Guest Contributors
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Franchise News
R&W legend scoops the Directors’ Trophy at annual awards
Keiran Speed is what you’d call old school. Would never swear in front of a lady. He’ll tell you to your face what a place is worth, and he’d be right. Never raises his voice or talks himself up. Others will happily do that for him. Legend, or even icon, is how R&W chief auctioneer…
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Elite Agent
Financial wellness for agents: Mikaela Patterson
What’s the difference between success and financial wellness? In real estate, success is different from one individual to the next. It could mean pulling up at a listing presentation in the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster or opening an office in the adjoining postcode. For others, it’s taking every second Friday off to play golf. So what’s…
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Brand Editorial
Photoelectric smoke alarms: A clearer picture
How can you tell the difference between smoke alarms? They don’t seem different when they are on the ceiling. Recent changes in the Queensland legislation state that all rental properties in Queensland are required to have smoke alarms that meet the new standard upgraded before 1 January 2022. In Queensland, photoelectric alarms must be used…
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Elite Agent
No limits to real estate success in bush country: Troy Kearney
One of Century 21’s leading regional agents, Troy Kearney, believes that geography is no limitation for success in real estate. He shares his top tips for operating in the bush. Mr Kearney opened his office, Century 21 Bathurst Region, two years ago and during that short period achieved prestigious Double Centurion status, placing him amongst…
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Case Studies
How to Succeed as a Real Estate Rookie: Jamie Smith
Coming from a small village in the south of England to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland with little more than a surfboard bag and some board shorts, it hasn’t taken Century 21 agent, Jamie Smith, very long to establish himself as a real estate identity in the Sunshine Coast region. Taking out the Rookie of the…
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Elite Agent
Negative Gearing: A Balancing Act
Bruce Oliver from Xynergy Realty in Melbourne says that while negative gearing doesn't necessarily help the affordability for first home-owners, it cannot be scrapped completely. The contentious topic of negative gearing is one that doesn’t seem to disappear, with the biggest question being what to do with negative gearing where housing affordability is an issue…
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Brand Editorial
Cyber Liability Insurance: the Safety Net Real Estate Agents Need
At long last, the wider public is starting to realise that hackers aren’t hooded movie villains – they’re real people doing real damage across the globe, especially in Australia and especially to small businesses. Real estate agents, in particular, are prime targets for cyber-criminals due to a combination of factors, including the amount of valuable…
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Elite Agent
Landscaping Trends for 2018: Matt Leacy
What’s in? Texture, fire-pits, outdoor rooms, strip lighting, succulents, cactuses, cloud and sphere pruned plants. What’s out? Metal imitating timber. The return of texture “Texture in flooring is definitely coming back into vogue – and I see this becoming more popular in 2018,” says Matt. “For a while now, we’ve been in a bit of…
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Elite Agent
Is selling houses online the way of the future?
You’ve heard of selling your pre-loved furniture or clothes on eBay, but would you sell a house through an online bidding process? Recently, our Stockdale & Leggo Ringwood office utilised online offer management system Click & Bid, to sell a home located at 3/7 Fortuna Avenue, Croydon, by private treaty, achieving a result well in…
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National
First time buyers entering the market but face long battle to save deposit
These are the findings of a national report released today by Bankwest, who note 94,135 properties were bought by first home buyers in the year to August 2017. The figure reflects an increase of 5.6% year-on-year since 2015, and accounts for 14.3% of all purchases recorded from January to August. Noting these were encouraging signs…
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Brand Editorial
From Property Manager to Entrepreneur– what does it take?
Is being a great property manager sufficient grounding to go into business for yourself? Or, does it take more than experience, talent and industry knowledge? What makes one business succeed and another fail? We have all seen evidence of sports stars failing at coaching, or your star residential salesperson not cutting it as a Sales…
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Opinion
The Sydneysider’s guide to renting; based on RAI findings
Property commentator and valuer Anna Porter looks at the Rental Affordability Index (RAI), released on November 29, and what it really means for Sydney’s renters and prospective house buyers. BAD NEWS, LET’S GET IT OUT OF THE WAY “Firstly, the most curious part of this data is that the only ‘affordable’ location within Sydney catchment…
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Opinion
The Truth about Clearance Rates: David Holmes
With price growth slowing in Australia’s biggest housing markets, many sellers have been pondering what is the best strategy for a strong sales result. Prospective sellers keenly eye the auction clearance rate as a leading market barometer, and with a bumper volume of properties to go under the hammer this weekend, property pundits will have…
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Real Estate Industry News
Rising buyer activity points to a stronger Darwin property market.
“Compared to 12 months ago we have double and even triple the number of groups at each open home on a Saturday,” said Glenn Grantham, General Manager, Raine & Horne Darwin. “Around 75% of buyers are savvy locals, who have been at our open homes regularly over the last six months. “They recognise that a…
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Supplier News
Rentvestment hotspots in Australia for under $600,000
Rentvesting now accounts for one third of all Australian property investments, accounting for $202 billion on loan. With Australian property prices rising by 618% over the past 30 years and national incomes failing to keep up, the rentvestment trend is gaining traction according to Mozo property expert Steve Jovcevski. “The Australian housing market has undergone…
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Brand Editorial
How to protect your reputation when things go wrong
Every real estate agent understands that the process of buying and selling property is complex, and the stakes are high. Agents are entrusted with the effective transfer of substantial assets, and clients expect flawless service at every point. When things go wrong, tensions can run high. Professional Indemnity insurance could be the key to protecting…
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Industry News
From restaurant failure to real estate success story: Ivan Tandyo
The last thing you’d associate with the co-founder of a thriving real estate agency would be the story of a failing restaurateur. However, for Ivan Tandyo this was just the start of his journey towards successfully starting and managing Xynergy Realty. Now managing nearly 2,000 properties, and holding its own as a competitive player in…
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Elite Agent
Fair Work Commission Hands Down Award Review Decision
The Fair Work Act 2009 requires the Fair Work Commission to undertake a review of all modern pay awards as soon as possible after the four-year anniversary of commencing operation (which was 1 January 2010). The purpose of the review is to make sure the award continues to be a fair and relevant set of terms…
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Opinion
Common misconceptions debunked about the overseas investor: Ivan Tandyo
It’s hard to deny that house prices in Melbourne and Sydney are through the roof. And it’s not uncommon to hear people blame the government’s ‘relaxed’ rules for foreign investment in Australia. And more often than not, overseas investors are misunderstood and seen as purely negative. People are quick to make assumptions and get angry…
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Selling and Marketing Property
The Magnificent Seven tips for tip-top window displays
Standing out from the crowd and drawing people in has been part of the marketing and sales mantra of all organisations down the ages – and with increased competition, new technologies and a discerning and time-poor consumer the realities of the modern-day landscape, it has never been more important. And as Mark Carrick, VitrineMedia Australia’s…
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Elite Agent
Off-Market is the New ‘On’ Market: Liane Fletcher
Australia has long had a love affair with property and the predominant East Coast method of sale has been by public auction, a quick and clean process that has brought excellent results over recent years in a rising market. While there is little doubt auctions will remain popular, the recent cooling of the property market…
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Selling and Marketing Property
Best Practice: Some Advice for Creating Better Digital Ads
We’ve had the privilege of serving over a billion ad impressions on behalf of over 40,000 real estate agents. And in that time, we’ve been asked over and over again: what are the best practices for these ads? Here are our top tips: DO INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION. Your prospects need to be told…
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Elite Agent
13 signs your brand needs a full make-over
Just as we humans sometimes need a makeover, so do brands. Makeovers of brands can vary on a scale from a minor refresh to a full rebrand or new brand name. Recently we have seen refreshes of known industry brands such as Barry Plant and hockingstuart, and Ray White. A refresh or rebrand is a powerful…
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Business Leadership
Century 21’s Grant Smith Shares Secret to Success
With over 16 years’ experience in the real estate industry, Grant Smith has achieved a host of awards throughout his career, including becoming the youngest agent in the Australasian network to achieve ‘Centurion’ status for placing in the top two per cent of over 100,000 Century 21 agents worldwide for five years running (2007 to…
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Business Leadership
3 Steps to take if you have a ‘Tomic’ Employee – by Pam Macdonald
There have been many stories about Bernard Tomic and that interview at Wimbledon, along with the fine he has now received for faking an injury. People have expressed shock, dismay and judgement at how such a talented young man could make the comments he has. How many business owners and leaders have looked around their…
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Elite Agent TV
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Business Leadership
The Top 3 Reasons Real Estate Teams Fail: Kathleen Black
Kathleen Black believes in the power of team environments; knowing that the success of a new member has more to do with the team environment, then the member themselves. Through my experience coaching teams, I have found three reoccurring difficulties facing Team Leaders; compensation, training, and recruitment. They aren’t entirely roadblocks, because to every problem…
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Elite Agent TV
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Elite Agent
Savvy 20-year-old property investor makes smart decision to renovate after watching Channel 9’s TV series ‘The Block’
A smart young Queensland property investor I know holds multiple properties in ‘The Groves – Lawnton’. After watching the highly popular TV series, ‘The Block’, and meeting with both myself and RE/MAX Northern Realty Business Development Manager Cristel Stenhouse, she made the tricky decision to renovate. We advised that a small update to her property…
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Elite Agent
6 Things Every Young Commercial Real Estate Professional Should Know
Since he started in real estate in 2008, Hudson Dale from Raine & Horne Commercial in Brisbane has picked up multiple awards, sealed deals on amazing properties – and learned a lot. These are the six biggest lessons he says he has learned to date: 1. Turn up and work hard. I've always believed that if you're a…
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Elite Agent
How digital transformation can grow your agency
Integral to growth and building a scalable agency, digital technologies are at the heart of any future business strategy. But, as the owner of a real estate agency, how can you take advantage of these technologies and what are the benefits of digital transformation for your agency? Digital transformation has turned human life on its…
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EPM
How to Decide What You Want In Life
The reason most people don’t accomplish much or have much in their lives is because they haven’t decided what they want. Top body language experts Allan and Barbara Pease outline a proven way to do just with an extract from their new book, The Answer. Most people struggle with questions such as ‘How do you define success?’;…
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Industry News
New rules for underquoting in Vic come into effect May 1
“Quote 'em low, watch 'em go; quote 'em high, watch 'em die" – an old phrase around the game of selling, and one that many property buyers or sellers may have experienced. But that is all about to change with the new underquoting legislation that comes into effect in Victoria on May 1. Underquoting is…
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Case Studies
From Pubs to Penthouses: Bill Malouf
I grew up working in the family business in the hospitality industry. At 12 years old I would work during the school holidays picking up glasses, and then as I got older, I was given more responsibility. I really had to work my way up the ranks; I went from picking up glasses to working…
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Elite Agent
Using Video As the ACE In Your Marketing Pack
It’s indisputable that videos in advertising make a huge difference to your marketing campaigns. Statistics show that using videos to take people on virtual tours, or an agent profiling the property on a listing, can increase sales success by as much as 400 per cent. That’s nothing to be sneezed at. But how can you…
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