GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

In the 1600s, glass windows were so expensive they were treated like furniture. Wealthy landowners would literally remove them and take them along when they moved between estates. Only the grandest rooms earned glass and everyone else made do with oiled cloth or timber shutters. It wasn’t until the 1800s that glass windows became a standard feature in homes. So next time a buyer complains about dirty panes or “too much natural light”, remember: windows used to be a luxury item worth packing up and moving house with.

In today’s edition of The Brief

• Busy agencies rely on control and hustle; mature ones build leadership

• Defence puts rare inner-city sites on the market

• What a vendor sees when they search you isn’t the version you think

Today’s read time: 7 minutes, 2 seconds

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LEADERSHIP

What separates busy agencies from mature ones

Chris Mourd has a front-row seat to what's working in real estate – and what isn't. As McGrath's Head of Franchise Services, overseeing offices across the Eastern Seaboard, he's noticed a growing mismatch between how many agencies are still led and how the business is now structured.

The control problem

The traditional command-and-control model remains common, particularly among smaller independents. But Chris believes it struggles to hold up once a business starts to grow. The solution? Building leadership capacity inside the organisation – people who are entrepreneurial, invested, and prepared to take responsibility for developing others.

What that actually looks like in practice is where it gets interesting.

The principal's dilemma

Many agency owners are strong operators whose identity and earnings are tied directly to transactions. Stepping back can feel risky, even counterintuitive. But Chris argues it's often the difference between a business that stays busy and one that actually matures.

He's seen principals deliberately reduce their own production – and what happened next might surprise you.

The training trap

"You should never practise on clients," Chris says.

That belief underpins his approach to developing newer agents. The old model – give someone a desk, a phone and a target and see who survives – no longer holds. But the alternative isn't just more training. It's a structural shift in how teams operate.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The leadership capacity framework: How to scale authority, culture and decision-making across a broader footprint

• The production paradox: Why reducing your own output can actually grow revenue, capability and resilience

• Team-based development: The model that builds confidence without early-career damage to client relationships

• Standards over slogans: The small, visible signals that actually build culture

Chris's view is that leadership in real estate is shifting from control to responsibility. The full article reveals what that looks like in practice.

Read the full article.

ICYMI, last week: Why you don’t need to win every listing to build a winning career.

DEFENCE PROPERTY

Victoria Barracks among 67 defence sites for sale

Sixty-seven defence properties are heading to market – including Victoria Barracks sites in Sydney's Paddington, Melbourne, and Brisbane. The federal government's targeting $1.8 billion from the sell-off as the ADF shifts focus to northern bases. Inner-city government land in three capitals doesn't come up often.

TECH

AI shows strangers a different version of you

When you search yourself on ChatGPT, it tells you what you want to hear – it knows you. When a vendor searches you tonight before your listing appointment, they get an unfiltered view. Samantha McLean has a two-minute prompt to see exactly what they're seeing. It’s definitely worth running before your next pitch.

HOW IT SOLD

Tiny Bondi shop sells for $830,000

At roughly $25,000 per square metre, this 33-sqm Bondi Road retail shop shows what scarcity does to prices. The property drew multiple expressions of interest before selling at $830,000 to a local business operator. Agent Nicholas Armstrong-Smith secured the result for a repeat vendor using a multi-channel campaign.

Stories like this build your online reputation long after the sold sticker comes down. Want yours told? getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

"James Bond villain meets exiled Italian count" – that's how filmmakers Emrhys Cooper and Donal Brophy describe their Idyllwild mountain retreat, now on the market at AUD$2M. The couple gutted a 1973 residence and rebuilt it as a three-bedroom cinematic escape perched 6,000 feet up with views of Mount San Jacinto. The cedar spa they used on snowy winter nights and all the furniture is also included.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Ray White Rockhampton unveils new leadership structure

Riley Neaton will now share leadership with Cassie Sparks, Charlie McCarron and Melinda Kirby as the business continues its market dominance across Central Queensland. 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

Buyers start quietly arguing. “I love it.” “I hate it.” “It has potential.” “It has mould.”

The agent stands nearby, staring at a brochure, bravely pretending none of this is happening. We’ve all been there. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️

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

Wishing you a productive day!

Elite Agent is the definitive platform for ambitious agents and industry players. Thought Leaders is the weekly show where top operators reveal how they’re reinventing real estate. AI-Powered Agents is your playbook for deploying AI that sells homes and scales teams.

Elite Agent is crewed by Mark Edwards, Catherine Nikas-Boulos, Rowan Crosby, Charmagne Arrubio, Iris Rebello and Samantha McLean. We aim to uplift the real estate industry by delivering forward-thinking, hype-free news and education that fosters knowledge and fuels ambition.

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