Perth and Melbourne Commercial Leaders Join Forces to Launch NAI Harcourts RPG

Two established Australian property businesses are joining forces to launch NAI Harcourts RPG, bringing together the Melbourne market presence of Romano Property Group and the commercial expertise of Perth-based NAI Harcourts Metro.

The new partnership brings together Maurice Romano, founder and Managing Director of Romano Property Group, and Tony Romano, Managing Director of NAI Harcourts Perth, with the pair seeing an opportunity to combine their experience, networks and market knowledge to strengthen their commercial offering in Melbourne.

The partnership began with a conversation at this year’s Harcourts HX conference, where Maurice and Tony reconnected and began discussing the similarities between their businesses and the potential for collaboration.

For Maurice, the opportunity was driven by a clear gap he sees in Melbourne’s commercial property market and the potential to build on RPG’s existing commercial capability by working alongside Tony’s award-winning Perth team.

“We saw a real opportunity to strengthen what we were already doing in Melbourne by partnering with a team that has built an outstanding commercial business in Perth,” said Maurice Romano.

“Tony and his team have a depth of experience and a way of approaching the market that really complements what we have built through RPG. There is a strong synergy in the way we think about the business and, importantly, how we approach our clients.

“We’ve already had some early success, including five warehouse sales since joining Harcourts, but we see enormous value in having access to Tony and his team’s experience and learnings as we continue to grow.”

Tony Romano brings more than 30 years of senior executive experience in financial services, along with extensive business and community leadership experience, to his role at NAI Harcourts Perth.

Under his leadership, the Perth business has been the number one NAI Harcourts office for the past four years, with a specialised team spanning commercial sales, leasing, property management and business sales.

Tony said the partnership with RPG was a natural fit.

“What really stood out to me was the synergy between the two businesses and the experiences Maurice and I bring to the table,” said Tony Romano.

“The Melbourne and Perth markets are not as different as you might think, and there are a lot of learnings we can share. We’ve built a business in Perth that provides a genuine one-stop shop across leasing, sales, property management and business sales, and that breadth is something that is quite unique.

“We see an opportunity to bring that experience to Melbourne while also learning from Maurice and his team and the market they know so well.”

Maurice founded Romano Property Group in 2005 and has led the business as Group Managing Director for more than two decades. The group has delivered major residential, commercial, medical and retail projects with a combined value exceeding $400 million.

RPG already operates several businesses under the Harcourts brand, providing an established platform from which to build its commercial offering.

The new NAI Harcourts RPG partnership will initially focus on growing its presence in Melbourne, with the potential to eventually establish an RPG presence in Perth.

Tom Donnelly, Head of Commercial, NAI Harcourts, said the launch represented an important development for the broader commercial network.

“The launch of NAI Harcourts RPG represents an important step forward for the broader NAI Harcourts commercial network, strengthening our presence in the Melbourne market and expanding our ability to support clients across Australia.

“Maurice Romano and Tony Romano are both highly successful business owners who bring strong local knowledge, commercial expertise and a shared commitment to exceptional client service. Their partnership combines the established market presence of Harcourts RPG with the experience and capability of NAI Harcourts Perth Metro.

“For clients, this creates access to a broader network, greater market intelligence and stronger connections across both Australia and the international NAI Global network. It is an exciting partnership that will create new opportunities for clients while continuing to build the strength and reach of NAI Harcourts.”

For Maurice, the partnership is about building capability rather than simply expanding for expansion’s sake.

“We’re looking at this as a long-term partnership,” he said. “There’s a lot we can learn from each other, and we believe combining those experiences will create something genuinely stronger for our clients and our people.”