GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

If staging ever feels like a “nice-to-have”, the numbers say otherwise: staged homes sell 33–50% faster, spending around 11 days on market compared to 30+ days for unstaged properties, and 29% of agents report a 1–10% lift in final sale price, with some results pushing even higher (NAR, 2025). That’s not fluff - that’s strategy.

Furniture helps buyers understand scale, flow, and how the home actually works, which shifts them from analysing to imagining themselves living there. When that happens, hesitation drops, urgency rises, and price resistance softens — often without you having to say a word. Staging isn’t decoration; it’s silent negotiation doing the heavy lifting for you.

In today’s issue of The Brief

• Much like in tennis, in real estate you don’t need to win every point to win the game

• Will the RBA rate rise slow growth?

• In the US, Compass clears top deck at Anywhere as CEO and CTO exit post-acquisition

Today’s read time: 7 minutes, 6 seconds

New to The Brief? Join us for free 🤝

MOMENTUM

What Federer's 54% win rate teaches agents

Roger Federer won just 54 per cent of the points he played across his career. Not dominance. Not perfection. Barely more than half. Yet from that slim edge, he built 20 Grand Slam titles and years as world number one. Avi Khan believes that statistic holds a powerful lesson for agents chasing longevity in a noisy market.

The dangerous idea most agents buy into

There's a common belief in real estate that success means winning every point – every listing, every deal, every week. Avi argues this thinking is exactly what causes most agents to come unstuck. When pressure hits, the temptation is to overcorrect: new scripts every week, new strategies every month, a constant search for the next silver bullet.

But here's what elite performers do differently...

What happens when no one's watching

"Stick to your knitting," a friend told Avi recently. It's become his guiding philosophy.

The best operators don't chase trends or react to every opinion. They sweep the sheds. They tidy up systems. They hold the line on behaviour and ethics. They do the work no one sees – because that's exactly what shows up when pressure hits.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The 54% reframe: Why "barely more than half" is actually the path to a legendary career

• The overcorrection trap: What most agents do wrong when they lose listings – and how to avoid it

• The invisible work principle: What elite operators focus on when the spotlight's off

• The emotional reset: How Federer-level performers respond to losses without spiralling

Success is rarely loud when it's being built. Avi's full piece reveals why staying the course, (not chasing every shiny object), is the real competitive advantage.

Read the full article.

ICYMI, yesterday: What can be done about the regional WA affordability trap?

IS THE BOOM OVER?

ANZ declares boom over for half of Australia

Sydney and Melbourne are now sliding, both down 0.1% since November, while Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Darwin keep climbing (Perth alone up 17.5% over the year). ANZ says this week's rate rise, the first since November 2023, will accelerate the slowdown. While the bank warns more hikes may follow.

VIBE CODING FOR REAL ESTATE

Build your own apps without writing code

Samantha McLean vibe-coded a working social media planner in five minutes during a Harcourts training session – no programming skills needed. Vibe coding, (which was Collins Dictionary's 2025 Word of the Year) involves describing what you want and letting AI build it. Her piece walks through the tools she's created for Elite Agent and how agents are doing the same.

HOW IT SOLD

Two offices one listing and a 66-day result

Tony Nico from Cobden Hayson and Michael Tringali from McGrath Leichhardt teamed up on a five-bedroom Russell Lea listing. Their 66-day private treaty campaign prioritised the vendors' transition timeline, with the coordinated approach delivering a strong result as the sellers prepared for their next move.

A listing lasts weeks. The case study lasts forever. getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Dr Seuss estate returns to market at $15.8M

Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and Green Eggs and Ham at this La Jolla clifftop estate – 42 of his 68 published works in total. Now owned by UC San Diego, the heritage-listed property is back on the market at $15.8M (US$9.95M) after a failed 2022 auction. And yes, the pool has Cat in the Hat design touches.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Katrina Tarrant named Urban Real Estate's first CEO

The appointment signals the NSW independent group's evolution from founder-led startup to scaled business as it operates across 15 offices with plans for further expansion. More here.

Sean Gibson named Head of Sales at Ray White Cottesloe | Mosman Park

The luxury property specialist brings 15 years of experience and over $1 billion in sales to help expand the agency's presence in Perth's western suburbs. More here.

Ryan Schneider exits Anywhere after Compass deal

The former CEO departed with a potential USD$67 million severance package following the $1.6 billion acquisition that created the nation's largest real estate operation. 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

You get into real estate thinking you’re about to make serious money. Three months later, you’re drowning in subscriptions, wondering where your commission went, and realising that selling a house doesn’t mean you actually get to keep the money. 😅💸

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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