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GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋 Good morning, and welcome to The Brief for Tuesday 20 October 2026. |
TRUE OR FALSE? Surfers Paradise was nearly called Sea Glint. (Scroll to the bottom for the answer!) |
In today's edition of The Brief - Think off-market is all about prestige stock? Jellis Craig's Sam Rigopoulos says the real edge is what you know about your buyers.
- Why would a family say yes to the second-highest offer? Erin Nielsen's Kingscliff sale makes a quietly convincing case.
- Melbourne's auction calendar looking thin since the reserve rules kicked in? Clearance rates are telling a cheerier story.
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TODAY'S FEATURE  Off-market success starts with data, not priceBetween 20 and 30 per cent of one Melbourne group's properties have sold off-market every year for the past five years. Jellis Craig Inner North Group director Sam Rigopoulos says those results come down to buyer data rather than prestige stock or market share. His team introduces homes to buyers across a wider price band, then lets their response help set the price. Even when a property doesn't sell privately, you walk away with live buyer feedback for your next vendor conversation. |
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What you'll learn in the full article: - The two-week rule: If the right buyers haven't bought in a fortnight, something has to change – and why 80 per cent of Sam's off-market listings run as a preview with a launch date that makes buyers move.
- The $3 million reality check: Nobody would inspect a $3 million home until buyers told the team why – the price was too high for the block – and that changed the conversation with the vendor.
- The shy-buyer pattern: Why some buyers who love an off-market home won't make the first offer but suddenly find their nerve on auction day.
Read the full article → |
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DEPT OF DATA  Melbourne auctions thin out as reserve rules startMelbourne's auction calendar shrank to less than half of last year's at the weekend, the same week Victoria's reserve price transparency rules kicked in. Cotality's Tim Lawless puts most of the national drop down to Melbourne, though clearance rates actually nudged up. This weekend looks quieter still, with just 489 Melbourne homes scheduled. |
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DEPT OF COMMUNITY  Regional moves hit pandemic-era high in winterMigration usually slows in the cooler months, yet moves from the capitals to the regions just matched their 2021 June-quarter peak. The Sunshine Coast still draws the biggest share, but northern Queensland's Burdekin, Tablelands, and Douglas are among the fastest-growing destinations. More regional locals are also swapping one regional community for another. |
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DEPT OF ECONOMICS  Almost half a million borrowers eye new lenderAfter the fourth rate rise of 2026, more than a third of borrowers say they struggled with repayments in September. Plenty are shopping around: one in seven plan to move their loan elsewhere within a year, on top of those who already have. Finder's sum on what a small rate gap costs over the life of a loan is worth knowing before your vendors bring it up. |
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HOW IT SOLD  Why the second-highest offer won in KingscliffErin Nielsen ran a no-price expressions of interest campaign on a 1960s Kingscliff deceased estate, drawing 67 enquiries, 71 inspections, and five offers in 29 days. The top bid hit $1.45m, but the estate accepted $1.425m for fewer conditions and a quick settlement. Find out the story behind how it sold → Google calls it E-E-A-T. Agents call it being written about. getailsa.com → |
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MOVERS & SHAKERS  Sherrie Storor returns to agency ownership with Ray WhiteBrisbane has a new coach-turned-principal – Sherrie Storor is back in agency ownership, launching Ray White Icon with offices in Bridgeman Downs and Chermside. She once grew her own agency to 45 agents before selling it, and has spent the past eight years coaching principals and teams across Australasia. Icon builds on the business established by Wayne and Sonya Treloar, who'll support the transition.  Mario Tucci notches fifth consecutive Harcourts Titanium statusFive financial years, five Titanium results. That's the status Harcourts reserves for the top two per cent of sales consultants and property managers across Australasia. Mario Tucci, partner and sales specialist at Harcourts Rata & Co, is the first consultant in Australia to reach it in 2026–27. He credits more than 20 years of building strong client relationships and following up consistently. |
 PRD leadership tours Victorian offices and investor eventsCorporate came to the counter in Victoria. Corporate team director David Colman, national marketing manager Ellie Schwarz, state director Robert Ferguson, and chief economist Dr Diaswati (Asti) Mardiasmo toured PRD offices, a trip managing director Todd Hadley says keeps corporate close to its people. Asti also briefed investors in Bendigo and Kyneton on the infrastructure investment driving demand in Victoria's regional centres. |
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AGENTS ON SOCIAL Real estate agents have more one-liners than a stand-up comedian. And somehow, every house has “great bones”. 🎤🦴 |
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TRUE OR FALSE: Surfers Paradise was nearly called Sea Glint. And the answer is … It's true! Until 1933 it was officially Elston, apparently after a postmaster's wife's village in England. Then hotelier Jim Cavill opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel and lobbied to have Elston renamed Surfers Paradise – the name of his pub. The Lands Department pushed for Sea Glint. Jim won. via Gold Coast City Libraries. |
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