🫣 Would you still give if no one was watching?

GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋

TODAY'S FEATURE

Would you still give if no one was watching?

Stavros Ambatzidis has called more than 4,000 auctions and raised more than $1 million for motor neurone disease. But in Track 04 of The Edit, the OBrien Real Estate co-founder isn't talking about ribbon-cutting or press releases. He's talking about boxing Christmas donations alongside his team, and why he thinks community work stops counting the moment it becomes about being seen.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The three-lever rule: Chris Hanley's three ways to contribute when your budget is zero – and why a phone call counts.
• The counter-flip: why Stavros insists on getting "on the other side of the counter" – and what changes when your team actually meets the people they're helping.
• The $20 challenge: Samantha McLean's Transform exercise – one act of kindness, $20 tops – and who agents noticed once they went looking.

Watch the full episode ->

TOGETHER WITH ELITE AGENT + PROPERTYME

Can you believe that we ran the first round of our legendary program Transform 10 years ago in 2016?
Well, it's back as a new 30-day challenge to help you get the most from your AI subscription, making you smarter and faster.

The challenge starts on 1 October, and we're going from the absolute basics of "what is a token?" to making AI your chief of staff.

Thousands of agents have done Transform since. Early-bird places are open now, and there are 25 places available at the super early bird rate of $99 + GST. But you'll have to be quick!
(Pssst... did we mention there's also $5,000 in prize money up for grabs thanks to PropertyMe?)

Book my place →

DEPT OF PM

Give every lead a next step

An owner transferring a management and one renting out their much-loved home need different follow-up. At PM/ONE, Sophie Kennedy-Rush explained how she builds those differences into her CRM, with a clear handover to the property management team. Here’s how she keeps each lead moving.

DEPT OF ECONOMICS

Sydney, Melbourne owners pull stock from market

New listings in Sydney are down 12.6% since May, nearly double the national drop, and Melbourne isn't far behind at 9.7%.

Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee says it's owners choosing to sit tight rather than sell into weak conditions – not buyers soaking up supply.

Brisbane and Perth are living the opposite problem, with active stock up 27.5% and 20.2%.

DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Aussie searches for NZ homes jump 190%

Since May's negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms were announced, Australian searches on realestate.co.nz have climbed almost 190% year-on-year. Auckland, Central Otago and Canterbury are the standout draws, and Sydney leads for traffic – but Brisbane and Perth users are saving and enquiring more per visit.

Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood says it's more than curiosity: buyers are searching, saving and enquiring at levels well above last year.

HOW IT SOLD

52 inspections, five offers, one family home

Nicole Carter targeted developers for a Currumbin block zoned for redevelopment, but auction feedback told a different story. She converted 52 inspections into five written offers, repriced with the sellers, and sold to a local family wanting their three kids one street from the surf.

Find out the story behind how it sold →

AI cannot cite content that was never written. getailsa.com →

MOVERS & SHAKERS

REINSW crowns Peter Matthews with its top industry honour

More than 500 people packed the Hilton Sydney for REINSW's 2026 Awards for Excellence, and it was Peter Matthews who walked away with the night's biggest prize. The former REINSW President has conducted more than 30,000 auctions across a career spanning three decades in sales, agency leadership and technology. He now serves as Group CEO and International Director for Century 21 Middle East Group, Australia and New Zealand, and took out the Woodrow Weight Award for sustained contribution to the profession.

Harcourts Foundation grants $30,000 to PCYC North Pauline Smith, Head of the Harcourts Foundation, has directed $30,000 toward PCYC North's Reset Opportunities for Youth program, which works with 10 to 18 year olds across northern Tasmania on confidence, resilience and vocational skills. Harcourts Tasmania Co-CEO Kate Littlejohn backed the funding as the Foundation opens a further $100,000 in grants for eligible charities statewide, with applications closing 3 November 2026.

Exploration Day 2026: Celebrating the people behind the Explore Property network Explore Property Whitsunday leader Steve Marks has picked up the Person in the Arena Award, the network's highest recognition, at this year's Exploration Day in Brisbane. The award, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's words on courage and commitment, capped a night that also saw Karyn Voevodin of Central Townsville sweep the sales rankings, topping both the GCI and total sales tables.

Shane Sullivan opens independent agency in Sydney's inner west Sydney's inner west has a new independent name on the shop front. Shane Sullivan, who grew up in Concord and built his entire 18-year career in the area, has launched SULLIVAN, an agency pitched around giving agents their own profile rather than folding them into a corporate brand. Shane was previously recognised as Domain's NSW Rising Star, awarded to the state's best agent under 30, and says the new venture is built to let agents become known in their own right while still carrying an agency's backing.

Knight Frank unifies Queensland valuation team under Matthew Ryan South East Queensland clients now get commercial and residential valuation advice from a single desk. Matthew Ryan, a director of Knight Frank Townsville, Knight Frank Mackay and Knight Frank Residential and Commercial Valuations South East Queensland since joining the firm in 2006, leads the expanded group, which brings commercial valuation work in South East Queensland in-house for the first time – it previously sat with another licensee. Arabella Briggs, James Steed, Brenna Smyth and Basil Simitci round out the team covering everything from industrial and retail to specialised hospitality assets.

Success doesn't rest on weekends!
Get top agent and agency moves every Sunday in Movers & Shakers. Subscribe now.

When they say “Good morning”, you say “3 bed, 2 bath, north-facing, auction Saturday.” 😂🏡

TRUE OR FALSE:

In 1968 an American businessman bought London Bridge, shipped it to the Arizona desert and rebuilt it – purely to help him sell house blocks.

And the answer is …

True. Robert McCulloch paid $2.46 million for it, shipped 10,000 tons of granite to Arizona piece by piece, then spent several million more putting it back together – all to lure buyers to Lake Havasu City, the town he was developing. Think of it as the most expensive street appeal in history. US Customs waved it through duty-free as an antique, and Guinness listed it as the largest antique ever sold. It's still one of Arizona's most-visited attractions. via US Customs and Border Protection.