GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT

Got three minutes? Give a PM the shoutout they deserve! We’re celebrating National Property Managers’ Day with a twist, and you could score a double pass to the PM One Conference (worth $795 each) just for picking up the phone.

Meet Scoop, our friendly, AI-powered journalist who’s all ears for your best PM stories. Think: the property manager who turned chaos into calm, or just keeps being a legend, day after day.

☎️ Call 0483 935 833
🎙️ Share a short story about a standout PM
📣 Make sure you tell us their name (and yours) and why they deserve recognition
🎉 You AND your nominee go in the draw for PM One tickets

No writing. No forms. Just a quick, feel-good chat. Scoop handles the rest (yes, she’s also shockingly polite).

*You can read more about Scoop and other AI hacks below.

Today’s read time: 6 minutes, 48 seconds

New to The Brief? Join us for free. 🤝

SPRING MARKET

Spring success starts in July. Are you ready?

Don’t wait for the flowers to bloom - your competitors aren’t

Spring may be the most anticipated season in real estate, but Matt Lahood says many agents are missing the mark by starting too late. “If you’re not back into it mid-July, the game’s already been run and won,” says The Agency CEO, who has over 30 years of experience watching agents fumble, or fly, through the spring market.

Beat the ‘August bottleneck’

One of Matt’s strongest warnings is about the notorious “August bottleneck.” Agents who wait until August to start prospecting are often already behind.

“Your vendors should be getting a timeline from you in July,” he says. That includes pre-market repairs, styling, and marketing prep - all before the bloom hits the calendar.

Think of July as “pre-season training.” He says the better you prepare, the faster you hit the ground running.

The best agents don’t just list, they lead

A key differentiator Matt identifies is agent-led education. Too often, sellers wait for spring without understanding transaction timelines. If they want to move by Christmas, buyers need to be in the market by September, and thus, that means listing decisions must happen now.

“This is where professionals stand out,” he says. “They guide vendors with clarity, not just list and hope.”

Two-speed market? You need two-speed tactics

With interest rate cuts looming, buyers are splitting into two camps: those ready to move now and those waiting to re-qualify post-cut. Agents must tune into buyer psychology and financial positioning to guide sellers accordingly. And for new agents without robust databases? Matt recommends targeting stale listings and investing in buyer care.

“A buyer you help now could be a seller in three months.” His final advice? Think like a strategist, not a sprinter. “The best agents don’t just put properties on the market. They educate, plan, and do what’s right … even if that means waiting.”

Read the full story here

ICYMI, yesterday, we found out why the most important interest rate isn’t set by the RBA.

TOGETHER WITH @REALITY

How agents are rebooting their real estate game

What happens when you give real estate agents free access to a full-time performance coach and an 8-week Bootcamp? At @realty, the results speak for themselves. Led by performance coach Adam Richards, the program is helping agents reset habits, sharpen focus, and finally build the consistent routines they’ve struggled to sustain alone.

It's not just theory, it’s real accountability and daily structure. “Honestly, invaluable. It’s jump-started my career again. Got listings and sales directly from Bootcamp efforts,” says agent Donald Gibbs. The best part?

It’s completely free for @realty agents.

Read more about @realty’s 8-week bootcamp here.

PAYMENT FEES

Tap, pay… and maybe save? RBA eyes major card payment shake-up

The Reserve Bank of Australia is looking to scrap card surcharges and slash merchant fees, a move that could change how real estate agencies handle payments for rent, bonds, and deposits. According to the RBA, surcharges aren’t nudging consumers towards cheaper payment options anymore, especially with cash use on the decline.

Instead, they say dropping them could make things simpler and more transparent. The proposed changes could save businesses around $1.2 billion a year, with small operators set to benefit most.

AI SMART

Check out our AI intern taking real estate storytelling to the next level

Our resident AI guru, Samantha McLean, has built something that could change the way agencies capture and share stories: an AI journalism intern named Scoop. Designed to sound like a friendly, curious Aussie reporter, Scoop takes calls, asks the right questions, and turns short conversations into polished stories.

Powered by ElevenLabs, OpenAI, and Claude, (and with a healthy dose of N8N), Scoop handles voice interaction, data extraction, and story writing, all while sticking to editorial standards and respecting privacy. Keen to know what she can do for your business?

UK COMMERCIAL RENT REVIEW UPSET

No more rent-only-go-up clauses? Property industry reacts to surprise lease shake-up

The UK government has thrown a curveball at commercial landlords with a surprise plan to ban upward-only rent reviews in new leases across England and Wales. Tucked into the English ‘devolution and community empowerment bill’, the change means future lease agreements must either have fixed rents or allow them to go both up and down. The British Property Federation wasn’t impressed, slamming the lack of consultation and warning of risks to investor confidence.

CELEBRITY HOMES

Actor Elan Zafir’s NY Gramercy gem hits the market

Elan Zafir, best known as Rocco in Apple TV’s “Your Friends & Neighbors”, is trading downtown New York charm for uptown space, listing his Gramercy Park apartment for US$800K (A$1.2M). Tucked inside a Beaux-Arts co-op aptly named “Mon Bijou,” the two-bedroom boasts dreamy light, mossy church views, and a neighbourly vibe Zafir calls “an oasis.”

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Belle Property expands with new Broome commercial office

Local expert Tamyla Strahan will lead the operation, adding to her existing Belle Property residential and escapes businesses in the thriving WA coastal hub. 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

Rule #1: Always have fun. Rule #2: If in doubt, see Rule #1. 🥂🗝️

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 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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