📌 Google leads, a 3.6% sticky note and a 13-day sale

GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TODAY'S FEATURE

The Google blind spot costing agents potential listings

Homeowners can spend nine to 12 months weighing up a sale before they start comparing agents, and much of that early research begins with a search about what their home is worth. Harcourts digital marketing manager Alicia Johncock says many agents are busy on Instagram and Facebook while missing that window entirely. She also believes some of the appraisal inquiries you write off as duds could be listings in waiting, if you handle them differently.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The not-ready-yet rethink: The follow-up plan for the appraisal inquiry you were about to write off as a dud – most are closer to selling than they sound.
• The review-reply habit: The simple wording rule for answering Google reviews, plus the three groups beyond vendors you should be asking for feedback.
• The open home QR code: A low-effort way to collect visitor feedback that beats chasing people down the driveway with a clipboard.

Read the full article →

TOGETHER WITH BIZCOVER

BizCover launches new cyber insurance campaign to tackle small business scams

Fran and Frankie, a mother-daughter business duo, can each spot the scam in the other's message.

It's only when the dodgy text is about them that the pressure to click kicks in, and that's the heart of BizCover's new Cyber Liability campaign (if an "urgent" link has ever landed on your phone between appraisals, you'll know the feeling).

BizCover's research found 43% of Australian small business owners surveyed had a suspicious incident or scam attempt in the past year, yet most hold no cyber cover or aren't sure what they've got.

Read how the scam plays out, then check where your own business stands.

Learn more →

DEPT OF DATA

House prices slip in every capital at once

Not one capital escaped this time: combined capital house prices fell 4.7% over the September quarter, the steepest quarterly drop on record. Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide, the stars of the last upswing, slid hard too. Domain's Nicola Powell says the balance of power now sits with buyers, and until confidence and borrowing capacity return, they're in no hurry.

DEPT OF ECONOMICS

One inflation number could decide a fifth hike

Write 3.6% on a sticky note: Compare the Market's David Koch says if next week's trimmed mean inflation lands above it, a fifth rate rise this year is probably on the cards. Softer jobs numbers have markets leaning towards a hold, but a hot result could change that quickly. Another hike would take the extra cost on an average loan to almost $7,000 a year.

DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

First home buyers hit record NZ market share

In a market still stuck in neutral, first-timers are doing the moving – they took 29.5% of NZ purchases in the September quarter, a new record. Plenty of stock means buyers still have the negotiating power, and values keep edging lower. Cotality's Kelvin Davidson has two dates circled: the OCR call on Wednesday 28 October and the election shortly after.

HOW IT SOLD

An 18-month search ends in 13 days

With few comparable sales to guide pricing on a four-bedroom Myall Park acreage, Jordan Bavaresco ran pre-market inspections with buyers who had missed out on other properties. Their feedback shaped the pricing parameters at launch, and a social campaign drew more than 30,000 views. A young local family secured the home for $1,385,000 before auction, after 13 days on market.

Find out the story behind how it sold →

Google calls it E-E-A-T. Agents call it being written about. getailsa.com →

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Belle Property Rochedale launches dedicated commercial division

Brisbane's south-east and the Logan corridor have a new commercial option. Principal Mandeep Singh and Head of Commercial Grant Turner lead Belle Property Commercial Rochedale, covering office, retail, industrial, childcare, and development sites. Grant brings 20 years across residential, commercial, and digital property marketing, while Sales and Leasing Associate Nikai Wylde and Jasmine Bains round out the team now servicing the region.

Gold Coast waterfront specialist Carita Lanham joins Coastal Property Agents The Coastal team has a new name on the waterfront – Carita Lanham takes 23 years in real estate and more than 800 homes sold to Coastal Property Agents, citing independence and the freedom to look after her clients properly. Founder and Managing Director Dane Atherton says established agents are seeking stability, with Omkaar Nathwani and Tim Grevell also joining this month.

Ray White NZ leaders draw on All Blacks performance culture Eden Park traded line-outs for leadership on 12 and 13 October, when more than 200 Ray White New Zealand business leaders gathered for their annual symposium. Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, Conrad Smith, Keven Mealamu, and Black Fern Kennedy Tukuafu unpacked high-performance team culture on day one. Day two turned to recruitment, data, and how AI is being built into agency businesses.

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AGENTS ON SOCIAL

Seen an Agent On Social we should include? Let us know here

TRUE OR FALSE:

In Sweden, anyone may walk, cycle, ride, ski, and even camp on land they don't own. The no-go list is short: private gardens, the area near a house, and land under cultivation.

And the answer is …

It's true! The Swedes call it allemansrätten – literally "the all mans right" – and Sweden says the only thing you pay for use of the land is respect for nature. The motto is short: don't disturb and don't destroy. via Visit Sweden.