage suggests.
The licence stays with the business. In Queensland a real estate agency is licensed by the Office of Fair Trading in the name of the person or company that operates it. Joining a co-operative or a franchise does not transfer that licence to the network. The Office's public register shows the licensed name, its place of business and the status of the licence, and that entry is where a client can see who stands behind a trading name.
The trust account stays with the business too. Deposits and rent are held in an account opened by the principal licensee, and a network has no claim on it. Existing appointments continue: a seller's Form 6 and a landlord's management appointment were made with the licensed business, and they run on their existing terms.
Related readThe agency licence in Queensland: company, person in charge, officeWhat does change is supply. The office may use different marketing material, a different website and different software, and its staff may attend the network's training. In a franchise, the office also takes on obligations to the franchisor under its agreement, and the Franchising Code of Conduct, administered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, governs how that agreement is disclosed and enforced. A co-operative member's relationship with the group is set by the co-operative's own rules instead.
A new brand does not mean a new licence holder
When an agency joins a network, the licensed business, its trust account and its current appointments ordinarily stay exactly as they were. The Office of Fair Trading's free register shows the licensed name behind any trading name.
What sellers and landlords can ask
A change of brand is a reasonable moment for a client to ask a few questions, and the answers are usually simple. Who holds the licence, and has that changed? Does the network set commission or fees, or does the office? Will the property be shown on any additional website or to any additional buyer list?
In Queensland, commission is agreed between the client and the office and written on the appointment form. No network model fixes it. An office paying a flat fee to its network and an office paying a percentage both negotiate with their own sellers, and how each office passes its costs on is its own decision.
What comes next
First National Townsville has announced local sponsorships running into 2027, including a rugby league club and a community Christmas event, which signals an office settling into the brand for the long term. One Agency's new owners have a pipeline to maintain: 13 offices in under nine months is the pace they inherit. YPA's Queensland director has begun meeting business owners, and the first signings will show which parts of the state the network is aiming for.
Other networks have their own growth staff working the same list of independents. The Queensland agencies that remain unbranded will be receiving more than one proposal this spring.
Kooky, from Shaka
Kooky edits Queensland Estate and builds Shaka, the payment router he made for Queensland property professionals. One payment comes in, and every agent, agency and party in the deal receives their signed share on closing date.
