Elite Agent
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Real estate industry invited to contribute to PropTech future
The real estate industry is being invited to have its say on the future of PropTech after REACH Australia unveiled a group of Australasian PropTech providers who could revolutionise the sector both locally and overseas. Known collectively as the REACH Australia Class of 2020, the companies included in the cohort range from property management platforms to integrated smart lock providers,…
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How to prepare your business for the economic recovery phase
The Covid-induced recession is causing strife for thousands of businesses across the country. At the same time, it is giving businesses downtime to examine their operations and their spending, and highlight where they can make improvements. Adjusting your focus and looking ahead to the economic recovery phase may, in fact, put your business in an advantageous position for recovery. Here…
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Top tips for business success
After a rollercoaster couple of months, the real estate sector is now looking to get back to business as usual. But like it or not, the playing field has shifted markedly since the beginning of the year, and agencies large and small are being forced to re-evaluate, reconsider, and reposition. To assist, we’ve assembled some of the top business tips…
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Laura Shooter of SJ Shooter Real Estate named Transform 2020 winner
SJ Real Estate Managing Director Laura Shooter has been named the winner of Elite Agent’s Transform challenge for 2020. Receiving the welcome news on Friday, Ms Shooter said was “very excited,” and “quite surprised” to take out the title over a field of 306 participants who completed this year’s 30-day virtual course. “I didn’t go…
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Australia is under sustained cyber attack, warns the government. What’s going on, and what should businesses do?
By Mahmoud Elkhodr Lecturer in Information and Communication Technologies, CQUniversity Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison had some alarming news for Australians this morning: we are under cyber attack. He informed the nation the attacks “hadn’t just started”, and that Australian businesses and governments are being widely targeted. It is unclear why the government chose today to make the announcement, or…
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Tenants play key role in rent roll growth
Tenants can provide an untapped resource to generate new rental listings, a property management expert says. Speaking as part of a Transform 2020 coaching session, Kolmeo Head of Strategy Brock Fisher says word-of-mouth referrals or “advocacy” from tenants can play a critical role in significantly growing a rent roll. “There is one new management lurking in your tenants right now,”…
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Donna Gordin: Following my instincts
Years in the industry? Seems like forever, but in 1993 I started in a family business working for a very successful office in Scarborough. That make’s it just over 27 years. What's a special place in your local area?Our north facing bay in Rockingham, you’ll discover crystal blue waters and crisp white sand in Cockburn Sound.…
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10 High-impact, low-cost marketing ideas for real estate agents
Recent Covid-19 stay-at-home policies and lockdowns have seen many people with extra time on their hands. For example, American adults spent on average 3.5 hours per day on their phones in 2019, and the time spent on social media has increased by 20 per cent. With so many people spending time on social media, real estate agents can capitalise on the trend by…
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Five ways to boost the client experience
Building trust is an essential part of doing business – until our clients trust us, we have very little leverage or leeway in the relationship. We are more of an order-taker and less likely able to add value. Once there is trust, you can build on the relationship and start to add tangible value. This enables more sophisticated conversations around…
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Owning the narrative: building your presence online
While COVID-19 has made it tempting to go silent online, Tiffany Wilson argues that now is the time for agents to take back the narrative of what’s happening in the market. While she acknowledges that the context in which we are all operating is evolving at pace, Tiffany identifies two common responses among agents trying to navigate COVID-19 and their…
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Aussies welcome return of small gatherings but big events still a concern
A little more than 60 per cent of Australians were looking forward to larger gatherings of family and friends and dining in at restaurants or cafés, but more than 70 per cent said they were uncomfortable about attending large public events, according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The ABS’s fifth Household…
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Hyper local prospecting
Real estate agents looking to expand their digital footprint and low-cost marketing options should consider homely.com.au, its Co-CEO Jason Spencer says. Speaking as part of Transform 2020, Jason said the popular real estate platform drew interest from 18 million visitors last year, who were attracted to its unique, hyper-local, user-generated content. Founded in 2014, homely.com.au is like the Tripadvisor of…
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Staying on track
Running a real estate business requires its leaders to wear many hats. We are still people businesses, so the discussions that drive accountability remain critical. Sales divisions still rely heavily on the commission structure to drive performance, but moving forward it may not be enough on its own. As technology becomes more and more a critical part of the business…
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Kristine Krienke: Going above and beyond to get the job done
Years in the industry?I have been in the industry for four years and I’m a Sales Associate at Place Estate Agents. What’s a special place in your local area?My local area is full of green spaces and parks that families are drawn to. With so many great outdoor areas to enjoy, it’s easy to forget you’re just 10kms from the…
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Nine steps for keeping your office safe in COVID-19
From implementing extra cleaning of frequently touched surfaces to including your shared company cars in regular cleans, there are a lot of extra safety standards you need to consider as your team settles back in at the office. National anti-viral sanitisation company Cleancorp has been inundated with inquiries since the beginning of the pandemic, and company Director Lisa Macqueen said…
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If it were Day 1 in real estate again… what would you do differently?
Coming out of the COVID-19 crisis is the perfect time to adopt a “learner mentality” and treat things as though it’s your first day in real estate, a top sales director says. Speaking as part of a Transform 2020 Leadership Lesson, The Agency’s Thomas McGlynn (now CEO at BresicWhitney) says too often agents think they know it all and have…
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HomeBuilder misses a chance to make our homes perform better for us and the planet
The Federal Government’s new A$688 million HomeBuilder package might protect residential construction jobs but according to academics, it’s a missed opportunity to deliver sustainability benefits that would save owners money in the long run. In an article in The Conversation, senior lecturers Trivess Moore of RMIT and Tony Matthews of Griffith University argue the A$25,000 grant for new homes and renovations could have…
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Getting back on track post COVID-19
Real estate agents should use the COVID-19 crisis to do an audit of their business and inject renewed energy into their game plan, a top sales director says. Speaking during a Transform 2020 Leadership Lesson, Thomas McGlynn, from The Agency, told agents the COVID-19 crisis had been a rollercoaster. “It’s been a really steep learning curve, and as a leader,…
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11 ways to attract new listings during COVID-19
Virtual coffees with clients and helping to promote struggling local businesses are just two of 11 ways agents can generate new leads and listings during the COVID-19 crisis, a leading US agent and coach says. Speaking during one of this year’s Transform lessons, Jim Remley says during the Covid-19 crisis agents need to think outside the square to list and…
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Management mess or leadership success?
Over the past 12 years, I have had the privilege of working in some smooth operations, with fantastic leaders paving the way for their team to succeed. I have also had the underwhelming experience of working in departments where the ‘leader’ was a person whose idea of leadership is to incite fear and a culture that is a representation of…
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How to stop fearing and start having powerful direct conversations
Agents should stop “telling and selling” and start asking deep-diving questions to meet clients’ values, list more properties and make more sales. Speaking during one of this year’s Transform lessons, expert coach Caroline Bolderston says the key to doing this is to learn the art of having powerful direct conversations (PDCs). The trouble is, there are three main elements that…
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Why we can’t see the blinding obvious
What do snap judgements, gut feelings and stereotypes have in common? They are all forms of heuristics. Heuristics is a term psychologists use to describe the mental shortcuts, which are often unconscious, used to make decisions and solve problems. We use many shortcuts to make decisions daily. Sometimes when we are faced with a difficult situation with a client, or…
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5 tips for real estate agents working with separated couples
In a perfect world, all separating couples would adopt a sensible, collaborative, co-operative approach to the sale of their home. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Being aware of and sensitive to the potential issues which may arise in the sale of a home as the result of a separation, can help you prepare and plan. As the…
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New banks on the block
Neobanks, smartbanks, non-bank lenders and home loan disruptors are all terms that prove the mortgage landscape in Australia is rapidly changing. The days of traditional banks being the only option for buyers wanting to take out a home loan are gone, with an array of challengers entering the market. These home loan disruptors include neobanks such as 86 400 and…
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Stamp duty plan required to boost confidence
In the race to reach the post-Covid recovery stage as quickly as possible, the necessity is to bring confidence back. However, at a time when everyone is hanging on announcements, commitments and timelines from politicians and regulatory officials, it’s important that the communication is clear, transparent and detailed in order to boost confidence. Recent discussions surrounding changes to stamp duty…
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McGrath’s new focus on project marketing post Covid-19
McGrath has announced it will bolster its project marketing division, McGrath Projects, after securing highly respected industry specialists, Colin Griffin and Murray Wood, who will join as Associate Directors. Announcing the appointments, McGrath CEO Geoff Lucas said he believed the time was right to focus on the re-emergence of the off-plan development sector post COVID-19 and saw excellent opportunities for…
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If these walls could talk: How videography can tell luxury homes’ stories
For two decades, Tracey Atkins has been bringing the stories of some of the world’s most opulent and well-known homes to life. With an innate ability to capture the aura, the history and the essence of a property, Tracey and her Goldeneye Media team have created marketing films unlike any others. Breathtaking videography and still images combine with carefully crafted…
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New home building to suffer in wake of COVID-19
New home building is forecast to fall by almost 50 per cent, putting half a million jobs at risk over the next year. According to HIA, the industry engaged more than one million people to commence building almost 200,000 new homes in 2018/19. But Managing Director Graham Wolfe said next year they expect to start just 112,000 new homes leaving…
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Creativity and innovation: Suzannah Toop
A few years ago, second-generation real estate professional Suzannah Toop was lucky enough to enjoy a coffee with Google Australia Head of Engineering, Alan Noble. When she asked him about the role of real estate in the future, his response struck a chord. “He just looked at me, and I’ll never forget it,” Suzannah says. “He simply said: ‘Well you…
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What does a bank want to see to get your deal approved mid-pandemic?
Every day as broker I’m asked by clients and agents: “Will the banks still lend money?” “What if I’m on JobKeeper/JobSeeker?” “What’s changed – will the banks still accept overtime / bonuses / commissions?” And in truth, there’s no simple answer. It’s different for every lender. Some banks will take JobKeeper income, but you’ve got to go to the right…
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Clarity in a crisis – Realmark Whitfords
“We appreciated very early on that as a business we would be measured in the future by our response to Covid-19,” Paula and Jonathan Alsford – Realmark Whitfords When panic surrounding Covid-19 began to filter through the West Australian real estate market, Realmark Whitfords owners Paula and Jonathan Alsford made a conscious decision – communication would be paramount, and clarity…
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Create a healthy body and mind
With the rise of social media and the plethora of platforms used to communicate online, many people are continuously connected to a barrage of information. It’s easy to be distracted by the raft of material, with many hours eaten away by one-on-one time with your phone or tablet. This shift in how people use their time means that many are…
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Rolling up their sleeves
In good times a leader’s job is to run the business smoothly and foster happy and productive employees and customers. What happens in uncertain times, when how we work has never been more fluid? That’s the situation the nation has been in since the arrival of COVID-19. PEOPLE FIRST At Direct Connect, a leading moving services company, people are at…
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Leanne Pilkington: Smart, strategic, and not to be underestimated
While Leanne says she is honoured to have received the award, she is – by her own admission – a somewhat disbelieving face of the women’s real estate movement. “The only special thing about me is my willingness to work hard,” she reflects. “That’s really what has got me to where I am, bloody hard work.” It’s that tireless work…
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