Stephen Keighery

Stephen Keighery is an Australian-born entrepreneur, real estate investor, and technology founder based in New Orleans. He is the founder and CEO of Home Buyer Louisiana, a real estate investment company that purchases houses directly from homeowners across Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Stephen previously was a founding partner at hipages Group (ASX:HPG), Australia’s largest home-services marketplaces, and today he is active in South Louisiana as an angel investor, mentor, and community leader.

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Stephen Keighery graduated from Macquarie University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing & Economics). Instead of pursuing a traditional corporate role, he founded Effective Marketing Solutions, a consultancy helping small businesses grow through strategic marketing.

In 2004, Stephen partnered with Michael Pang to launch Alternative Health Business Solutions, focused on empowering natural therapy practitioners to market and expand their practices. Their mission was to “heal the world by helping healers succeed.” Together, they authored The Complete Guide to Business Success in the Alternative Health Industry, a comprehensive manual later adopted as a textbook in natural health colleges across Australia.

During this period, Stephen connected with David Vitek, who was developing an online marketplace for natural therapists. He also met Roby Sharon-Zipser, who was working with David on a parallel marketplace concept for trades professionals. Seeing strong synergies, the ventures merged into Viteknologies, the parent company of Natural Therapy Pages and Home Improvement Pages (later hipages Group).

As Director and Sales & Marketing Manager, Stephen played a key role in scaling both platforms. hipages grew into one of Australia’s leading online marketplaces, employing more than 300 staff and expanding into New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Natural Therapy Pages was later sold, while hipages Group went public on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) marking a major milestone in Australia’s startup ecosystem.

Keighery relocated from Sydney to New Orleans in 2018. What began as a short sabbatical became a permanent move after he identified an opportunity to apply technology-driven marketing and operations to real estate. He launched Home Buyer Louisiana  to provide fast, fair, as-is purchases for homeowners, particularly those facing succession issues, title problems, storm or fire damage, foundation concerns, code violations, or other complex situations.

By mid-2025, Home Buyer Louisiana had closed 200+ transactions across Greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, the Northshore, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Beyond building businesses, Stephen Keighery  is deeply committed to the entrepreneurial and real estate communities in Louisiana and beyond. As a board member of the New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association (NOREIA) and co-organizer of the Westbank Real Estate Investors group, he helps bring together hundreds of investors each year to share strategies, opportunities, and lessons learned.

Stephen also contributes to the startup ecosystem as a member of Gulf South Angels, where he actively makes angel investments to support promising early-stage companies in the region. He is regularly invited to speak on panels and events such as New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, Investor Fest, and local real estate meetups, where he shares his insights on real estate investing, flipping, and applying technology and business strategy to real estate.

As both a mentor and peer, “Aussie Steve” is known for his willingness to help fellow entrepreneurs and investors. He often provides guidance to those starting out in real estate, encourages collaboration, and emphasizes a “rising tide lifts all boats” philosophy that underpins his leadership style. His mix of experience in technology, real estate, and community building makes him a valued voice in Louisiana’s economic and investment landscape.