GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TRUE OR FALSE?

In Australia, if a property is left vacant and unmaintained for 20 years, ownership automatically transfers to the local council.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)

In today’s edition of The Brief

• Why the standard you walk past is the standard you accept

• Supply, not taxes, explains Melbourne’s relative affordability

• Real estate is leading the way in AI adoption rates

Today’s read time: 4 minutes, 25 seconds

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OPINION

What we reward shapes who we become

After a decade in senior leadership at an industry organisation, Peter Brewer isn't holding back about the current state of our industry. In a candid reflection on the state of Australian real estate, he argues the profession's biggest problem isn't a few bad actors, it's what we've chosen to celebrate, tolerate, and teach.

For too long, he argues, the profession has handed out "applause, adulation, trips, badges, titles, and hero status" based on turnover and transaction numbers.

"Volume without values is not excellence. It's just arithmetic."

Further, one of the profession's great failings, Peter suggests, has been treating ongoing learning as optional. Too many leaders hunt for the cheapest, fastest training pathway rather than the best.

"You cannot buy cheap, rushed, minimal education and then act stunned when professionalism fails to magically appear."

Moving forward, he outlines a framework for what every business in real estate should embrace. It starts with redefining what we celebrate – and ends with playing a different kind of long game.

Former Army chief David Morrison's words run through the piece: "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The celebration problem: Why confusing production with excellence sends the wrong message to the next generation

• The training trap: What leaders get wrong when they prioritise cost over substance

• The four-action reset: Peter's specific framework for leaving the profession in better shape than we found it

• The mirror test: His direct challenge to everyone who says "someone should do something"

Peter's message is clear: stop waiting for someone else to act. The reset starts with looking in the mirror.

Read the full article

ICYMI yesterday: What Thomas McGylnn did next.

OPINION

Melbourne affordability built on supply not taxes

Victoria delivered 30% of Australia's new homes over the past decade, and Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee says that building, not investor taxes, is why Melbourne remains more affordable. What those taxes did do: shift pressure from buyers to renters. Over five years, Melbourne's prices rose just 11% while rents jumped 35% – the reverse of every other capital.

AI

Property leads all industries in AI adoption

Nearly 70 per cent of property service businesses are already using AI – the highest adoption rate of any Australian industry, according to new NAB research. It seems to be paying off: MYOB data shows businesses using AI are growing 2.8 times faster than those that aren't. And if you're thinking about upskilling, 13.2 per cent of sales job ads now specifically mention AI.

HOW IT SOLD

$750k above median for Zilzie coastal home

Selena Berry and Terry Delalande generated three qualified offers for 1 Amoria Avenue, ultimately selling for $1,380,000 — more than double the suburb's $630,000 median. Their campaign combined open homes, direct outreach, and marketing that emphasised the property's position among multi-million-dollar coastal neighbours.

Your competitors know media coverage gets clients. Are you ready to get yours? getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Ava Gardner's Sinatra-era retreat lists for $4.5M

The 1959 Hollywood Hills home where Ava Gardner retreated during her marriage to Frank Sinatra is on the market. The mid-century design features post-and-beam bones and walls of glass, plus a stone wall that continues from the exterior right into the living space.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Sam Mansy builds lifestyle empire with @realty OASIS

Operating in Surfers Paradise, he's carved out a niche in the apartment market while maintaining a stress-free, digitally-driven business. More here.

Paul Neshausen is thriving in luxury real estate

After leaving corporate life 13 years ago, he's now consistently ranking in the top half per cent of Barfoot & Thompson's 1,800 agents in Auckland's luxury market. 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

Buyers be texting all day… then the contract lands and suddenly they’ve entered witness protection. No where to be found🖊️🤷‍♂️

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

TRUE OR FALSE:

In Australia, if a property is left vacant and unmaintained for 20 years, ownership automatically transfers to the local council.

And the answer is …

FALSE. It might sound like a rule tucked away in some obscure property law, but it’s not how ownership works. In Australia, simply leaving a property vacant, even for 20 years, does not cause it to automatically become council property. Title ownership remains with the registered owner unless there is a formal legal process to transfer it. That said, councils can step in if a property becomes unsafe, derelict, or a public hazard. In those cases, they might issue notices, fines, or in rare situations pursue compulsory acquisition - but that’s a long legal process, not an automatic handover.

So even the most neglected “ghost house” doesn’t quietly switch owners while no one’s looking.

Wishing you a productive day!

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