Representatives from 10 REA Group customers will go behind the red doors this September after securing a place at the Group’s flagship innovation event, Hackdays.
Earlier this year, REA customers from around Australia were invited to submit an innovation-focused idea or business problem for the opportunity to work alongside expert REA innovators and technical specialists during a four-day Hackday sprint event.
For 16 years, REA says its Hackdays event has sparked breakthrough innovation.
The 2026 event next month will see customers join for the first time as they aim to turn bold ideas into prototypes and working solutions in a matter of days.
The 10 selected submissions are:
- Ray White Mildura – evidence-led listing content at the point of writing
- PropertyCo – move listing intelligence upstream before publish
- LJ Hooker United Group – give vendors a data-backed pricing reality check
- My Bay Realty – see market movement as it happens
- Stockland – continuously optimise project and listing content
- Ray White Upper North Shore – answer rental enquiries and manage inspection demand automatically
- CPG Estates – plot a house-and-land package
- Metropolis – turn project profile enquiries into actionable insights
- McDonald Partners Real Estate – turning location competition into a live market monitor
- Ray White Commercial CSR – generating commercial information memorandums in minutes
Further detail about the selected submissions can be found here.
Marcus Salvatore from McDonald Partners Real Estate, who will be joining the event, commented:
“I am always keeping up to date with the latest technology and innovation shaping the real estate industry. Being included in Hackdays and having the opportunity to collaborate, challenge existing ideas and potentially see my concept developed into something that could have a real impact on the industry is incredibly exciting.”
Representatives from Ray White Mildura will travel to Melbourne for the event after a submission from Head of Marketing & Agent Support, Sakhbir Hayer, was selected.
Managing Director and Chairman’s Elite Sales Agent Damian Portaro commented:
“For an idea developed here in Mildura to be recognised by REA Group and progressed through Hackdays is genuinely exciting, particularly when it has the potential to help agents across Australia create smarter, more effective property marketing.
“Our team is incredibly proud of Sakhbir, he is always looking for ways to improve our systems and marketing within the office, so to see that thinking reach beyond our business and potentially benefit the wider industry is a huge credit to him.”
REA Executive Manager – Sales, Gerard Connell, said he is looking forward to welcoming customers to REA HQ as they work alongside REA experts to co-design and co-build innovative solutions.
“With many high calibre submissions from our customers around the country, narrowing this down to the top 10 ideas was a difficult decision.
“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an idea, and of course, offer a big congratulations to those who submitted the selected ‘hacks’,” Gerard said.
“Our customers are on the ground every day, they know the industry, they know their business, and they have great ideas. We’re really excited to partner together and channel REA’s technology expertise towards unlocking new opportunities for their businesses.
“The combination of REA’s data, AI and innovation capability and our customers’ creativity and industry insight will allow us to fast-track practical, high impact solutions that have the potential to deliver results for the whole industry.”