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🏗️ 8,700 unbuilt homes, $850 rents, and the outhouse is a penthouse
The decade of small policy cuts costing thousands of homes – and your talking points
Elite Agent Editor
July 09, 2026
GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋
TRUE OR FALSE?
The word 'penthouse' originally derived from the French word 'pente' meaning slope, describing the sloped roofs of luxury upper-floor apartments.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)
In today’s edition of The Brief
Death by a thousand cuts: How a decade of endless red tape is officially driving property investors out of the market.
Don't freak out over the SMSF lending ban just yet, we've got the DL on who it actually bites
From property management to sales with total 'main character energy'—how Gemma White leverages her own 5-property portfolio to build bulletproof trust.
Today’s read time: 4 min 44 sec read
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TODAY'S FEATURE
Death by a thousand cuts: The policies driving investors out of Australia's housing market
Not one policy did the damage – it took roughly a decade of small, individually defensible cuts to erode investor confidence in Australian housing. Queensland principal Avi Khan has pulled apart the compliance costs, tenancy reforms and tax changes now piling up on landlords, and REIA modelling puts a hard number on the fallout: thousands of homes that simply won't be built.
What you'll learn in the full article:
The hidden tax nobody's counting: how inspections, insurance and compliance costs are stacking up before a single mortgage repayment is made
Why a small SMSF change matters most: the borrowing restriction affects under 10 per cent of funds, so why does it carry so much weight
The renter's paradox: why policies pitched as helping first-home buyers could leave an entire generation renting for longer
TOGETHER WITH LOCKEDON
Why the right AML workflow changes everything
AML compliance isn't optional anymore, but it doesn't have to mean spreadsheets, extra logins and chasing clients for ID.
LockedOn has built AML straight into its CRM, so agents can launch a KYC/KYB check with one click and track it in real time, while clients verify their identity digitally from wherever they are.
As Iain French, LockedOn's Co-founder, puts it:
"We wanted to make it as simple as possible... agents can start the AML process with a single click and complete it in minutes."
If you'd rather spend your time on listings than paperwork, book a one-on-one demo at get.lockedon.com.
DEPT OF FINANCE
Before a single tax change lands, investor behaviour is already shifting
The rental market is already be responding to policy changes that are still more than a year away, with Domain data showing rents accelerating as investor sentiment shifts. Dr Nicola Powell says landlords are reassessing their strategies, from bringing forward potential sales to exploring alternative ways of maximising returns. As affordability pressures push tenants to their limits, the bigger question is whether changing investor behaviour will further tighten rental supply in the years ahead.
DEPT OF PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE
What agents need to know about the SMSF lending ban
Just 0.5 per cent of new loan commitments used SMSF borrowing for residential property, but the ban could still bite where it counts – new apartment and townhouse pre-sales. Existing SMSF loans and cash purchases stay untouched, with a 45-day window to finish deals already underway.
HOW IT SOLD
Six offers, 65 inquiries, one $1.57m result
A quality renovation in Kardinya drew 65 inquiries and 45 groups through three home opens in just 12 days. Zvon Mikulic tested demand with expressions of interest before switching to private treaty, driving six written offers and a $1.57 million sale for the vendors.
A listing lasts weeks. The case study lasts forever. getailsa.com →
MOVERS + SHAKERS
Gemma White: Building success through authentic relationships
Gemma White spent 12 years in property management before moving into sales nearly five years ago, building a specialist practice across Hope Island and Runaway Bay with Professionals Vertullo Real Estate. She draws on her own five investment properties in the area to advise clients on cash flow and long-term wealth creation, backed by a social media presence built on authentic client relationships.
Samantha Self joins REMAX Select as general manager
Eight years leading retail operations at northern Australia's largest shopping centre has given Samantha Self a grounding in sales performance analysis and market insight that she's now bringing to real estate. She joins REMAX Select's Mackay leadership team as general manager, working alongside principal Nikita Kinnane to drive the agency's next phase of growth.
Ayden Vojnic joins LJ Hooker as growth manager
With more than 15 years of experience across recruitment, project management and stakeholder engagement, Ayden Vojnic has spent his career identifying what makes businesses succeed. He joins LJ Hooker as growth manager, tasked with expanding the network's franchise footprint across Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, after senior recruitment and broker performance roles at Aussie Home Loans, reporting to head of growth Jarita Rayasam.
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
Current market cardio: kicking tyres and asking "What's your best price?" 🛞🏃
Seen an Agent On Social we should include? Let us know here (email link)
TRUE OR FALSE:
The word 'penthouse' originally derived from the French word 'pente' meaning slope, describing the sloped roofs of luxury upper-floor apartments.
And the answer is …
Answer: False. The word 'penthouse' has nothing to do with luxury; it actually comes from the Latin 'appendicium' (an appendage), which evolved through Old French 'apentis' into Middle English 'pentis' – referring to a modest lean-to shed or attached outhouse with a sloping roof.
The modern spelling only appeared around the 1530s, when folk etymology fused 'pente' (slope) with 'house', but the word described humble outbuildings for centuries before it climbed to the top floor.
But honestly, knowing that every billionaire's $50 million glass sky-palace is historically just the evolutionary final form of a medieval crap-shack is the exact kind of delusional, rags-to-riches glow-up energy we are constantly manifesting in our own lives.
Wishing you a productive day!
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