EPM
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Heeding the Warning Signs of Fraud
Doubts around misappropriation of trust funds is one of the things that causes some people to distrust the real estate industry. It’s also a major concern that keeps principals up late at night because it could happen to anyone. Natalie Hastings highlights five signs to watch out for. Principals tend to be particularly alert to fraud when their property management…
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The Power of Pure Cloud Computing
What is the cloud? Where is the cloud? Am I using the cloud? These are all questions you’ve probably asked yourself at some point when you think about ‘cloud computing’. In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the…
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Why should I choose you: Warren Tate
When a property owner decides that they require a real estate agent to sell their home or manage their investment property, they are looking for a professional they can trust, who will add value, provide excellent customer service and communicate effectively every step of the way. Selecting the right agent creates challenges, concerns and sometimes fear in the mind of…
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Property Manager 2.0: Rachael Byrne, Jean Brown Properties
RECENTLY AWARDED REIQ’S Property Manager of the Year, Rachael Byrne of Jean Brown Properties, at the northern end of Queensland’s Gold Coast, is convinced that a focus on tenant services is at the core of a new and better direction for property management. Sarah Bell caught up with Rachael to find out more about her brand of positive property management…
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The Three Prospects You Need To Know
Meeting with a potential client for the first time can be an unnerving experience. We can find ourselves being overwhelmed with fear and excitement at the same time, but understanding client personality types will help. Tara Bradbury explains. Before, during and after meeting a possible new client most of us will go through the same questions in our head, including:…
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Rentvesting – a triple play opportunity for the entire agency
Is it possible to turn a buyer into a landlord and then a tenant in the same transaction, and help them save a dollar in the process? BMT Tax Depreciation believes that many new investors pursuing a strategy of ‘rentvesting’ may be leaving thousands of dollars of legitimate tax savings on the table by not using tax depreciation. Working with…
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Growth in a Changing Industry
WHEN YOU GET IT RIGHT, data can help you make better decisions and can act as the true north for your agency. It can help you define culture and positively impact how you communicate within your team. And, it can also help your clients and other stakeholders, as Ben White explains. THE PROBLEM IS THAT so many agencies have up…
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The Great After-Hours Phone Debate
A CURSORY GLANCE THROUGH any of our industry social media groups shows story after story about the trials and tribulations of being responsible for the dreaded after-hours ‘emergency’ phone. In an industry renowned for staff churn and burnout, Brock Fisher asks: Why does it have to be this way? In a previous role was on call 24 hours a day,…
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Matt Lahood: The first 100 days in office (Part Two)
In Part One of this two-part series on Matt Lahood’s first 100 days in office as CEO of The Agency, we looked at his robust agenda for the arena of property sales and transfers. Part two takes a look at why property management, specifically catering to the aspirations of tenants is such a critical path for The Agency. The business…
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Vacancy rates tighten in Sydney while Airbnb has a win
Residential vacancy rates have fallen across the Sydney market led by solid falls in availability in Middle Sydney, according to the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales. REINSW President John Cunningham said the March 2017 REINSW Vacancy Rate Survey saw the Sydney metropolitan market down 0.2 per cent at 1.7 per cent. “Middle Sydney led the fall in rental…
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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?’; ‘Who do I want to…
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Aussie startup just became your ideal housemate
House sitting just got a makeover with My Home Watch (MHW), a GPS tracked, live streamed, paid-for service that helps homeowners do a range of things pertaining to their housing needs while away from the property. From putting the bins out and looking after pets and plants to taking the mail and papers in and checking for pest infestations, MHW…
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First National Expands Footprint
Cooperative brand First National Real Estate has expanded its network of offices nationally, opening 35 new locations in the past 12 months. Much of the growth, they say, is centred in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. Chief Executive, Ray Ellis, attributes the rapid increase to First National’s operating model and its membership’s supportive culture. “First National Real Estate’s…
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USPs or UFOs?
MARKETERS AND TRAINERS ARE ALWAYS telling us we need a Unique Selling Point (USP) or point of difference when pitching for new business in property management. But so many property managers – and even business development managers – don’t really know how or why they are different from others, and most don’t know how to demonstrate why they should get the…
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Communication Changes Your Destination
Did you know that it can take as little as seven seconds for someone to make a judgement about you based on influences and experiences in their lives to date? Warren Tate explains why you need to be conscious of the impression you are leaving. The moment a stranger sees you, his or her brain is making millions of assumptions and…
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Four Ways Technology Is Changing the Business of Real Estate
REAL ESTATE AGENCIES across the country are developing new techniques to streamline services and keep up with emerging trends. Technology has come a long way from the first set of bulky computers in your local real estate office. With advancements in technology occurring rapidly, real estate agencies across the country are developing new techniques to streamline services and keep up…
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You Thought You Were a Property Manager, Didn’t You?
THREE YEARS AGO, you were employed by your agency to run a portfolio of 150 properties and had the title ‘Property Manager’ on your business card. As times have changed, many agencies have resorted to outsourcing their administration tasks. Lauren Kropp examines the effect has this had on the traditional PM role. A few years ago, every lettings agency employed…
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Australia called on as property management leaders
RE/MAX LLC, headquarters of the world’s number one real estate brand, invited three Australians to deliver the first-ever property management session at its 2017 R4 Convention in Las Vegas, which attracts more than 6000 delegates each year. Facilitating the session was Justin Miller, Co-Owner and Property Management Director, who heads up the property management division at RE/MAX Regency on Queensland’s…
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Airbnb vague about its plans on long-term leasing
Airbnb has no immediate plans to offer long-term rentals just yet after a Bloomberg report said it was conducting due diligence on the matter in hopes of providing the service to the market soon. In a statement to Elite Agent on Friday, an Airbnb spokesperson said: “Examining different parts of the market is standard operating procedure, and we don’t have…
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Rent.com.au’s property listings now showcasing NBN status
Australia’s specialist website for rental property, Rent.com.au has started showing NBN status for its listings. Rent’s chief executive Greg Bader said that including the current NBN status for each property listing was in response to demand from renters. “Our customers have been asking for this. While NBN information is already available via the NBN website, it is a cumbersome process,…
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7 Ways to Raise the Bar In 2017
WHEN IT COMES TO AIMING high in your property management business, dare to be different and think big. Here are seven ways you can raise the bar this year. 1 DARE TO BE UNTRADITIONAL Raising the bar in 2017 starts with daring to be ‘untraditional’. As you know, clients engage property management agencies to gain better returns and increased capital…
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Tune Up Your Engine Room For 2017
When was the last time you gave your property management department a compete service checkup? Is it in the best shape to help you achieve your goals for 2017? Heidi Walkinshaw of Real+ takes a look at some of the key areas that might be in need of a tune up. When we set out our goals at the beginning…
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Rental Revolutionary: an exclusive with the new CEO at rent.com.au
GREG BADER IS THE NEW CEO at rent.com.au. After just six months in the job, he is already shaking up the way that renters apply for property, as well as crafting an innovative pricing model where the agent pays zero unless the tenant also comes from rent.com.au. With the percentage of renters in today’s market continually growing, he says that…
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Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Service?
As consumers, we are never really satisfied with customer service. In fact, business reviews today are showing that this is one of the few areas of differentiation between competitors. Alister Maple-Brown looks at the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in improving customer service and whether it means the end of the ‘human touch’. There’s just something about picking up a…
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A Smooth Transition: Kasey McDonald
Whether you’re an eager BDM wanting to impress the principal, or an enthusiastic and driven property manager, rent roll growth is usually the common goal. Kasey McDonald discusses why a strong handover connection between the two is vital for everyone, including the client. Let’s face it – everyone wants to grow their rent roll. After all, with growth comes more opportunity for…
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What Does A Next-Level BDM Look Like?
The key role of a business development manager (BDM) is to source new strategic opportunities for the business, while building and maintaining relationships with referral partners, prospects and clients. But what does a ‘next level’ BDM look like? Tara Bradbury explains. The role of a BDM can be many things, depending on the company structure. Many businesses over-complicate the role…
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Regional Growth Master: Dave Skow Wagga Property Management
DAVE SKOW is the owner of Wagga Property Management in the NSW Riverina. Grabbing an opportunity to open a property management only business in the area, he has grown his rent roll from zero to just over 500 properties in under three years. Passionate about growth, this is his remarkable story. Firstly, Dave, tell us a little bit about your…
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Boxing Day Accounting: What Can You Claim?
THOUGH THE FESTIVE SEASON and its excesses feel far behind us, it’s only now that many agencies are accounting for their holiday expenses. Client Christmas party? Tick. Landlord gifts? You know it. Company Christmas party? That’s there too. How much can you claim? Natalie Hastings has the answers. Rather than nursing a sore head over your necessarily generous seasonal expenditure,…
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The Future – Property Management Round Table: Part 8
As a finale to Transform PM 2016 our four PM Directors were joined by Charles Tarbey, Fiona Blayney, Chris Gray, Richard Bray, Julie Davis and Neil Williams for an industry round-table discussion on the future of property management and how to best serve the needs of property investors. The session was facilitated by Alister Maple-Brown of Rockend. In the final video…
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To New Beginnings: Console to Launch Cloud Product in March Under New CEO Tim Molloy
Tim Molloy is no stranger to growing businesses, knowing as he does how almost any industry can be transformed through technology. Now, as the CEO of Console, he is taking a close look at how to make the role of the property manager more productive and efficient using the ‘new’ Console as a vehicle for change. Samantha McLean spoke exclusively…
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Rent.com.au’s new service Renter Resume a big hit among users
Since its launch 100 days ago, Rent.com.au Renter Resume has had more than 50,000 Australians signing up to use its service. Launched last October, the service allows users to create a rental profile, which then allows for the automatic generation of property enquiries and applications. Prospective renters can apply for a property while they are inspecting it with the click…
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Smoke Alarm Solutions to empower property management leaders at ALPPPS
Smoke Alarm Solutions (SAS), one of the largest providers of smoke alarm compliance and maintenance services to the Australian real estate industry, is coming on board at ALPPPS 2017 to empower property management leaders with smoke alarm best practice. Taking place on 2-3 March, the ALPPPS property management leadership summit helps principals, team leaders and career property managers move mountains…
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Airbnb finally makes a profit
Home-rental marketplace Airbnb has finally turned its first profit since commencing operations in 2008. The home-rental company became profitable for the first time in the second half of 2016, a source close to the company told technology website CNET. Airbnb’s revenue grew more than 80 percent over last year, and the company is expected to continue to be profitable throughout…
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Technology – Property Management Round Table: Part 7
As a finale to Transform PM 2016 our four PM Directors were joined by Richard Bray, Fiona Blayney, Chris Gray, Charles Tarbey, Julie Davis and Neil Williams for an industry round table discussion on the future of property management and how to best serve the needs of property investors. The session was facilitated by Alister Maple-Brown of Rockend. In this…
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A Reputation for the Extraordinary
How important is customer service in growing and sustaining your business? For Michelle Williams of @home Property Management Solutions, it’s everything. However, she was disappointed when instead she recently learned many business owners are looking for a ‘quick fix’ solution to rent roll growth. Recently I was asked to be part of a round table discussion forum where each speaker…
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