GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TRUE OR FALSE?

In parts of the United States, a property can legally include ownership of the airspace above it, meaning the owner can charge airlines for flying over their backyard.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)

In today’s edition of The Brief

• Holly Ransom on the leadership shift redefining real estate

• Government housing confidence hits new low

• Knightsbridge home with royal and Picasso links hits market

Today’s read time: 4 minutes, 20 seconds

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LEADERSHIP

Leadership starts before the title arrives

Holly Ransom has shared stages with Barack Obama and Sir Richard Branson, but at AREC she is focused on something far more practical for agents: how trust is actually built in a market where competition is intense and AI is accelerating change.

Her argument is that advantage no longer comes from visibility or technology alone, but from what she calls a “body of evidence” built through consistent behaviour over time.

“Nothing motivates people like evidence,” Holly says. “When people can see a different way of working that is getting results, they start to lean in and ask how it’s being done.”

She breaks trust into a simple equation: reliability, credibility and intimacy divided by self-orientation. But she says most agents over-focus on credibility and underuse the behaviours that actually build connection.

“The more consistently I follow through on my word, and the more honest and open our interactions are, the stronger the trust becomes,”

For Holly, a Fullbright Scholar and best-seller author of The Leading Edge, the risk for high performers is complacency. Her answer is a small weekly discipline she calls a “to-test” list to keep learning active.

“Don’t tell me about the ambition; tell me about the habit,” she says.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The trust equation breakdown: Which two variables matter most (hint: it's not your track record)

• The "to-test" list framework: How to build micro-experiments into your weekly routine

• The optimisation trap: Why seeking to fix everything at once shortens careers

• The buyer's perspective: What actually made Holly choose her agent – and what didn't

Read the full article

ICYMI, last week: Salary or GCI - which works best?

TOGETHER WITH REX

Rex Software launches AI suite to boost agent productivity

Rex Software has launched a new AI suite integrated into its CRM to help real estate agents streamline administration, improve prospecting and better leverage their databases. The platform, called Rex AI, was developed from insights by its Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board, which highlighted challenges such as data quality, lead management and follow-up consistency.

Built around four functions: AI Admin, AI Prospecting, AI Nurture and AI Manage, the system automates key workflows from data entry to lead generation and performance tracking. The aim is to turn databases into active growth engines by improving clarity around who to contact and when.

Tom Ainsworth, Chief Revenue Officer at Rex Software, said: “AI won’t replace agents, but those who leverage AI will replace those who don’t. Rex brings the power of AI directly into the CRM our customers use daily, speeding workflows, unlocking insights, and turning their database into an active growth engine.”

Read more about REX AI here.

FEDERAL BUDGET 2026

Property managers, your phone might start ringing today

The Prime Minister confirmed over the weekend that negative gearing will be restricted to new builds only from budget night – the first change in nearly 40 years.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the housing status quo is "broken, unfair, and unacceptable" and that the government needs to "go beyond supply." The CGT discount is also changing, and the changes take effect immediately on Tuesday night.

Existing landlords are grandfathered. But as usual, some of the commentary flying around social media is either incomplete or wrong – with your investor clients are reading all of it.

We've put together a practical explainer with a four-audience checklist: what to say to your investor clients, first home buyers, landlords, and tenants.

SYDNEY MARKET

Sydney clearance rates fall but fast sales persist

City-wide clearance hit just 50% in April, which was Sydney's weakest result since 2020, but that number doesn't tell the full story. BresicWhitney held at 68% and saw buyers exchanging within hours of first inspections. May, the first uninterrupted month since March, will show whether buyer-vendor gaps are starting to close.

THE AI EDIT

The AI Edit Ep. 11: What to do when your vendor isn't online

Meet "Betty". She's 80, selling her family home for the first time in 44 years, and she's never posted a tweet. Most AI training assumes your prospect is online. "Betty" isn't.

In this week's AI Edit, Samantha McLean walks through three prompts for exactly this situation -- an empathy analysis, a Google Earth visual cue analysis, and a generational bridge audit of your pre-listing kit. Even though "Betty" doesn't have a digital footprint, her house does, and you can use this to provide personalised service.
Watch Episode 11

Book Samantha for your team or event → samanthamclean.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Fit for a King: Harry Potter producer's Knightsbridge home hits market

David Heyman lived here while producing the Harry Potter films, but he's far from this townhouse's most impressive guest. Prince Albert dropped by to check on Queen Victoria's marble portrait (carved in the ground floor studio), while Picasso, Bertrand Russell, and the future King Edward VIII all passed through. The photos of that Versailles-style grand salon don't disappoint.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Andrew Brien appointed CEO of Nutrien Harcourts

He'll lead the rural and regional network's expansion strategy with acquisitions on the agenda across 200-plus locations. More here.

OBrien Real Estate Carrum Downs expands into Langwarrin

The Melbourne agency adds a second location to deepen its presence in the city's south-east. More here.

Jamie Hershman builds Agency Matters on empathy and transparency

After a frustrating first-home buyer experience, he's created a business in the Adelaide Hills focused on skilled communication and putting clients in control. 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 talk every day for three months, then settlement hits and they ghost you like an ex. 💔 😭

Seen an Agent On Social we should include? Let us know here (email link)

TRUE OR FALSE:

In parts of the United States, a property can legally include ownership of the airspace above it, meaning the owner can charge airlines for flying over their backyard.

And the answer is …

FALSE. In United States, property rights do extend vertically, but airspace is federally regulated. Commercial air travel is protected, so homeowners cannot charge airlines for overhead flights. So no, an air-toll booth is out of the question.

Wishing you a productive day!

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