GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT

Never Give Up Day is a timely reminder for real estate agents that persistence is often the difference between a quiet month and a standout one. In a business where deals can stall, clients can change their minds, and market conditions can shift overnight, the ability to keep showing up, with the same enthusiasm on the 50th phone call as on the first, matters.

Every ‘no’ brings you closer to the ‘yes’ that changes your quarter, and every tough day is just part of the process that shapes you into a sharper agent. Today is about embracing that resilience and keeping your eye on the long game.

Today’s read time: 7 minutes, 42 seconds

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OPINION

Leadership fatigue

Why even the best need boundaries

For Thomas McGlynn, leadership fatigue isn’t theory; it’s lived experience. As Director/CEO of BresicWhitney, he’s seen how the constant demand for decisiveness can wear leaders down, both mentally and emotionally. “I think leadership fatigue could almost be translated into decision fatigue,” he says. “If you want to do leadership correctly, you’re applying that to every decision you make.”

The emotional load of leading

While many think leadership is all strategy, targets, and market share, Thomas says the emotional availability it demands is often underestimated. Listening, empathising, motivating, and absorbing others’ stress, (while managing your own), takes an enormous toll. That’s why boundaries aren’t a luxury; they’re essential. “There’s always something to do,” he says “Your ability to choose the right things and create systems for the rest is crucial.”

Spotting the warning signs

Decision fatigue rarely arrives with flashing lights. More often, it shows up subtly: lapses in judgment, impatience, or gradual changes in work patterns. For Thomas, these moments have been turning points, signals that “what got me here isn’t going to get me where I want to go.” The first step? Awareness.

Leaders often avoid acknowledging their own struggles for fear of looking weak. In reality, he believes vulnerability sets a healthy tone for teams. “The first step of change or growth is becoming aware of your own… well, let’s call it your own blind spots. Leaders often avoid acknowledging their own problems because they think it makes them look weak. In reality, that vulnerability sets the tone for others.”

Slowing down to speed up

One of Thomas’ mantras is deceptively simple: “Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up.” Many entrepreneurial leaders equate busyness with progress, but he urges them to zoom out - literally. Like switching to Google Earth view, leaders should regularly work on the business, not just in it, to see the bigger picture.

“Winning in business has many definitions,” he says. “For me, winning is building a high-performing business without burning out the people who make it possible - including myself.”

His advice boils down to self-awareness, structural discipline, and the courage to push back against a culture of constant availability.

Because in the end, productivity isn’t about how much you do, it’s about doing the right things, sustainably.

Read the full story here.

ICYMI, last week Avi Khan asked if auction clearance rates were still the ultimate barometer of our property market.

TOGETHER WITH REALESTATE.COM.AU

Kevin Buchanan’s Luxe strategy raises the bar in real estate marketing

Kevin Buchanan, Senior Sales Executive at Manor Real Estate and co-host of the Both Sides Podcast, isn’t just following the market - he’s shaping it. Known for his strategic, client-first approach, Kevin has made realestate.com.au’s Luxe product a go-to in his sales playbook, and the results speak for themselves.

In Stanhope Gardens, Luxe put the property front and centre with premium homepage placement, generating 4.2 times more enquiries in the first week, landing it in NSW’s top 10 most-viewed listings, and selling in just 25 days.

Vendor Anthony loved the “professional presentation and premium placement,” saying it made his home feel showcased, not just listed. Kevin credits Luxe’s targeted buyer alerts, eBrochures, and exclusive buyer data for drawing in serious buyers and keeping clients in the loop.

Beyond the numbers, Luxe has strengthened his brand, signalling he invests in the best marketing available. With eleven Luxe campaigns under his belt, Kevin now recommends it for any property that needs to stand out - like a Baulkham Hills sale that wrapped up in 21 days with 2.2 times more first-week enquiries.

Read more about Kevin’s Luxe experience here.

STAMP DUTY

Regulatory change could unlock $10 billion for housing

Australia's securities regulator is reviewing how superannuation funds disclose stamp duty payments, potentially removing a major barrier to property investment. The Property Council claims this simple adjustment could redirect nearly $10 billion toward new developments and deliver approximately 35,000 additional homes over five years. The current rules unfairly penalise direct property investments compared to listed alternatives, steering super funds away from housing projects.

MIGRATION

Record migration puts housing in the hot seat

Australia’s migration numbers are breaking records, with 279,460 new permanent and long-term arrivals in the year to June 2025 - more than ever before. For the full 2024–25 financial year, arrivals hit 457,560, blowing past the government’s migration forecast by 37 per cent.

Daniel Wild from the Institute of Public Affairs says the influx is dragging on economic productivity and turning up the heat on an already tight housing market. Migration has fuelled about 80 per cent of population growth since the pandemic, pushing Australia’s growth rate ahead of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK.

LUXURY REAL ESTATE – DUBAI

Prime villas set the pace in property boom

Dubai's real estate market is booming in 2025, with villa prices jumping 29% year-on-year and luxury areas like Jumeirah Islands seeing increases of up to 41%. Freehold villas are now valued 66% above their 2014 market peak and 175% higher than post-pandemic levels. Experts predict property prices could rise another 10% before year's end as wealthy individuals continue flocking to the emirate.

CELEBRITY HOMES

Adriana Lima’s “high-fashion fortress” on the market

Brazilian supermodel and former Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima is parting with her ultra-secure Brentwood compound, listed for US $15.995 million (A$24.4 million). She and husband Andre Lemmers III bought the 7,400-square-foot estate in 2022 for US $12.35 million (A$18.8 million) and promptly turned it into a celebrity-proof sanctuary.

Think AI-powered cameras that spot strangers in seconds, laser beams circling the property, and even 24/7 armed patrols. The five-bedroom main house comes with a marble-clad kitchen, a catering-ready chef’s kitchen, a climate-controlled wine rack, and a $100,000 home theatre. Outside, there’s a resort-style pool, fire pit, outdoor kitchen, and space for a sports court.

THOUGHT LEADERS

How Adam Joske turns his “warm list” into gold

Top Melbourne agent Adam Joske has built a career on mastering the “warm list” - those prospects 6 months to 2 years from selling that most agents ignore. He discovered early that competitors often chased hard for a few months, then vanished, leaving him to win listings when sellers were finally ready. His system revolves around a three-zone database: hot (0–6 months), warm (6–24 months), and cold (2+ years).

But, he says the warm zone is where the majority of agents drop off and where fortunes are made. Adam’s 4,000-contact database is 90% accurate, with every home tagged for property type, features, and location so marketing is highly targeted. Instead of blanket emails, he sends tailored campaigns to the exact people most likely to care, creating relevance and response.

He also grades contacts by relationship strength - from A to AAA to “Advocate” - to ensure the right people get the right level of communication, from glossy printed reports to quick digital updates. This relationship-first approach sees 70–80% of his listings come from outside his immediate patch via referrals. His monthly market reports focus solely on local data and he now uses AI to produce them in minutes; by partnering with local businesses to sponsor these reports, he often covers the entire cost, turning a marketing tool into a profit-neutral asset.

MOVERS + SHAKERS

Mark Sewell dominates Koo Wee Rup market with Area Specialist

The 30-year industry veteran commands 50% market share in the area and has gone from strength to strength since joining the platform in 2023. 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

In a husband-and-wife real estate team, there are two ways to do things: the wife’s way… and the wrong way.🗣️🙄

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

Wishing you a productive day!

Elite Agent is the definitive platform for ambitious agents and industry players. Thought Leaders is the weekly show where top operators reveal how they’re reinventing real estate. AI-Powered Agents is your playbook for deploying AI that sells homes and scales teams.

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