20 years on: The streets, stories and people that built CobdenHayson

Before the idea for CobdenHayson was sparked, Matt Hayson and Danny Cobden spent a decade making their mark on the Balmain real estate arena. Over a drink at The Royal Oak one evening, they agreed they’d make a great team, both seeking an opportunity to create a better client experience. It was a partnership forged on mutual passion for the area and an appreciation for the importance of community.

When we first opened our doors to our new brand of CobdenHayson in Balmain back in 2005, the real estate landscape looked a little different. Marketing was limited to letterbox drops, newspaper ads and the occasional window card. There was no Instagram reel to showcase a home, no database analytics to track buyer demand and not nearly the same level of choice for sellers.

Fast forward 20 years and CobdenHayson has grown from one small office to a six-strong network across Sydney’s Inner West and Lower North Shore. Along the way, we’ve sold on nearly every street in our core market, helped thousands of families find their new home and watched our neighbourhoods evolve. What hasn’t changed is our focus: being present, staying local and doing right by the people who trust us. The tools have advanced and the market may have shifted, but our measure of success is still the same: people first, property second.

Real estate, for us, has never been just about property. It’s about belonging. About our involvement in local communities. About moving a family into their first home. About selling the terrace where someone raised their kids. About supporting the small businesses, schools and sporting teams that define our neighbourhoods.

So, while this milestone is technically about us, we see it more as a thank you. Thank you to the community that’s backed us, the eclectic array of wonderful people who’ve invited us into their living rooms, and the people who’ve allowed us to be part of their stories for the past two decades as CobdenHayson.

That’s what 20 years looks like. And we’re proud to still be exactly where we started: right here in the community.

 

Article featured in The Real Estate Conversation