Search Results for: The Block

  • EPM: Feature Interview

    The Cimino Connection

    If property investment is a numbers game, Michael Cimino is superbly positioned to lead the field. Having spent much of his career as a financial service professional with ‘big four’ practices, he was persuaded to leave his high-profile role at a nationally recognised superannuation consultancy just under 12 months ago to head the property management division of burgeoning Melbourne business Inner…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    Why you need to be tech enabled: Mark McLeod

    I recently attended the Inman Conference in San Francisco and witnessed the ongoing debate over disruption and technology in our industry. Let’s start the discussion by asking what technology enables us to do. From our perspective it’s designed to get our people to talk to more people, at the right time. But despite technological advances, human connection still needs to…

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  • Thought Leaders Podcast

    Episode 68: Edward Smyth and Karen Stewart on building a team and playing to your strengths

    On paper Edward Smyth and Karen Stewart’s partnership seems peculiar. Coming from very different backgrounds, Karen has been in real estate for 15 years on the Gold Coast whereas Ed joined the industry just two years ago after working as an investment banker in the UK, it’s hard to see how their styles would mesh. But in this episode of…

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  • EPM: Productivity

    How healthy is your PM department?

    Cough, cough. Splutter and sneeze. It’s not only your property managers who need to up their dose of Vitamin C and ensure they get their flu jab this season. Unbeknownst to you, your property management department may be in less than tip-top shape. A sickly rent roll may be underperforming for many reasons, potentially losing you money each month, causing…

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  • Elite Agent TV

    NAR Day 4: Where everyone knows your name

    More from this series: Converting Online Leads, the 5 Second Rule, Video hacks and more How to Build a Long and Successful Career in Real Estate Protecting your fee and how consumers see value

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    Why you need to embrace the future or risk being left behind

    In recent years, I have watched audiences at conferences become fascinated with messages from futurists. They have challenged our minds with stories of artificial intelligence, driverless cars and drones delivering our Amazon orders. They talk about a new generation that is growing up and has always been able to interact with their device. The studies show they are now dramatically…

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  • EPM: Technology & Social

    How to get more buyers through your listing

    When you get a vendor who is willing to invest in social media, you want to make sure you are maximising the return for them. You also want to make sure that the leads generated are captured and that you are able to start converting them into either buyers or future sellers. We have outlined below one of our most…

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  • EPM: Technology & Social

    How to unlock your technology superpowers

    While it can’t magically give you more time, the right technology can help you do more and provide your customers with a valuable and personalised experience. But there’s no point simply using technology for technology’s sake. The value of implementing the right technology lies in its ability to save everyone time, over and over again. Here are three ways technology…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    Four ways to thrive in a changing market

    Throughout most of Australia’s major cities, one factor rings true: market conditions have changed. As any seasoned agent knows, change is immutable. It’s the only thing you can rely upon. Signs that change has hit your agency include fewer properties coming onto the market, longer days on market, lower auction clearance rates, circumspect buyers and fewer overseas investors. Paired with…

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  • TECH + SOCIAL

    The robots are here, Is your business ready?

    It only seems like yesterday that 3D tours, virtual reality and drone photography were the latest and greatest trends in real estate technology. Cutting edge no longer, these tools have been swiftly pushed aside for artificial intelligence including voice-activated real estate searches, Mandarin-speaking robots and a host of digital assistants. Predicting Values And wouldn’t you love to be able to…

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  • EPM: First Person

    Why you should switch off your phone

    Our love of the bells, dings, whistles supplied by technology has created an addiction. As a result, we find that our brains are in the process of being rewired to cope with the demands that technology places on our everyday lives. Recent studies have shown that our physiology has evolved, leading to altered memory, sleep patterns and even our attention…

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  • EPM: Technology & Social

    Why you need to be an early tech adopter

    Because we cannot see into the future, predictions tend to be vague. Economists predict you’ll need to be agile and adaptable, and that you’ll have to ‘deal with information’. These are conceptual ideas. They don’t tell us what will happen to our spreadsheets. They don’t indicate if we’ll still need a virtual assistant in two years. The tech providers making…

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  • EPM

    Why we need to look outside the real estate industry for customer service lessons

    There is something about watching mere mortals attempting to renovate what appears to be the ‘unrenovatable’ (and yes, I’m sure that’s a word) in a matter of weeks, with limited to no experience, whilst living through the unlivable. Now that I think about it, watching reality renovation shows for someone who has never renovated is akin to being an armchair…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    Five tips for building a sustainable business

    After years of rising growth, which some would say were boom market years post-GFC, things were bound to re-adjust. During the good times, we saw the emergence of the million-dollar agent and TV shows of the same name. Seminars and coaching all reflected this new breed of agent and what was possible in real estate – including French champagne and…

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  • Sponsored Content

    How to build customer loyalty with diversification

    Diversification isn’t a new concept; almost every agency offers both a sales and property management service, after all. But tech tools can take this much further. You don’t have to use one to use another, but together these tools help you provide a great customer experience: from the first touchpoint, through to moving day and beyond. Meet sellers on social media…

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  • Sponsored Content

    How to create a winning proposal

    A proposal is one of your first opportunities to make a lasting impression on your client. A proposal that is bespoke to your brand and designed so your clients can interact with it has the potential to win listings. The best agents produce not only offline printed proposals, but online proposals that are mobile and desktop friendly too. Traditionally, agents…

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  • Ask the Coach

    Ask the Coach: How to be more direct with people on my database this spring?

    Q. What questions should I be asking to be more direct with people on my database this spring? – Calvin Stewart, Ballard Property Double Bay Spring: The weather’s getting better (in most places) and people want to be in their new homes before summer and Christmas. So it’s super-important that you make sure you’re generating leads, going on appointments, taking listings, putting…

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  • BEST PRACTICE
    property managers emerging technology

    Josh Phegan: What problem are you solving?

    The last 10 years have radically reshaped the way we live. The adoption of mobile phones, socialisation of our relationships and the amplification of remote work have also changed the way we do business. Software is eating the world. What was once done by a team of people is being automated, forcing fewer people in the process to deliver the…

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  • EPM: BD & Growth

    Do you want insurance with that?

    Upselling, value-adding and alternative income streams are all part and parcel of modern-day business. The business growth strategy du jour is ‘adjacencies’. Adjacency is a strategy where a company looks outside its boundaries for new sources of income, moving into related areas that use and reinforce its core business. In real estate, the most common partnerships are with related services…

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  • Elite Agent

    Big on data: Edward Smyth

    Edward Smyth hasn’t been in real estate that long, and entering the industry wasn’t initially on the cards. “When I was younger I wanted to be a professional footballer; my dad used to be one,” he laughs. “I’ve played for my country [Northern Ireland], but then my dad said that I wasn’t good enough – so he sent me to university!”…

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  • EPM: Leadership

    How to maintain your agency’s value in a softer market

    As markets cool across the country, conversations are being held around the impact this may or may not have on the value of real estate businesses. To put this in perspective and to provide a greater insight into the level of interest this is creating, we have conducted more agency and rent roll valuations in the last three months than…

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  • Thought Leaders Podcast

    Episode 67: Stefanie Dobro’s tips on building trust and closing more deals

    In the last few months, there has been a fair bit of talk about the “changed market” but it’s been a challenge over in the west for some time now, where agents have needed to put their all into getting deals together. In this week’s edition of the Elevate podcast, Samantha McLean talks to Stefanie Dobro, a top performing agent…

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  • TECH + SOCIAL

    10 principles (and tools) for agents will make you better at digital marketing

    Digital marketing is essential for real estate agents. I know you get it – how important it is for personal branding, lead generation and staying in touch. So you know, the what and the why; but what about the ‘how’. At Elite Agent, we’ve road tested many theories and tools (“everything is a test until it’s not”) to build our…

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  • EPM

    What’s the next step for your career?

    From a humble property manager in suburban Perth over 20 years ago to an awarded industry influencer and thought leader working with international real estate companies, I am truly grateful for where my career has taken me. By continually planning, risking, investing, discovering and believing in yourself, you too can achieve this same success. To take your property management career…

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  • LEADERSHIP

    How a recruiter can help you build a stronger team

    The generalised reputation of recruiters enters a room well before the consultant does. In fact, the taglines ‘no recruiters please’, ‘we aren’t using recruiters any more’ or ‘thank you, we will contact you if we don’t have any luck’ are often the first words we see on advertisements when job hunting. The reason for this is that there’s a mistrust,…

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  • EPM: Feature Interview

    Learning to fly: Tameka Smith

    Taking out the number one spot in PM Transform 2018 wasn’t the goal for Tameka Smith when she decided to enrol. The director of Key2 Property in Launceston didn’t even realise the program had a competitive aspect, just entering because of her love of training. But her dedication to betterment in both herself and the industry saw her top the leaderboard.…

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  • Thought Leaders Podcast

    Episode 66: Investors and short term letting – one size does not fit all

    In this week's edition of the Elevate podcast, Samantha McLean talks to Mike Johnson of MadeComfy, a short-term letting platform. Many of your investor clients out there have probably heard stories from colleagues and friends about how much money can be made on places like Airbnb and Booking.com, but not every property and every situation will bring high returns --…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    5 reasons your business has no cash in the bank

    No one expects you to work for nothing, but principals are often surprised by how much they really take out of their business in a year. The answers are hidden in your balance sheet but, because this is rarely looked at or understood, you are left in the dark. If wages or commissions are taken from the business by the…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    5 steps to long-term business growth

    If you want to build a better property management business – one that is successful in the future – you must plant some of the seeds today and be prepared to play the long game. Jo-Anne Oliveri has five simple strategies where consistency will grow the size and value of your business in the future. 1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    How to secure more business by becoming the easy choice

    Let’s say you have been invited to a corporate event but the football game is on and you don’t really want to miss it. What do you do? You justify to yourself that missing one event is not going to jeopardise your work commitment and really, no-one will mind one absence. This is what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. Two thoughts…

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  • BEST PRACTICE

    Your first two weeks as a leader: Sarah Dawson

    Managing people and leading a team – it’s a career goal that most aspire to. For some it’s considered the ultimate achievement; you’ve made it when you have a team of people looking to you for guidance every day. For others it’s a terrifying experience as they move from an operational role to a whole new ball game. The first…

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  • Brand Editorial

    How to get seller leads to come to you

    Samantha McLean talks to realestate.com.au’s Rachel Morley, General Manager for Leads, and Gina McCartney, Executive Manager of Marketing & Events, about what’s in the pipeline to help agents connect more meaningfully with both buyers and sellers on the platform, and how to get the most out of these new products. If you’re a real estate professional, looking for more qualified…

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  • Elite Agent

    10 Essential Takeaways from Digital Live 18

    After a packed-to-capacity session in Sydney on 19 August, it was another crowded house in Brisbane on 26 August, with agents tapping into the expertise of some of the brightest minds in the digital industry. Created by REA Director of Industry Relations Steve Carroll, the program sees agents scored on their digital presence, then given the tools and mentoring to improve…

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  • Thought Leaders Podcast

    Episode 65: Colin Anstie with the latest on Social Media for real estate agents including tips on how to go viral

    In this week’s edition of the Elevate podcast Samantha McLean talks to Colin Anstie of Raging Digital about what social platforms you need as an agent including how to optimise them, how to give yourself the best chance of ‘going viral’, and Colin also shares with us some of his favourite productivity tools that he says can save you plenty…

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  • LEADERSHIP

    How and why you should be measuring leadership success

    Leadership in real estate is not just a business journey; it’s also a personal one. Together they are like intersecting rollercoasters: do you strap yourself in, fuel up for the long haul, learn better navigation, get your mind clear of distractions, or stay focused on the road ahead? In fact, you need to do all this and more. In every…

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