GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT

This Word Nerd Day, let’s celebrate “prompt” - once just a polite nudge, now a tech superstar with its new AI-inspired meaning officially recognised in the dictionary.

Last year, Cambridge Dictionary added 3,200 new words, including ”brain rot”, "boop" and "chef's kiss" to it’s ever-growing lexicon. We guess, “IYKYK”, right?

Today’s read time: 5 minutes, 37 seconds.

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MOTIVATION

Small Improvements, Big Success: How Marginal Gains Can Transform Real Estate

In real estate, success doesn’t always come from big leaps, it’s often the result of small, consistent improvements. The concept of marginal gains, which is making incremental adjustments of just 1%, can create transformative results.

This approach, used in everything from sports to business, focuses on refining multiple aspects of your work to achieve exponential growth over time.

What are marginal gains?

Marginal gains gained prominence through British Cycling, which became a powerhouse by refining every detail, from training methods to pillow quality. The plan was to win the Tour de France in five years’ time - they won it in three! This strategy showed how small adjustments can lead to remarkable success. In real estate, it’s about fine-tuning areas like lead generation, client communication, and time management to excel in a competitive landscape.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, brought this concept into the professional world, demonstrating how small, consistent improvements can compound over time to deliver significant outcomes across various aspects of your practice.

Why marginal gains matter

In a fast-moving market, Adrian Knowles, CEO of Harcourts Australia, explains that marginal gains provide a practical growth strategy. ”If you were to improve just one aspect of your processes each week for a year, you’d have 52 incremental gains stacked, culminating in a business that's markedly more efficient, client-focused, and profitable.”

How to get started

Adopting marginal gains in real estate begins with identifying overlooked areas for improvement. “Take an audit of your workplace, identify those 1% opportunities, implement them, and monitor their effect,” said Adrian. Whether it’s refining negotiation techniques, enhancing marketing strategies, or improving client communication, the key is consistency. “Success doesn’t happen overnight - but it certainly adds up over time,” the content emphasises.

ICYMI, yesterday we covered the five laws to help you stay focused in 2025.

TOGETHER WITH AI POWERED AGENTS

Feeling worried that AI might take the "human touch" out of your real estate business? You’re not alone. As one agent put it: “The content is good, but it feels... generic. Like it could have been written by anyone, about any property, in any market.” And therein lies the challenge. You need to learn how to balance the efficiency of AI with the personalisation that makes your business stand out.

The AI Powered Agents FREE 5-day AI crash course for real estate professionals is designed to show you how to use AI effectively without losing that personal connection.

Sign up now to learn how to combine efficiency and authenticity to grow your business while keeping your unique voice intact.

SMART SNIPPETS

Consumer confidence on the way up
ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence jumped 3.6pts in the first week of 2025. While it is not unusual for a confidence boost in the first week of the year, this represented a top-three result since the beginning of 2023.

Rental growth slows as market conditions ease for tenants
Rental market conditions are easing, with rents growing at their slowest pace since late 2021, according to REA Group's latest Market Insight. The national median weekly advertised rent increased by 6.9% in 2024, down from 11.5% in 2023, marking the slowest annual growth since the September 2021 quarter. Brisbane and Canberra were the only cities to see rent increases, while Sydney ($730) and Melbourne ($570) rents have remained flat for six months.

Billionaires retreat from London’s luxury property market
London’s super-prime property market saw a major decline in 2024, with billionaire buyers retreating amid political and economic uncertainty. A new wealth survey by Beauchamp Estates reported a 25% drop in unit sales and a 34% decline in the total value of properties sold in the £15 million-plus bracket (AUD $29 million).

CELEBRITY HOMES

Ivana Trump’s opulent NYC townhouse still on the market

Two years after her passing, Ivana Trump’s six-storey Upper East Side townhouse, boasting five bedrooms, a private courtyard, and opulent marble finishes, remains on the market. Originally listed at US$26.5 million, the asking price has now been reduced to US$19.5 million ($AUD 30.3million).

SOUND WAVES

When you think of productivity, what comes to mind?

You’re juggling calls, rushing to inspections, and cramming every spare minute with tasks. Sounds productive, right? But, busy doesn’t always mean effective, and that pace is more likely to lead to burnout than big results.

Dive straight into the listen below or the deeper dive here.

Read the article from Reuters here

AGENTS ON SOCIAL

This agent doesn’t just sell homes; she owns the room. She walks in, points to the contract, and says, “Sign here - you’ll thank me later.” 👩🏽‍💼✍🏼

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

Wishing you a productive day

Elite Agent is crewed by Mark Edwards, Catherine Nikas-Boulos, Rowan Crosby, Giverny Pringle, Charmagne Arrubio and Samantha McLean. We aim to uplift the real estate industry by delivering forward-thinking, hype-free news and education that fosters knowledge and fuels ambition.

Stories marked with * are sponsored, including 'Together With' and the weekday 'Movers & Shakers' sections. Interested in promoting your brand to Elite Agent’s audience? Learn more at eliteagent.com/advertise.

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