Paralympian, now a Member of Parliament endorses new real estate initiative

With the news of a brand new real estate filter, Paralympian turned Member of Parliament, Liesl Tesch has endorsed the new filter claiming "It's about time the world became more inclusive".

This week it was announced through REB that a number of industry leaders had come together to urge the industry to better increase visibility for mobility challenged Australians.

Taking to TikTok, Bespoke Media Group CEO Nic Fren sat down with Ms Tesch to publicly announce the initiative which has been extremely well received.

"I knew we were onto something when we first started talking about this months ago, however I wasn't prepared for just how well it would be received or how embraced it would be".

This all started after an army veteran contacted Mr Fren in May of this year, asking what could be done to help her in the property search for her clients. "I knew this was going to be a mammoth effort and wasn't completely sure I'd be able to do much on a large scale, but I knew I'd be able to do something", he says.

Drawing on their industry relationships, Bespoke Media Group's initial goal was to get visibility out there quickly & get the conversation started to make this become a reality on a national level.

"It's been a journey to get to this point & has certainly been a team effort. It's amazing what can be done when the industry comes together with a common goal to drive change and innovation" he says.

Teaming up with Bespoke Media Group has been One Agency Homely & MRI Box + Dice,

One Agency is now the ONLY real estate group in Australia to provide a "Mobility Friendly" filter on their website along with agents outlining why the property has been given that classification within the add description.

One Agency founder and CEO Paul Davies says that the industry should consider how tiring and exclusionary it must feel for anyone with a mobility challenge

– to identify properties in which they can maintain their independence.

Homely CEO Adam Spencer says, "Homely prides itself in putting our consumers first on our mission to redefine the way people find their home".

Highlighting how design and product can be “an enabler for change”, Homely head of product, Luke Kenyon, concedes that the mobility friendly initiative “hasn’t been prioritised by big portals.

A universal Wheelchair symbol now takes a prominent position on suitable One Agency properties on their website.

"None of this would be possible without MRI Box + Dice leading the integration" says Mr Fren. According to MRI Software director and industry principal Josh Symons, “big change starts with small steps”. Mr Symons has called on “all agency leaders and real estate portals to pick up and run with this mobility-friendly initiative”.

It is his hope that the initiative “make[s] it that bit easier for people with physical challenges to find places they can live, work and belong”.

Given the public response I'm calling on ALL network/group leaders and real estate property portals to follow in our footsteps and give EVERYONE the same respect & value when it comes to searching for a new home online - Nic Fren