GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TRUE OR FALSE?

Homeowners can still be legally required to pay for repairs to a local church if their property sits on former church land.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)

In today’s edition of The Brief

• The “what if” question behind Thomas McGlynn’s biggest career move

• Where will 40 million people be living in 2065?

• Find out which regional markets are booming

Today’s read time: 4 minutes, 10 seconds

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LEADERSHIP

The question that changed Thomas McGlynn's career

After six years building one of Sydney’s most admired independent agencies, Thomas McGlynn has made a move that signals something bigger than a standard leadership shift. The former Bresic Whitney CEO and current REINSW President is stepping into a newly created national role at Ray White as CEO of Performance and Value - a position designed to lift leadership capability and performance across a network of more than 13,000 members.

He’s not vague about the forces driving that change. Thomas points to a convergence of pressure points reshaping the industry in real time: AI transforming how work gets done, tightening AML compliance, and rising consumer expectations around transparency and professionalism, all accelerating faster than many businesses are adapting.

“Standards rise whether or not you participate,” he says. “Leadership in any industry is generally its biggest problem, but it’s also its biggest solution.”

For Thomas, the decision to leave didn’t come down to opportunity alone. It followed months of deliberate self-reflection - a process he believes more leaders should prioritise.

“Self-leadership is really important, and not many people talk about that.”

He’s also candid about what it cost to walk away from a business he helped shape.

“Privately, I have shed a lot of tears.”

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The “what if” test: The simple question that ultimately made the decision for him

• The four pressure points: Why rising standards are inevitable — and already underway

• Scale versus connection: How he’s redefining impact when you’re one step removed from the customer

• What leaving well looks like: The custodian mindset behind his exit after six years at BresicWhitney

This is leadership at a turning point — grounded, clear-eyed, and deeply human.

Read the full article

ICYMI last week: A film set lesson in connection, courtesy of Miriam Margolyes.

TOGETHER WITH KOLMEO

Keeping compliance simple in a complex regulatory landscape

Kolmeo has launched Sentinel, an AI-powered compliance tool designed to help Australian property managers keep up with ongoing legislative changes. With regulation continuing to shift across states and workforce turnover remaining high, many agencies still rely on manual processes to interpret updates.

Sentinel scans regulatory sources in real time and converts changes into clear, actionable guidance, helping principals and compliance leads respond more consistently and reduce the risk of missed obligations across their portfolios.

Read more about Kolmeo Sentinel here.

POLICY

Australia heads to 40M with no national plan

The Planning Institute of Australia warns the country is on track for 40 million people by 2065 – with no coordinated framework for housing, infrastructure, or where everyone will live. That fragmented approach is already showing up in prices and commute times, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, with pressure spilling into regional markets.

HOT MARKETS

Regional enquiries surge 313% as buyers chase value

Buyer enquiries in Woodstock – a small suburb near Ballarat – jumped 313% year-on-year, the biggest spike of any suburb nationally. Victoria and Tasmania lead the growth charts as capital city buyers chase affordability in regional markets.

HOW IT SOLD

$2m in 10 days by backing one buyer

When newlyweds made an early offer on a Frewville executive home, Brenton Milewski closed off the Expressions of Interest process to negotiate directly with them. He recognised they might buy elsewhere if he didn't act decisively – and secured $2 million for his vendor in just 10 days.

This story started with a 10-minute phone call. Imagine boosting this on socials to your farm area. getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Bondi Rescue star sells up, becomes an agent

Harrison Reid, one of Bondi Rescue's most recognisable faces, has sold his Rose Bay apartment for $1.5 million and relocated to Christchurch – where he's now working as a Harcourts real estate agent. The two-bedroom top-floor unit netted him a $500,000 gain since 2019. Yes, one of Australia's most famous lifeguards is officially in the industry.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Team Charan joins The Agency

The five-member team will service inner Brisbane suburbs, including Newstead, Teneriffe and New Farm, alongside Sydney's Pyrmont. More here.

Success doesn’t rest on weekends! 
Get the latest on top agent and agency moves every Sunday with our weekly roundup in Movers & Shakers. Subscribe now.

AGENTS ON SOCIAL

Real estate life is basically multitasking while decoding whether the conversation has a point… or just a plot twist waiting to happen 📞☹️

Seen an Agent On Social we should include? Let us know here (email link)

TRUE OR FALSE:

Homeowners can still be legally required to pay for repairs to a local church if their property sits on former church land.

And the answer is …

TRUE. Yes, you read that right! Buy the wrong cottage in England and you might accidentally inherit a medieval subscription plan to church maintenance. Thanks to Chancel Repair Liability, some homeowners can be on the hook for fixing up the local church’s altar area… even though the rule dates back to knights and feudal times. Moral of the story: sometimes the fine print isn’t just boring… it’s 800 years old.

Wishing you a productive day!

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