📇 The 95% blind spot

GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TODAY'S FEATURE

The missing millions in your database

Some agents have drifted out of contact with as much as 95 per cent of their databases, according to LJ Hooker's analysis. Somewhere in that gap are past vendors whose homes have since sold through another agency. Stephan Gervois, LJ Hooker's General Manager of Marketing, has a name for that lost business. He also has research suggesting the pitch in your listing presentation may not match what vendors now want.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The missing millions audit: The database exercise that tallies past clients who sold with someone else after you stopped calling.
• The three-profile mismatch: Three agent types, two very different favourites, and only one of them gets compared to a shark.
• The touchpoint consistency rule: What LJ Hooker's CRM data shows about your first phone call, your digital listing proposal, your follow-up email, and conversion.

Read the full article →

DEPT OF PLANNING

Brisbane tops renovation approvals, City of Sydney slides

Over five years, Brisbane had more than $5.3 billion in alterations and additions approved – the most of any council area – while the City of Sydney went backwards. The bigger shift is what owners do with old houses: spending on knock-down rebuilds fell 32% in four years, and KPMG's Terry Rawnsley says adding a duplex is becoming more attractive.

DEPT OF LENDING

Bills slide as Australians protect mortgage and rent

Mortgage arrears look contained, but that's only half the picture. Finder's survey found almost one in four Australians delayed at least one bill in the past year to make sure the mortgage or rent got paid, and energy bills were the most likely to slide. Your tenants and borrowers can be up to date and still stretched elsewhere.

DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Singapore beats last year's investment sales record early

Nine months in, Singapore's property investment sales have already passed all of 2025, at S$42.4 billion. Residential overtook commercial as the biggest contributor last quarter. Knight Frank's Melvin Chay says expected rate hikes could hurry deals over the line before year-end, with the forecast sitting around S$50 billion.

HOW IT SOLD

One inspection, 16 days, and a $1.315m result

Two years after a stalled campaign, Priscilla Asi kept a three-bedroom Buninyong home on five acres off the major portals and offered it through her own website first. A local family who'd missed out on acreage in the same street came forward. After she shared the vendors' price upfront, they offered $1,315,000, and the vendors accepted on the spot.

Find out the story behind how it sold →

Create the case studies AI likes. Third-party, fact-checked, indexed. getailsa.com →

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Alan King named Century 21 state director for Victoria

From detective work to more than a decade running his own agency, Alan King brings more than 20 years of sales, ownership, and leadership experience to his new role as Century 21's state director for Victoria. Chairman Charles Tarbey welcomed the appointment as the brand strengthens its leadership desk, with Alan set to back existing principals and sales leaders first, then grow the Victorian network.

Alex Tincknell launches McGrath's new Redlands office There's a new McGrath office south-east of Brisbane – Alex Tincknell is principal of McGrath Redlands, with Taylor Tincknell overseeing financial operations. The lifelong locals built a family business employing 25 staff, and head of franchise Chris Mourd points to Alex's high standards. Agents Jarred Field and Corey Smitheram are on board, plus two property managers overseeing 185 properties, covering Redland Bay to Wellington Point.

Martin Hesse appointed national director at Better Homes and Gardens Franchise owners in the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network have someone new in their corner. Martin Hesse is the brand's national director, bringing more than 30 years across property, lending, and legal settlement services. He'll work closely with owners and their teams as the brand looks to grow, and he says his priority is staying accessible and getting to know the businesses and their ambitions.

Ray White recruits James Leith and Tamara Lawless for new team Frenchs Forest and Forestville are getting a dedicated Ray White team – James Leith and Tamara Lawless will lead Ray White Upper North Shore & Northern Beaches' 11th office, joined by associate Kane Edwards. James moved into real estate in 2019 and says he averages 40 sales a year, and Tamara pairs three years selling locally with 15 in sales enablement. Directors David Walker and Charles Caravousanos see the patch as the bridge between the group's Upper North Shore and Northern Beaches operations.

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AGENTS ON SOCIAL

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TRUE OR FALSE:

For a moment in 1977, the tallest building in Melbourne was owned by Nauru – a tiny Pacific island nation – and paid for with its phosphate money.

And the answer is …

True. Nauru set up a trust to invest its phosphate profits in property overseas, and the trust put up a 52-storey tower on the corner of Exhibition and Little Collins streets. Later, deep in debt, the trust was forced to sell its overseas assets, and Nauru House was sold in 2004. But in case it ever comes up at a trivia night, it is true that for a moment in time, Melbourne's tallest building was owned by a tiny island nation, paid for entirely with money from bird poop. via Wikipedia.