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GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋 Good morning, and welcome to The Brief for Tuesday 11 August 2026. |
TRUE OR FALSE? In 1626 the Dutch bought the island of Manhattan from the Lenape for US$24 worth of glass beads and trinkets – a figure recorded in the original deed of sale. (Scroll to the bottom for the answer!) |
In today's edition of The Brief - The CEOs running Australia's biggest networks told us how they're actually handling AI, margin, and trust – including the one back-office change that separates doers from talkers.
- House prices are falling but housing inflation just hit 6.8 per cent – Nerida Conisbee explains the paradox before your next buyer asks about it.
- Jerry Jacob and Jalpa Patel pitched a Tarneit family home to doctors instead of families – and pocketed a $36,000 premium for the rethink.
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TODAY'S FEATURE  Inside the boardrooms rewriting agency leadershipAustralia's real estate sector has officially moved past the easy wins of rising markets into an era defined by tighter compliance, economic headwinds, and rapid technological integration. In Elite Agent’s exclusive roundup, CEOs across the country’s leading franchise and independent networks reveal that surviving the next cycle isn't about waiting for better conditions, it’s about sharpening internal systems, protecting margins, and elevating the human connection. |
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What you'll learn in the full article: - The margin math: why some networks are protecting profit by changing what they charge for, not just how much.
- The transparency line: the specific operational detail top leaders now say vendors expect to see before they'll sign.
- The AI tell: one small back-office change separating agencies actually using artificial intelligence from those just talking about it.
Read the full article → |
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TOGETHER WITH ELITE AGENT A signboard works because it stands where everyone passes. These days, that's search. Your next vendor is googling you the night before the appraisal. ChatGPT can only recommend agents it can read about. Ailsa turns your latest sale into a published story on Elite Agent. You talk for five minutes. Journalists polish it. Live in seven days or it's free. $97. Google gets exactly what it wants – and you didn't write a thing. And unlike the board out the front, this one never comes down. Start building authority → |
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DEPT OF LENDING  SMSF residential borrowing ban now in effectAs of now, self-managed super funds can no longer borrow to buy residential property – existing loans are grandfathered, but new deals are off the table. Money.com.au's research shows 26% of trustees are pivoting to commercial property instead, where borrowing is still allowed. Nick Burgess says the appeal of property hasn't changed, just the vehicle. |
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DEPT OF DATA  Census data reveals the story behind housing numbersOutright home ownership has fallen to 31%, down from over 40% two decades ago, while mortgaged households now sit at 35%. Adrian Knowles from Harcourts says the numbers only tell half the story. "Statistics explain what is happening. People explain why," Adrian said. Why tonight's census is an important moment for Australia's future |
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DEPT OF BUILDING  Why "falling" house prices still cost buyers moreHere's the line that stops vendors mid-sentence: house prices are softening, but housing inflation just jumped to 6.8 per cent, the biggest single driver of the CPI. Nerida Conisbee's explanation – established prices aren't even in the inflation measure, rents and construction costs are. Handy context next time a buyer asks why "cheaper" doesn't feel cheap. |
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HOW IT SOLD  Marketing a family home as a business siteJerry Jacob and Jalpa Patel skipped the standard family-home pitch for 929 Sears Road, Tarneit, and targeted doctors, allied health professionals and small business owners instead. The result: $736,000 – a $36,000 premium, with the eventual buyer sourced from their own database rather than the open market. Find out the story behind how it sold → A listing lasts weeks. The case study lasts forever. getailsa.com → |
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MOVERS & SHAKERS  Woodards chairman to drive 6,000km through outback for charityWoodards Executive Chairman John Piccolo is lacing up for his second Variety Bash, joining hundreds of drivers on a 6,000km run from Victoria to Exmouth in vehicles more than 25 years old. His team, "Lovers Not Mechanics", spends 10 days on the road from August 18, stopping at remote schools and communities to deliver wheelchairs, communication aids and grants along the way. John has kicked off his fundraising with a personal $2,500 donation.  Michael Qader and Vincent Ianni's AQ Properties joins HarcourtsEight years ago, Michael Qader was running his real estate business out of his garage. That south-west Sydney agency has since grown on repeat business and referrals, with Vincent Ianni building the property management side on long-standing landlord relationships. The pair have now brought the business into the Harcourts network, rebranding as Harcourts AQ. |
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Success doesn't rest on weekends!
Get top agent and agency moves every Sunday in Movers & Shakers. Subscribe now. |
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AGENTS ON SOCIAL They said “show the reality of real estate” so we brought umbrellas, chaos and absolutely no indoor voices. ☔️📣 |
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TRUE OR FALSE: In 1626 the Dutch bought the island of Manhattan from the Lenape for US$24 worth of glass beads and trinkets – a figure recorded in the original deed of sale. And the answer is … False. There's no deed – just one 1626 letter reporting the Dutch had bought 'the Island Manhattes from the Indians' for 60 guilders. No beads, no trinkets, no dollars: the famous $24 was a 19th-century historian's currency conversion that stuck for 180 years. And the Lenape almost certainly thought they were agreeing to share the land, not sell it. Two parties, one document, completely different ideas about what was being sold. Some things about this job haven't changed in 400 years. via Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. |
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