The real estate year doesn’t start after Australia Day. According to Tom Panos, if you’re waiting until the tennis wraps up to get serious, you’ve already given away your best advantage.
In the first Thought Leaders episode of 2026, the trainer, auctioneer, and founder of The Real Estate Gym shared his playbook for the next 90 days – covering everything from the January listing window to why video will matter more than ever this year.
The January Window Most Agents Waste
Panos is adamant: the period between January 15 and February 1 is critical.
“If you are a seller, you’ve got a decent chance at getting a little bit higher in price than what you would in February and March,” he explains. The logic is pure supply and demand. Motivated buyers who made a New Year’s resolution to purchase are hunting, but stock is thin. That scarcity creates urgency – and better results.
For agents, the benefits compound. You’re visible while competitors are still on holiday. Vendors thinking about listing before Easter see who’s active now. And there’s nothing better than starting the year with momentum rather than scrambling for your first listing.
The Market Picture Right Now
Panos offered a reality check on market conditions. Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide have the fire emoji next to them. Sydney is performing strongly under the $1.5 million mark – largely thanks to the 5% deposit scheme bringing more buyers into the market. Melbourne is showing signs of recovery after a difficult few years.
The $2.5 to $5 million segment? That requires more work. But the premium market stays strong regardless of interest rates. “Rich people are always rich no matter what’s happening with interest rates,” Panos notes.
His clearance rate forecast for Sydney by end of March: 80 per cent + if there’s a rate cut, 70-80 per cent if rates hold, with the caveat that a rate increase – while unlikely – can’t be ruled out given stubborn inflation numbers.
The Underquoting Debate – What’s Really Going On
When asked about underquoting, Tom draws a clear distinction between two camps in the industry: agents who feel unfairly targeted and agents who believe enforcement is levelling the playing field that has hurt them.
His view? “Underquoting gets more bidders. Underquoting does not get a better price.”
The difference matters. Attracting crowds creates social proof and more inquiry – things agents like. But at the pointy end of bidding, only a handful of buyers remain. The question is: do you want to spray and pray, or target buyers most suited to the property?
And here’s the new reality: bots now track listing prices against sale prices, making variance patterns visible to regulators. “Everything that you are doing now is easily seen,” he warns.
“You’ve gotta do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, but you’ve also gotta do the right thing because you will get caught.”
AI Is Your First Employee
The conversation shifted to AI adoption – and Panos sees it as permanent infrastructure, not a passing trend. “This is more along the lines of mobile phone, realestate.com, Domain. These things are permanent.”
When asked what he’d do as a 22-year-old starting in real estate today with nothing but a laptop, phone, and ChatGPT, his answer was immediate: ask AI for prompts.
“I would say: I’m a brand new 22-year-old real estate agent. I really want to have a great impact, and I intend to use AI to help me, not substitute me. Could you please provide me with 20 best prompts to help me be more effective?”
His take: AI would be his first employee – and the one that never leaves.
Why Video Matters More Than Ever
Here’s a stat that surprised both of us: only 20% of properties on realestate.com.au have video. REA wants to change that.
But the bigger shift is what’s happening with AI and search. Gemini can now analyse video content for SEO – not just captions, but what’s actually being said. That means all those videos agents have been shooting are suddenly discoverable in ways they weren’t before.
Tom’s advice from a decade ago – “video, video, video” – just got validated by technology catching up.
“Any opportunity to mention your suburb that you service, who you are, what you do – video,” he says. “Every time you leave a market appraisal, why don’t you just shoot a video? It’s great to see you there last night. You’ve got a beautiful home. Shoot the video.”
The Agent of the Future
What stays the same in 2026? Conversations. Agents who write the money still tend to work an extra hour or two outside standard hours – the nature of the work demands it.
What changes? The time spent on low-dollar productive work is collapsing. AI makes you more efficient than ever. And we’re moving toward a brand-based business, not a cold-calling operation.
“Owners are putting in: wanna sell my house in Newtown, who are the three agents I should call?” Panos explains. The agents who show up in those AI-powered searches are the ones who’ve been creating content consistently.
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