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, and the founder of Home Buyer Mississippi, a Mississippi-based home buying business.

Before relocating to the United States, Stephen was an early partner and senior executive at hipages Group, where he led sales and marketing functions as the company scaled into one of Australia’s leading home services marketplaces. He now applies that marketplace experience to distressed residential real estate, helping sellers create liquidity for properties that are often difficult to sell through traditional channels.

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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.

Stephen’s work at hipages shaped the way he views real estate. In both home services and distressed property sales, the core challenge is not just finding leads. It is creating trust, liquidity, and reliable execution in a fragmented market. That framework now informs how Home Buyer Louisiana and Home Buyer Mississippi connect motivated sellers with capital, contractors, buyers, and practical closing solutions.

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.

In 2026, as Home Buyer Louisiana continued operating across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Stephen supported the launch of Home Buyer Mississippi as a separate, Mississippi-focused business. The company was established to apply the same seller-first systems and operational approach developed in Louisiana, while being led locally and tailored to Mississippi market conditions.

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.

• Founder & CEO of Home Buyer Louisiana
• Founder of Home Buyer Mississippi
• Real estate investor active across Louisiana &  Mississippi
• Early partner and senior executive at hipages Group, where he led sales and marketing as the company scaled into one of Australia’s leading home services marketplaces
• 250+ real estate transactions completed
• Board member of the New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association (NOREIA), serving as Director of Marketing
• Co-Organizer of Westbank Real Estate Investors (WBREI) meetup
• Featured in: Biz New Orleans, CityBusiness, Yahoo Finance, Australian Financial Review, Realtor.com, Great Day Louisiana, Epoch Time, BiggerPockets, etc.
• Speaking topics include real estate investing, proptech, entrepreneurship, marketplace building, and distressed property liquidity