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GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋 Good morning, and welcome to The Brief for Thursday 5 November 2026. Tomorrow 9am is the end of the early bird $97 for Transform 15. This is the one where you build your expert brand and be found by the AIs in 2027. Register here. |
TRUE OR FALSE? Western Australia has a place called Useless Loop, named by a French explorer who thought its harbour was completely useless. (Scroll to the bottom for the answer!) |
In today's edition of The Brief - Taking a break over Christmas? Your buyers won't. Why Clint Harris launches listings on Boxing Day.
- Buyers waiting for prices to fall? Homes are $81,000 cheaper, and the repayments have barely moved.
- Go on, have a whinge to your AI. Samantha McLean reckons it's the quickest route to a personal assistant (and it won't take it personally).
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TODAY'S FEATURE  Get on buyers' shortlists while offices are closedOne in eight buyer enquiries made in January relates to a property the buyer first viewed in December, according to REA Group's Summer Insights 2026 report. While your office is shut, buyers are still scrolling, saving, and comparing listings. Clint Harris, Property Partner at The Agency in Toukley, NSW, launches properties on Boxing Day to reach them early, and one campaign drew four strong offers before going under contract on 14 January. The catch is the work his team finishes before the Christmas shutdown. |
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What you'll learn in the full article: - The Boxing Day countdown: The pre-Christmas timeline that gets photography, compliance, and a coming-soon campaign done early, so you're not chasing a photographer on Christmas Eve.
- The 15-listing cap: Why Clint stops at 15 Boxing Day launches, and what he says happens to vendor service if that number creeps to 20.
- The two-week benchmark: The buyer-group and offer numbers his team checks in the first fortnight, and the move they make if a campaign falls short.
Read the full article → |
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TOGETHER WITH PLUM PARTNERS  The risk holding top agents back? Going it aloneYou've earned your own name on the sign – it's the trust accounting, compliance, and bookkeeping behind it that give you pause. Daniel Lee and Dylan Simpson built Plum Property from the ground up in Brisbane's western suburbs, then launched Plum Partners in 2022 to carry that back-end load for other high-performing agents while the brand stays entirely theirs. Partners get help with everything from websites to contracts, mentoring from names like Tom Panos, and a network of 63 owners who know exactly what you're weighing up. If the leap's been on your mind, book a confidential discovery call and talk it through. Learn more → |
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DEPT OF AI  Why Samantha McLean wants you to complain to your AIHumans don't like it when you complain to them. An AI does not mind. In the second Transform session, Sam turns a messy inbox into a daily triage and shows the one line she adds to every prompt so the AI asks her the questions. PS. The next round of Transform starts Monday 16 November. Early bird is $97 + GST until 9am tomorrow.Book your spot → |
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DEPT OF LENDING  Cheaper homes, same repayments as rates biteHouse prices across the combined capitals are down roughly $81,000 from their peak, yet Domain's maths has buyers saving just $10 a month on repayments. In Sydney, a cheaper house now costs slightly more to service. Domain's Dr Nicola Powell says the deposit hurdle is lower, but anyone who couldn't get finance at the peak may be little better placed today. |
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DEPT OF TAX  Higher land tax floated to fund NSW housingIf you have NSW investor clients, this one's worth knowing early: McKell Institute modelling says lifting land tax rates could raise about $26 billion over a decade for social and affordable housing. The family home and the tax-free threshold are spared, and a levy on Airbnb-style rentals is floated too. None of it is policy yet, and CHIA NSW wants each party's plan before the next state election. |
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HOW IT SOLD  A dated home, a big block and $1.925mVicki Sayers gave selected database buyers and buyers' advocates a look at this Mount Eliza renovator on the photo day, before launch. The first open drew 17 groups, and a second open late on the Tuesday narrowed the field to two serious buyers. Vicki created competition between them, and the home sold by private treaty for $1,925,000. Find out the story behind how it sold → Is your name invisible to AI? Start getting published. getailsa.com → |
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CELEBRITY HOMES  Marvel showrunner lists Topanga compound with art galleryHollywood homes are known for pools and private cinemas, but this one has a geodesic dome that hosted an art exhibition during LA's Frieze Week. Wonder Man co-creator Andrew Guest is asking US$2.4 million (about A$3.43 million) for his Topanga Canyon retreat, less than he paid for it. And yes, there are footbridges over a seasonal creek. Read the full article → |
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MOVERS & SHAKERS  Joseph Tilley wins REIV novice auctioneer titleTwo competitions, two titles: months after winning Barry Plant's internal novice contest, Joseph Tilley has taken out Novice Auctioneer at the REIV Awards for Excellence. The Barry Plant Manningham agent credits the Novice Auctioneer School under Chief Auctioneer James Hatzimoisis, which CEO Lisa Pennell says is built for exactly this. His standout lesson is light and shade, shifting tone and pace so buyers stay tuned in.  The Agency marks 10 years with first national awards nightA decade ago, 12 people turned up to The Agency's first gathering. Last Friday, more than 300 filled the Langham Gold Coast for the first national awards night of the brand co-founded by Paul Niardone and Matt Lahood. Nine agents took home honours for culture, community and sales, among them Zoe Laws, Steven Chen and Rash Dhanjal. Matt says significant signings are due in the coming months → |
 How a rent roll start shaped this agent's riseIf you can negotiate a $50 rent increase, you can negotiate a $100,000 price rise – that's the lesson Vince Licata took from property management to Ray White Phillips & Co. He joined Alexander Phillips' sales team in 2019. The team recently sold an unrenovated North Bondi family home for $5.71 million after 12 days, with two of its three buyers coming from its own database. |
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AGENTS ON SOCIAL Born to talk, destined to sell houses. Some things are just meant to be. 🏡💅 |
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TRUE OR FALSE: Western Australia has a place called Useless Loop, named by a French explorer who thought its harbour was completely useless. And the answer is … It's true! On Nicolas Baudin's French expedition of 1801–1803, Henri-Louis de Freycinet (not his more famous navigator brother, Louis-Claude) came across a cove he couldn't get a boat into. A big sandbar blocked the way, so he named it Havre Inutile – Useless Harbour. He spoke too soon. The cove is now a solar salt farm producing some of the highest-grade salt in the world. via Australian Traveller. |
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