🔑 What are you building besides your career?

GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TRUE OR FALSE?

Gazundering is when a buyer lowers their offer at the last minute, just before contracts are exchanged, forcing the seller to either accept less or risk losing the deal.
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer!)

In today’s edition of The Brief

• Why your ‘life resume’ matters more than your career

• Pandemic buyers suffer losses amid record $38B property windfall

• Beyond pre-approval: the finance clause trap

Today’s read time: 4 minutes, 50 seconds

New to The Brief? Join us for free 🤝

LEADERSHIP

Jesse Itzler's three rituals for building a bigger life - and better business

Success isn't built solely through career achievements, according to entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, who believes the experiences people have outside work are often what make them better leaders, businesspeople and communicators.

The co-founder of Marquis Jet and partner in ZICO Coconut Water encouraged people to build a "life resume" rather than simply a professional one, arguing that meaningful experiences create confidence, resilience and stronger relationships. "The words that you speak to yourself matter. Be careful how you talk to yourself because you're listening," he said.

Speaking at AREC Jesse shared three annual rituals he follows to create what he calls an extraordinary life: taking on one major challenge each year, planning six mini-adventures and replacing New Year's resolutions with a single theme to guide the year ahead.

He also highlighted the value of genuine human connection, revealing he sends around 1,000 personalised video messages every year to people in his network.

"People don't remember what you said. They remember how you made them feel," he said.

What you'll learn in the full article:

• The misogi method: How one annual commitment can define your entire year – and compound over a lifetime

• The eight-week rhythm: A calendar system for building a life outside work that actually sticks

• The quarterly habit stack: Why Jesse ditched annual resolutions for something far more effective

• The three-video practice: A daily relationship habit that costs nothing but attention

Jesse's full AREC session was packed with frameworks you can put into action this week – starting with fifteen minutes and your phone.

Read the full article

ICYMI yesterday, we reported on how to reposition a failed listing

TOGETHER WITH REALESTATE.COM.AU

Three minutes that separate good from great

Forget the 10x productivity promise – technologist Nigel Dalton says AI's real gain is closer to 10 per cent. The better lesson comes from GP clinics, where doctors use transcription tools to buy back three minutes of genuine eye contact and deeper listening. That same principle could separate agents who thrive from those who don't.

In this episode of the Advantage AI Power Up Series, hear Nigel talk about:

• The FOMO-vs-FOBS paralysis: Why most agents are standing still on AI adoption – and the specific first step Nigel recommends this week

• The doctor's dictation model: How to use AI transcription to become more present during listing presentations and buyer meetings

• Process before automation: Why mapping how your work actually flows is the prerequisite most agents skip

• The poker player's framework: How Annie Duke's Thinking in Bets applies to managing luck, psychology, and market uncertainty

Nigel draws a sharp line between the average agent and the great one in an AI-shaped future. The difference isn't technical skill – it's something far more human.

Read the full article

REPORT

Pandemic buyers wear losses amid $38B profit haul

Cotality's latest Pain and Gain report shows 96% of March quarter resales turned a profit – a collective $38.3 billion windfall nationally. But sellers who bought around the 2021 peak tell a different story: the median hold period for loss-making sales was just 4.3 years.

BACK TO BASICS

Finance clauses still catching agents off guard

A pre-approval isn't a done deal – and in a first-home-buyer market, finance clauses are standard on almost every offer. Stasi Adgemis of Woodards Doncaster East explains why vendors often take a lower unconditional offer over a higher conditional one, and what you need to understand about bank valuations before presenting either.

HOW IT SOLD

Instagram found the buyer portals missed

An upsizing family wasn't searching Camberwell when Mark Josem's vendor-narrated Instagram video caught their eye. The 5-bedroom home on 1,129m² at 89 Broadway sold for mid-$4 million via private treaty after just 21 days on market – with the decisive buyer sourced entirely through social media rather than portal searches.

Stories like this build your online reputation long after the sold sticker comes down. Want yours told? getailsa.com

CELEBRITY HOMES

Juwan Howard lists his Coral Gables dream home - 12 years and US$28.9 million in the making

The former NBA All-Star bought a dated 1970s house in 2013, tore it down, and spent over a decade building this contemporary showpiece with architect Kobi Karp. It's now listed for US$28.9 million.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Domonic Thompson joins Harcourts as COO.

He brings nearly 20 years of banking and property experience from Macquarie Business Banking to lead operations across the national network. More here.

Alex Borthwick joins Adrian William

Adrian William has strengthened its Sydney sales team with the appointment of veteran agent Alex Borthwick, who brings 20 years of experience across the Inner West and Inner East markets. More here.

Barry Plant appoints Head of Commercial and Finance

The Victorian network has hired Akshay Sharma to bring a commercial lens to its franchise growth strategy. 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

Under AML rules, you’re not just checking the buyer anymore, you’re basically interviewing their money for legitimacy. 🧾🕵️

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

TRUE OR FALSE:

Gazundering is when a buyer lowers their offer at the last minute, just before contracts are exchanged, forcing the seller to either accept less or risk losing the deal.

And the answer is …

TRUE. Gazundering is real. It refers to a buyer reducing their offer at the eleventh hour, often in UK-style transactions where contracts aren’t binding until exchange. In Australia, agents usually describe it as late price renegotiation, last-minute price adjustment, or buyer re-trading, and it’s more a transactional behaviour than a formal term.

Wishing you a productive day!

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