A mentor to learn from.
A concierge to lean on.
A boutique family business, led by Nicholas Lockhart. We are not a developer, a builder or a bank, so we don’t set the price of anything you invest in. You come first, not a property. We sit down, I listen and I ask, and you gain from what I’ve learned in the market since 1997. I have a knack for taking what’s complex and making it plain. I look at where you are and where you want to be, then lay out the different pathways that could get you there, in simple terms, side by side. The decision is yours, and you make it with the full picture in front of you. Then we add everything around it: the education, the mentoring, and a steady hand from your first lesson to the day you hold the keys.
Clarity first. Confidence follows.
The hand on your shoulder
My wife and I bought our first home in 1988, and I stepped into real estate professionally in 1997. In 2001 I had laser surgery on my eyes. An older nurse stood beside the bed, and I wondered why she was there. Then my eyes were clamped open under the machine, and she took my hand and kept me calm. Walking out, I knew she had been the most valuable part of the day. That is the role I want while you learn: not doing it for you, but beside you while you do it.
The MRD story
Late in 2001 I left the organisation I was contracted to. I was being asked to do things I could not square with my conscience, so I walked away.
I looked for an organisation that treated real estate as an asset to comprehend first, to cash flow, and to fit to a person’s own situation. I couldn’t find one. So on 15 May 2002 I started MRD. Real estate can do a great deal for the right person, but it isn’t one size fits all. It’s horses for courses.
For a time I also took listings from developers, on a non-exclusive basis. Before long the calls came: “Have you sold anything? What have you sold?” That is not how I work. I dropped the listings, took the properties off the website, and put people and strategy first. Only once someone was comfortable with a plan did we look for the property that fitted it.
The model has evolved again. Today I teach, so people comprehend what they own and gain clarity: real estate first, and alongside it precious metals and digital assets.
Like ringing the concierge.
Book a holiday rental in a strange city, and everything after you arrive is up to you. Stay at a good hotel, and you ring the concierge. Once you decide to act, our in-house concierge gives you that hotel service, as part of your mentoring. We are not solicitors and don’t write contracts, but we help you comprehend the one in front of you, from our years of experience. We keep your broker, solicitor, builder and seller in step, so you are not caught in phone tag. If a finance extension is needed, we arrange it with your broker and solicitor and tell you it is done. Where only you can instruct your solicitor, we are on the phone beside you.
How we work
Set n Forget, for busy people.
Learn
Finance, tax, structure, strategy: real estate has many moving parts. We model them with you and make the complex simple, so every decision is an informed one.
Decide
Together we craft a workable strategy you are comfortable with, for now and for your long-term goals. The decision is yours.
Contract
Our concierge turns your contract into plain words before you sign, so you know what you are agreeing to. Legal advice comes from your solicitor.
Build
Where there is a build, the choice of builder is yours. We coordinate progress payments with your broker, builder and solicitor, so you are not chasing them.
Settle
Broker, solicitor, builder, seller, quantity surveyor and building inspector are all kept in step, so you don’t chase anyone.
Hold
Depreciation schedule, rental manager, building inspector: we introduce people we know are good. If one retires or lets you down, we help you find a better one, at no charge.
Set n Forget doesn’t mean careless. We take away every bit of friction we can, so you meet the big moments, like going unconditional, with clarity, and so with confidence.
Beside your team, not instead of it
We are not your solicitor, broker, lender, builder or developer, and we don’t replace them, but we know how to navigate their world. When you need an accountant, a solicitor or a broker, we introduce people we know are good. You are their client, not ours, and you pay them. Legal opinions come from your solicitor, and finance from your broker and lender. Tax, structure, super and investment questions are yours to take to your accountant, or another professional who holds the appropriate licence. The pathways we lay out give you something clear to sit down and talk through with them. We help you comprehend what they tell you, and we keep everyone talking. We teach and model; we give no advice, and the decisions stay yours. No deal should have a loser. We squeeze nobody: you get good service at a fair price, and you pay a fair fee for good work.
Get a feel for us first.A mentor with experience since 1997, from the first conversation to the keys and beyond.