Official Media Release posted by Connoisseur Magazine UK, 01 May 2026

Christie's International Real Estate has launched in NSW, with CEO Scott Michaelson, co-founder of real estate services platform Smile Elite, securing a 10 year license and appointing a leadership team and a dozen specialist agents in key regions.

The launch comes amid NSW's enduring prestige property appeal to international buyers, with State accounting for around two-thirds of all $5milliion-plus property sales[1], as well as 40 per cent of all $1 million-plus foreign property purchases in Australia.[2] NSW also saw a 40 per cent increase in international buyers from 2021-2024.[3]

Scott has more than 25 years' experience in real estate investment and spent the past decade steering Smile Elite to sucess, including $850million in sales in 2025. His hand-picked leadership team includes Head of Sales and Growth Byron Selling and Head of Operations Andrew Byrne, each with more than 12 years' industry experience. The team of high-performing agents on board are:

• Central Coast veteran Stuart Gan
• Eastern Beaches specialists Raylean Ellison, Natalie Zulian and Donna Charlwood
• Northern Rivers expert Adrian Howe
• Newcastle and Hunter standout Mitchel Ross
• Upper North Shore advisor Brooklyn Zhu
• South Coast prestige property experts Craig and Kerrie Higbid and team Dean Lewisman and Daniel Watt; and
• Sutherland Shire duo Norma Dominguez and Cielo Powditch.

As an affiliate of Christie's international Real Estate, the company will offer national and international exposure to buyers , exclusive marketing partnerships, and a direct connection to the iconic Christie's auction house for the referral and sale of art and luxury goods. It means vendors who list with Christie's International Real Estate will have access to a global buyer network, alongside free listing syndication through The Wall Street Journal, Mansion Global, Barron's, Country Life, Nikkei, MarketWatch, PropGOLuxury and James Editition - with a combined audience of 69.6 million.

Scott said: "New South Wales has an incredible concentration of premium homes, and while we've recently seen a slight softening of prices in the market's upper echelon amid rising rates and global turmoil, we're still seeing enduring demand among global buyers for premium homes in Australia.

"It's an appetite that's largely driven by our quality of life and economic stability - especially in the midst of international conflicts - with NSW particularly seen as a safe haven."

"For sellers, we're also seeing strong appeal to align with an internationally known name in premium real estate and global sales"

 

In a recent dataset of 89 countries ranking quality of life, Australia was eighth, while ranking fifth as best country overall.[4]

In Sydney, the house median rose 6.4 per cent during 2025 to $1,759,909 million [5], with the bulk of the nation's top 20 most expensive suburbs belonging to NSW. [6] Sydney media dwelling values are now 56.4 per cent highter than Perth's.[7]

While recent reports show a softening of price growth as consumer confidence wobbles amid the three consecutive rate rises and increased uncertainty leading to discounted pricing in the prestige sector, Scott says it's fuelled better buying conditions for buyers.

"Australia remains one of the globe's top performing property markets and NSW sits at the top of that list," Scott said. "Given the significant rise of property prices over the past decade, we're seen more suburbs than ever move into prestige property territory, which means smart vendors who list with Christie's International Real Estate can take advantage of the growing global interest for high-end NSW home. They will also have unparalleled access to a global network and sophistiated marketing platform that will elevate the visibility of NSW's finest properties to buyers worldwide."

Christie's International Real Estate has more than 450 offices, and more than 10,000 agents across more than 50 countries.

New South Wales is the heartbeat of the Australian luxury property market and "an important destination for us as we continue to grow our brand and network across Asia-Pacific," said Helena Moyas de Forton, managing director, EMEA and APAC of Christie's International Real Estate. "Scott and his team have built a reputation for innovation, professionalism and results, and we look forward to partnering with them".

Recently, Christie's International Real Estate has expanded to Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Vietnam, and the Waikato region of New Zealand. In Australia, the brand has established offices in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia.

Collectively, the team at Christie's International Real Estate NSW brings decades of experience across prestige residential, waterfront and development sales, with deep local knowledge, strong international buyer networks, and a track record of record-setting results, strategic negotiation and highly personalised client service.

 

About Christie's Internatinal Real Estate
Christie's International Real Estate has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the world for more than 30 years. Through its invitation-only Affiliate network spanning nearly 50 countries and territories, Christie's International Real Estate offers incomparable services to a global clientele at the luxury end of the residential property market. Christie's International Real Estate operates as a distinct luxury brand under the ownership of Compass (NYSE:COMP), the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume.

 

[1] https://www.westpac.com.au/content/dam/public/wbc/images/personal/services/premium/Prestige-Property-Report-2025.pdf
[2] https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/foreign-resident-investments/foreign-investment-in-australia/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets-reports/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets-2024-25-report/residential-land
[3] Table 3: https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/foreign-resident-investments/foreign-investment-in-australia/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets-reports/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-australian-assets-2024-25-report/residential-land
[4] https://palink.co/l/pac39eaf52dc5e625e171d2516ea3c194a
[5] https://www.domain.com.au/research/house-price-report/december-2025/
[6] https://www.domain.com.au/research/house-price-report/december-2025/
[7] https://propertyupdate.com.au/the-latest-median-property-prices-in-australias-major-cities/