The question that reveals a buyer's real budget

GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TRUE OR FALSE?

Australia's Torrens title system was first introduced in Victoria in 1862, before spreading to other states.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)

In today’s edition of The Brief

• Credibility is the currency: Bill Malouf on the unchanging rules of prestige property

• The death of the 'cheap' family home: $1 Million is Australia’s new baseline

• Regional towns dominate residential sales activity

Today’s read time: 4 minutes

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TODAY'S FEATURE

Credibility is the currency: Bill Malouf on the unchanging rules of prestige property

Most agents focus on what buyers say. Bill Malouf, Director at Highland Double Bay, pays closer attention to how they move through a home – which rooms they linger in, what they stop to examine, and the silent shift that happens when a property becomes real for someone. His approach to high-end negotiation is built entirely on credibility, and he has a single question he asks every serious buyer that cuts straight to their true capacity.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The one question that reveals everything: The specific opening line Bill uses with buyers that uncovers their real budget and emotional readiness – before any offer is made

• Why he walked away from a Vaucluse pre-auction push: A real-world example of how refusing manufactured urgency protected his client's position and exposed a bluff

• The limits of data in prestige sales: Why Bill insists comparable sales evidence is incomplete without physically walking through properties – and how that conviction shapes every valuation he stands behind

Read the full article

ICYMI yesterday: ‘You’re not in the property business’

TOGETHER WITH ELITE AGENT

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DEPT OF DATA

When $1m only buys ordinary

The $1m family home has become like the $8 coffee: it still feels expensive, but it’s no longer shocking. In Sydney, it might buy an apartment or a house on the fringe. In Perth or Adelaide, it may still buy a family home, but not with the breathing room buyers expect. That’s the shift HTW has just put a number on. Chief economist Cameron Kusher says the shift shows just how far the goalposts have moved.

DEPT OF DATA

Regional markets are doing the heavy lifting

The strongest markets in McGrath’s winter index weren’t in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Regional towns took nine of the top ten spots, with Tasmania claiming half the list. For agents watching buyer demand and investor interest, the shift is hard to ignore.

HOW IT SOLD

A FaceTime tour, then a $1.98m auction win

Daniella Rundle answered weeks of calls and emails from a buyer 300 kilometres away before they ever inspected the Waverton apartment in person. On auction day, that buyer registered immediately and pushed past one rival bidder to pay $1,987,500 – just $52,500 shy of the fully renovated unit downstairs.

Find out the story behind how it sold

This story started with a 10-minute phone call. Imagine boosting this on socials to your farm area. getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Century-old Christchurch beachfront estate listed for first time in 33 years

The 1907 Edwardian home on Sumner Esplanade in Christchurch has hit the market for the first time in over three decades, pairing its original build with an award-winning 2012 extension added after the Canterbury earthquakes. Owners Rick and Catherine Wilkie are downsizing, with Ray White Metro's Anuj Badkar calling it "a generational trophy property."

MOVERS + SHAKERS

REMAX Australia's top agents gather for Queenstown forum.

Sixty of REMAX Australia's highest-performing agents spent three days in Queenstown, New Zealand, for the network's invitation-only Platinum Plus Forum. The programme paired leadership insights from business owners Megan Jaffe and Thomas Farmer with a keynote from seven-time world champion musician and author James Laughlin. Managing director Joel Davoren said the event is designed to raise the bar each year. More here.

McGrath, Knight Frank open sixth Newcastle dual-branded office.

Ross Cooper has led Knight Frank's Newcastle franchise for more than two decades, while Jaimie Woodcock has run McGrath's regional business in the area for 26 years. The pair have now combined those operations into McGrath Knight Frank Newcastle at 168 Parry Street – the sixth dual-branded office for the two networks, and McGrath's 10th across the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Hunter Valley regions. More here.

Ray White Colonel Light Gardens gets new leadership duo.

After nearly a decade building their careers together at Ray White Unley, Robbie Smith and Joe Marriott have stepped up to lead Ray White Colonel Light Gardens, launching with two established teams and eight staff. The pair will run property management as a joint venture across both offices, with plans to expand into Blackwood and surrounding suburbs over the next 12 months while growing the next generation of agents. More here.

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TRUE OR FALSE:

Australia's Torrens title system was first introduced in Victoria in 1862, before spreading to other states.

And the answer is …

False. The Torrens title system was first introduced in South Australia in 1858, not Victoria in 1862. It was developed by Sir Robert Torrens and enacted through the Real Property Act 1858 (SA), making South Australia the birthplace of this land registration system that is now used across all Australian states and territories.
via Wikipedia – Torrens Title.

Wishing you a productive day!

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