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🌀 10,000 sales, a $100m island, and one lucky number
The database and mindset behind Jellis Craig's record year
Elite Agent Editor
July 03, 2026
GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋
TRUE OR FALSE?
In feng shui, the number 4 is considered one of the luckiest numbers for a property address because it sounds like the word for 'fortune' in Mandarin.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)
In today’s edition of The Brief
Stop waiting for an easy market: The blueprint behind Jellis Craig's 10,000-sale year
Darwin defies national slump as home prices fall for the third straight month
Domain data points to mid-2027 property rebound
Today’s read time: 4 min 10 sec read
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TODAY'S FEATURE
Jellis Craig CEO, Andrew McCann. Image: Supplied
Jellis Craig didn't wait for a better market (and neither should you)
Five years ago, one Victorian network was selling roughly 5,000 properties a year. This year, it crossed the 10,000 mark, in a market most agents would call anything but easy. Jellis Craig CEO Andrew McCann says the milestone has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with a database, a mindset shift, and a refusal to wait for conditions to improve.
What you'll learn in the full article:
The open data advantage: how a single database of more than 2.8 million contacts is changing what agents can offer vendors.
The emotional regulation playbook: why Andrew believes "knuckling down" beats hoping for an easier market.
The next frontier: how AI is set to turn Jellis Craig's static data into a predictive tool.
ICYMI yesterday: Credibility is the currency: Bill Malouf on the unchanging rules of prestige property
TOGETHER WITH REACH AUSTRALIA
Six finalists have been named for Top of the Props 2026. Image: Supplied
Top of the Props 2026 finalists take aim at property industry’s biggest pressure points
Six proptech companies take the stage at Brisbane's Lefty's Music Hall on 15 July, pitching everything from rent roll growth tools to buyer due diligence platforms. The judges' pick and the People's Choice award, decided by live audience voting on the night, are both up for grabs. A good one to watch if you're curious what's next for agency tech.
DEPT OF DATA
Darwin home prices reached a median value of $635,000 in June, making it the only capital to resist the national slump. Image: Getty
Darwin the lone capital to rise in June
Three straight monthly falls now, and the national median sits at $903,000. The standout line is Darwin, up 0.2% while Sydney and Perth both dropped 0.5% – and Anne Flaherty says regional markets and units keep outperforming, good context for your affordability conversations.
DEPT OF DATA
Historical data reveals that Australian property upswings heavily dominate downturns, with values rising an average of 32.3% over a 2.8-year period. (Source: Domain). Image: Getty
Domain data points to mid-2027 property rebound
Downturns like this one tend to be short – historically just eight months, according to Domain's 30-year analysis. What follows matters more: a rebound averaging over 30 percent once the cash rate finally turns, currently pencilled in for 2027. Nicola Powell says agents should be watching the recovery, not the dip.
HOW IT SOLD
Tom Boyle's seven-day Morayfield sale strategy: Image supplied.
Preparation turned seven days into $952,500
Tom Boyle had every photo, brochure, and disclosure statement locked in before 45 Maurice Avenue hit the market. That groundwork paid off – the Morayfield three-bedroom attracted multiple offers and sold for $952,500 in just seven days, well above the suburb's $737,000 median for comparable homes.
Your competitors know media coverage gets clients. Are you ready to get yours? getailsa.com
CELEBRITY HOMES
The private island of late cosmetic surgeon Dr Ivo Pitanguy, once visited by celebrities and world leaders, is listed for US$100 million, its first time on the market since 1973. Image: beauchampestates.com
Surgeon's Bond villain island lists for $100M
Dr Ivo Pitanguy nipped and tucked Hollywood's finest for decades, then quietly hosted them all on his own private island. Now his family's selling the 75-acre retreat for the first time since 1973, complete with a helipad, a 400-metre airstrip, and bungalows the agents themselves compare to Scaramanga's lair in The Man with the Golden Gun. Yes, a real-life Bond villain hideout is on the market
MOVERS + SHAKERS
Harcourts Ulverstone & Penguin Expands Into Devonport. Photo: Supplied
Harcourts Ulverstone & Penguin Expands Into Devonport.
For Wendy Squibb, the move into Devonport is a homecoming – she brings years of local networks back to the coastal community. Alongside co-owner Brad Reeves, she has opened a new office at 47 Oldaker Street, extending Harcourts Ulverstone & Penguin's reach into Shearwater and Port Sorell as the locally owned business grows its footprint from Heybridge to Hawley Beach.
Angela Johnson launches Ray White Living Here across Northern Tasmania, uniting offices in Launceston, Devonport and Shearwater under one banner. Image: Supplied
Ray White unites three Northern Tasmania offices under one banner.
After 25 years running her own agency, Angela Johnson is returning to her hometown roots with a new venture. She has rebranded her Devonport and Shearwater offices and acquired Living Here Launceston, forming Ray White Living Here – a 30-strong team spanning Northern Tasmania's residential sales and property management markets.
Matthew Formosa, George Kollias and Thomas Perram. Image: Supplied.
Belle Property Expands Parramatta Business Into Epping.
Chris Sahyoun and Thomas Perram have grown their Belle Property business into a third office, adding Epping to their existing Parramatta and Beecroft | Carlingford operations. Thomas and Matthew Formosa will lead sales, alongside property investment consultant George Kollias, extending the group's reach across Sydney's north-west corridor.
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AGENTS ON SOCIAL
Nothing says due diligence quite like a buyer asking ChatGPT to verify your entire appraisal. 🤖📱
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TRUE OR FALSE:
In feng shui, the number 4 is considered one of the luckiest numbers for a property address because it sounds like the word for 'fortune' in Mandarin.
And the answer is …
False. In Mandarin (and Cantonese), the number 4 is considered deeply unlucky because it sounds almost identical to the word for 'death' (sǐ, 死) – not 'fortune'. This tetraphobia is so widespread that many buildings across East and Southeast Asia skip the fourth floor entirely, jumping straight from 3 to 5. The lucky number you're thinking of is 8, which sounds like 'prosperity' (fā, 發) and regularly commands a premium on everything from property addresses to licence plates.
via Urbaneer.
Wishing you a productive day!
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