A New Chapter for the Coast

Pottsville Properties and Witheriff Group Join Forces

In a coastal town like Pottsville, real estate has never just been about property. It’s about people. It’s about understanding the nuances of the neighbourhood — the streets that catch the ocean breeze, the pockets yet to be discovered, and the families who’ve called it home for decades.

For Katie Kofoed, that understanding runs deeper than most.

Katie was raised in the very office she now works in. Her parents, Roger and Belle, owned the local real estate agency, The Professionals, for decades, and from a young age she saw how closely property and community were intertwined in a town like Pottsville. The office was a steady presence on the main street, a place where contracts were signed, but also where locals stopped in for advice, updates or simply a conversation. Real estate wasn’t just business; it was a service to the people and the place itself.

Years later, alongside her husband Shannon, Katie stepped into that legacy and evolved it into Pottsville Properties, a boutique agency known for its warmth, integrity and the same local values. With more than 2,500 successful sales behind them, the couple have remained steadfast in their mission: Selling the Coastal Lifestyle. Not simply marketing homes, but welcoming people into a way of life defined by connection, nature and belonging.

Now, that story enters a new chapter.

Pottsville Properties has officially merged with the Witheriff Group, the Tweed Coast’s leading boutique agency, in what both teams describe, not as a takeover, but as the joining of two families.

“It’s the same people, the same values,” Katie says. “This is about building on the foundation we’ve already laid.”

Founded by Nick Witheriff, the Witheriff Group has experienced significant growth in recent years, becoming a key player in the coastal property landscape from Kingscliff to Casuarina and beyond. While many associate the brand with prestige beachfront homes, Nick is quick to point out that its true foundation lies elsewhere.

Like Katie, Nick started in real estate at just 19, working alongside his mum in the local industry. He later moved into large-scale commercial real estate in Brisbane, gaining corporate polish and strategic expertise before returning to the coast to build something more personal, a business grounded in family values and community contribution.

Today, the Witheriff Group is recognised not only for its results, but for its contribution to the communities it serves. The agency has directed more than $250,000 into local initiatives, supporting organisations including Cudgen Leagues Club, children’s brain cancer charity Hundred 4 Harper, the SHIFT Project across Byron and Tweed, and partnerships with the Pottsville Men’s Shed. In 2025, Nick was named a finalist in the REA Excellence Awards for Contribution to Local Community, recognition that reflects a long-standing commitment to service beyond commission cheques.

“For us, the community fund is more exciting than the sales,” Nick says. “Real estate is the vehicle, but giving back is the purpose.”

It’s this shared ethos that made the merger feel less like a business strategy and more like a natural alignment.

Both agencies have grown in parallel over recent years, independently refining their brands, strengthening their teams and leaning deeper into community engagement. Pottsville Properties has been in what Katie describes as a “season of refinement,” honing systems and building stability. The Witheriff Group has expanded steadily and deliberately, choosing quality over quantity.

Nick is clear about that intention. “We’d rather have six exceptional agents who live and breathe this region than twenty slick salespeople flown in from the cities.”

The merger now creates a seamless coastal connection between Kingscliff and Pottsville, offering continuity for locals who want to move up or down the coast without leaving the lifestyle they value. Buyers relocating within the Tweed can remain within the same extended network. Sellers gain access to a broader database while still dealing with familiar faces.

Importantly for locals, the Pottsville office remains exactly where it has always been, on the corner of the town’s main street, with Katie and Shannon still at the helm.

“We want people to know we’re still here,” Katie says. “This isn’t about losing our identity. It’s about strengthening it.”

For the Kofoeds, the merger also represents sustainability, not just in business but in family life. With a larger aligned team, there is greater capacity to mentor young local staff, many of whom grew up in the area, create flexible work rhythms and model a new generation of real estate culture where professionalism and family values can coexist.

There’s a noticeable energy in the combined team: younger locals stepping into opportunity, seasoned agents sharing experience and a collective love of place binding it all together.

Pottsville itself has evolved in recent years, catching up with Cabarita as one of the coast’s most desirable pockets. Demand remains strong. People are moving both up and down the Tweed Coast, drawn by lifestyle, accessibility and the sense of community that still defines the region.

This merger positions both agencies not to dominate the market aggressively, but to guide it thoughtfully, growing slowly, deliberately and with purpose.

It’s a full-circle moment for Katie, from a child doing homework in the back office of her father’s agency to co-leading a strengthened coastal brand built on the same principles she grew up watching.

Two families. Shared values. A broader reach.

And a continued commitment to investing in the place they all call home.

For Pottsville locals, it’s not a changing of the guard.

It’s a new chapter grounded in the same heart.

witheriffgroup.com.au