The History behind Love & Co
Forget fairytales – in reality, dreams don’t just come true out of nowhere; success isn’t all good luck and karma.
When looking into any thriving business, you’ll find that prosperity and development is the consequence of hard work, strong visions and a healthy dose of ‘can-do’ attitude.
And Love & Co is no exception.
As one of the favourite real estate agents in Melbourne’s North, Love & Co now has offices in Thornbury, Preston, Reservoir, Thomastown, Mill Park, Epping and Ivanhoe. But, like every other successful business, it’s the result of years of experience, excellent customer service and a passion for property.
So you’d like to know more about the history of Love & Co? Let’s dive in!
1945 – the Dream is Born
Every business begins with that remarkable someone, and in our case, it all started with Ted.
A young, enthusiastic and gifted sales assistant, Ted Love started his real estate career in Melbourne’s North shortly before the outbreak of WWII. As for many young Melbourne men, the declaration of war turned his dreams upside down, and he donned a uniform and went overseas to serve his country.
In 1945, after returning from his military service in Europe and North Africa, Ted Love took on his own real estate agency in Melbourne’s North, with an office in Reservoir. Despite the business’s humble beginnings, Ted was no rookie: with several years of real estate experience under his belt and a good set of business smarts, he could see the potential of the developing northern suburbs, and he wanted to be part of this flourishing development.
Ted established the vision. He wasn’t afraid of hard work. He understood people and he enjoyed building strong, durable relationships with his clients.
1949 – Welcome Ted Savage
In 1949 Ted Savage, a personal friend and war comrade of Ted Love’s, joined Love & Co, taking the number of staff to three: the two Teds and an office assistant.
These were interesting and busy days in the real estate world: the late 1940s saw restrictions on land prices lifted and returned servicemen were able to secure a loan for up to 90% of the purchase price of a property. However, despite the fact that land was cheap, finance was still tight and the dream of property ownership was out of reach of a lot of everyday Australians.
Despite the challenges, Love & Co continued to do the best for their clients, supporting them at every stage of their real estate journey. They began including finance clauses into their contracts, and at times, Love himself assisted builders with financial aid to continue projects that he could sell.
Ted Savage was an excellent salesman, and his influence over the way the Northern suburbs developed is undeniable. In 1951 Ted Love made him a partner in the business and the two went from strength to strength.
A Genuine Family Business
Fast forward two decades… Graham Love joined his father and Ted Savage in the business in 1975, and in 1977 he began running an office in Thomastown.
The 1980s and 1990s were times of business growth and expansion for Love & Co: offices were opened in other Northern suburbs, and the company began dealing in commercial properties as well as the domestic market.
Love & Co played a vital role in the evolvement of Melbourne’s North: grasslands became plots for family houses; empty space became home to happy and dynamic communities. The north was becoming home to people from every continent, and the area became known as a tapestry of varied cultural backgrounds; a rich melting pot of international history and ideas.
The third generation entered the business when Michael Love, Graham’s son, took up the reins. Michael’s earliest memories of the real estate world were shadowing his father at open homes of a weekend, and as a kid, the Northern suburbs became as familiar to him as the back of his hand.
Michael has inherited his father’s and grandfather’s knack of understanding people and building lasting client relationships. He believes that honesty, reliability and good, old-fashioned customer service are the things that matter, and upholding the Love family values is second nature to him.
The Rebrand
In 2018, the much-loved brand was reimagined to reflect the business’ growth, development and enhanced company values. Transitioning from “Love Real Estate” to “Love & Co” as we know it today, the bright red brand colour evolved to a sleek contemporary palette of navy blue and jacaranda.
And the new Love & Co ‘Knott’ Motif was born. The knott is an expression of Love & Co’s refined simplicity, empowerment, partnership, innovation and everlasting service. It is the key unifier and provides a way for people to quickly identify the brand across all media and promotional material.
Furthermore, the brand tagline “Good, better, best.” was introduced. But this was just not a tagline. It was the brand mission statement, the business’ ethos. The values that drove the team every day. Deriving from the quote by St Jerome, a Latin priest, confessor, theologian, and historian:
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.”
As a progressive network, we are always seeking to improve. Standing the test of time thanks to family-like values and dedication to hard work, the team always continue to deliver a first-class service and build a stronger community. Never settling for “good “or “better”, we will always strive for “best”.
The highly visible, unmistakable motif, logotype and colours gave Love & Co a powerful and effective media profile to remain a strong competitor amongst the new agencies that had begun to pop up in the North. Read more about the process here.
Today…
Today, Love & Co is renowned for its happy, vibrant and energetic team. With more than 120 employees, they’re a dedicated, passionate and hardworking organisation, constantly embracing challenges, and putting the interests of their clients first every time.
There’s no substitute for experience, and the team at Love & Co understand the northern suburbs because they’ve been there from the start!
Take a sneak peek of our coffee table brand book here that covers our history in full (136 pages rich in stories and imagery!)