The Victorian Realty Service was a private Australian real estate agency active in Melbourne, Australia.
History Victorian Realty was founded in 1951 by Kevin Mulhall, a former plastics salesman. The company was active in Melbourne during the post-WW2 population boom, serving as auctioneers for many large-scale residential and commercial projects around the city's expanding metropolitan area. Victorian Realty peaked during the late 1950s before collapsing during market crashes of the early 1960s.
1954 parliamentary callout In September 1954, Labor MP Peter Randles read a speech about widespread fraud in the Melbourne housing industry, alleging that Victorian Realty were running "what could only be described as a lucrative racket". He said that prospective home buyers had been given the impression of low commission fees, only to find they must pay higher.
It was alleged that in some cases, Victorian Realty were charging £50 for commissions which should have amounted to £5. Kevin Mulhall had apparently been well-known for hefty commissions in cash – one former associate recalled that Mulhall had once received a sum of £25,000 which he had to hide in his car luggage boot. The scandal influenced an amendment to the Real Estate Agent Act.
Housing estates Victorian Realty were managing agents for various residential subdivisions across Victoria, including:
"Malcolm Estate" in Pascoe Vale (1953) "Bettina Park" in Ascot Vale (1957) "Highbury Crest" in Burwood (1958) "Waverley Golf Estate" in Syndal (1958) "Middleborough Central" in Blackburn South (1958) "Princes Domain" in Dandenong (1958) "Burwood Vista" in Burwood East (1959) "Orchard Grove" in Blackburn South (1959) "Edlen Park" in Dandenong (1959) "Pinedale Estate" in Syndal (1959) "Whitehorse Peak" in Croydon (1959) "Tarella Estate" in Burwood (1959) "Harwell Crest" in Mount Waverley (1959) "Eastern Peak" in Wantirna South (1959) "Wellington Park" in Rowville (1959) "Glenwood Estate" in Glen Waverley (1959) "Fairway Views" in Mount Waverley (1959) "Broxbourne Estate" in Scoresby (1959) "Spring Lawn Estate" in Springvale (1959) "Chadstone Centre" in Chadstone (1959) "Paynes Estate" in Scoresby (1959) "Mountain Gate" in Ferntree Gully (1959–61) "Ringwood Close" in Ringwood (1962)
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