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GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋 Good morning, and welcome to The Brief for Monday 14 September 2026. |
TRUE OR FALSE? In 1993, a Hong Kong developer bought London's Battersea Power Station – which had £70 million in outstanding debt – for just £10 million. (Scroll to the bottom for the answer!) |
In today's edition of The Brief - "Come on Leanne, you know you can do this" – 30 lessons from Leanne Pilkington on backing yourself, hiring well, and owning the blame first.
- A Kalkallo agent skipped the portals and rang his under-bidders instead – the result was $35,000 above the townhouse next door.
- New modelling says the housing tax package could cost 10,700 new homes and add $10 a week to rents – the Government's numbers say otherwise.
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TODAY'S FEATURE  Thirty lessons from a woman who backs herself out loudShe talks to herself in the third person, mid-crisis, out loud – "Oh, come on Leanne, you know you can do this." For years she called herself "rather a great number two", then a small group of women talked her into buying into Laing+Simmons at her stage of life, against a mentor's advice. Samantha McLean went back through Leanne Pilkington's columns and conversations with Elite Agent for 30 of her sharpest lessons on leading, hiring, and having the conversation you'd rather avoid. |
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What you'll learn in the full article: - The "this one's on me" move: the single sentence Leanne uses to defuse an angry room, and why taking the blame first works faster than any explanation.
- The frequency test: why an entire MBA cohort handed her a list of ideas she'd already tried, and what it taught her about being heard, not just talking.
- The induction question: the one line she still asks every new hire herself, and why most people find it harder to answer than they expect.
Read the full article → |
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TOGETHER WITH EBM RENTCOVER  What’s making insurance claims more expensive?You know the conversation: an investor rings, sees the premium has gone up again, and asks why – especially if they've never made a claim. The honest answer is that repairs simply cost more and take longer than they used to, and loss of rent claims have climbed right along with the rental market. Capital-city median rents have moved from around $499 a week in 2021 to about $650 today, so a vacant property now means a much bigger gap to cover while trades and materials catch up. EBM RentCover has put together a clear explainer on what's actually driving these costs, plus practical steps for helping investors review their cover before a claim, not during one. Take a look at the full breakdown. Learn more → |
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DEPT OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT  Fiona Blayney tells PM/ONE to stop selling tasksA can of Coke is $4.70 at the supermarket and $13 from the minibar – same drink, different story about its worth. That was Fiona Blayney's opener at PM/ONE in Sydney, and her point to the room was blunt: property managers have trained investors to measure them by tasks completed, and AI already does those tasks – she built a full self-management system for an investor in ChatGPT in a matter of hours. What a bot can't do is presence and judgment, so the renewal note should say "here's the vacancy risk we avoided and what it did to your return", not "your renewal is complete". Read the full article → |
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DEPT OF TECHNOLOGY  Photo supplied by REA Group. Agent ideas win at REA HackdaysPart 1 of 3 in our REA Hackdays series: Ray White Commercial CSR’s IM360 won a $30,000 AI Acceleration Grant, with Agent Angel and Launch IQ taking second and third. The customer prototypes tackle commercial paperwork, rental inspection enquiries and listing preparation – everyday tasks agents want help to simplify. Coming up tomorrow: REA CEO Cameron McIntyre on why trust remains an agent’s advantage in an AI-powered world. Read about the winning ideas |
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DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE  Coastal flood risk could cost $855bn by 2100The Climate Council's new report puts a number on coastal exposure – 267,000 properties across the country could face flooding, with the Gold Coast the single biggest hotspot at $84.4 billion in projected losses. Standard home insurance doesn't cover "actions of the sea", so owners carry the cost themselves. Report authors say the cheapest fix is simple: stop building in the highest-risk spots. |
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DEPT OF TAX  Housing tax package could cost 10,700 new homesNew modelling commissioned by four peak property bodies estimates the Federal Government's housing tax changes could mean 10,700 fewer homes built by 2029–30, with rents climbing roughly $10 a week. The figures cover changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax concessions and new limits on SMSF property borrowing. The Government's own projections tell a very different story – expect this gap to keep making headlines. |
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HOW IT SOLD  Under-bidders beat the portals in KalkalloA neighbouring townhouse had just sold for $535,000, leaving vendors nervous. Jatin Mehta skipped portal enquiry entirely, calling in under-bidders from previous auctions instead. The result: $570,000 in 29 days, $35,000 above the comparable next door. Find out the story behind how it sold → Google calls it E-E-A-T. Agents call it being written about. getailsa.com → |
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MOVERS & SHAKERS  Ray White NZ marks record market share at annual awardsRichard Thode of Ray White Epsom took out national residential salesperson honours as Ray White Remuera claimed office of the year for the 12th year running, headlining a night in Auckland where 1,400 members celebrated the network's highest-ever share of national residential sales. Anton Huang, who joined Ray White Howick, picked up the CEO Cup after lifting the office's market share to 44.8 per cent of its patch, while Mary Taylor, Pat Taylor, Peter Best and Tony McPherson were inducted as Ray White New Zealand life members for decades of contribution to the profession.  Tough market fails to dampen interest in real estate careersNine years ago, Alice Geddes turned up to a Barry Plant careers night as a hopeful attendee. This year, as Sales Director at Barry Plant Docklands & Yarra's Edge, she welcomed 73 people who braved the rain for hers – 173 had registered for the night, run with Entry Education. Barry Plant Warragul-Drouin has seen similar interest, with Director Candice Hill filling two vacancies from close to 50 applications inside a week. |
 Highland rebrands with a digital-first push for prestige listingsPrestige listings are getting a new digital face. Highland's company-owned network has introduced a refreshed brand identity, with CEO David Highland leading a push toward AI-assisted marketing and a more elevated presentation of property. The rollout continues over the next 12 months across campaigns, digital platforms and communications. |
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TRUE OR FALSE: In 1993, a Hong Kong developer bought London's Battersea Power Station – which had £70 million in outstanding debt – for just £10 million. And the answer is … True – and it was a bargain with a catch. Hong Kong's Parkview International bought Battersea Power Station from the Bank of America in 1993 for £10 million, plus the £70 million of debt that came with it. The previous owners had already tried turning it into a theme park: Alton Towers paid £1.5 million in 1987, watched the budget go from £35 million to £230 million, and walked away with the roof off. Parkview's plans stalled too, and the building changed hands twice more before Malaysian developers finally started building in 2012 – nearly 40 years after the lights went out. via Wikipedia – Battersea Power Station. |
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