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GOOD MORNING FROM ELITE AGENT 👋 Good morning, and welcome to The Brief for Friday 23 October 2026. |
TRUE OR FALSE? Old property deeds sometimes measured land in fathoms, the same unit sailors used for six feet of water. On dry land, though, a fathom meant something else entirely: the patch of ground one man could dig in a day. (Scroll to the bottom for the answer!) |
In today's edition of The Brief - Buyer asking 'how much more?' Splitting the difference sets their ceiling for them – here's the better reply.
- Clients asking if rates are done? The RBA isn't ruling out another rise just yet.
- Vendor wants no opens, no photos, no ads? Francois Duverge sold it anyway – and settled two homes at once.
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TODAY'S FEATURE  Stop splitting the difference: the negotiation mistake costing vendors thousandsPicture a buyer sitting $50,000 below your vendor's number, and you suggest they find another $30,000 to get it done. It sounds helpful, but if that buyer was prepared to move $40,000 or $50,000, you've just set their ceiling for them. Urban Real Estate’s Trent Brewer explains why passing offers straight to the owner is relaying, not negotiating. It also gives you the questions to ask buyers before any offer reaches your vendor. |
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What you'll learn in the full article: - The before-the-vendor checklist: The questions that reveal whether price is the real hurdle or whether finance, settlement timing, or a property to sell is holding the buyer back.
- The "how much more" reply: The line that hands the buyer's "how much more?" straight back to them, and why asking for $20,000 when they'd pay $50,000 is an expensive guess.
- The slow-down rule: Why the most exciting moment in the deal is when you should be the calmest person in the room, even with both sides wanting an answer.
Read the full article → |
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TOGETHER WITH ZAPIIO  New platform maps property investors' next strategic moveTo plenty of people, the property manager is just the person who organises a plumber to fix the toilet. Josh Deckart, founder of Zapiio and a member of the REACH Australia and New Zealand Class of 2026, sees something else: the only professionals in Australia with every investor as a client, and a chance to ask why so many are rushing to sell. His platform uses scenario modelling so buyer's agents, brokers, accountants, and property managers can test the next move (and the one after) from one shared plan before a single dollar is invested. Read the full story to see how it could change the conversation with the clients already on your books. Learn more → |
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DEPT OF AGRICULTURE  Farmland values nearly double in WA, QueenslandFive years ago, farmland in WA and Queensland cost roughly half what it does today (strong cattle prices haven't hurt). Nationally, sales held near 7,000 for a third year running, with owners selling on their own terms. Ray White's Vanessa Rader expects values to keep lifting through 2026, though 2027 looks more measured with El Niño and possible rate rises. |
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DEPT OF ECONOMICS  RBA's Hauser keeps another rate rise in playEven RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser calls this a major housing correction, yet he says inflation now looks materially worse than the August forecasts, so rates could still go up. The reassuring bit: only about 2% of mortgages are in negative cash flow. September-quarter inflation lands before the November meeting, and Mr Hauser expects it to come in above the RBA's assumptions. |
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DEPT OF LENDING  MA Financial freezes credit fund withdrawals until 2027Slower development sales are flowing through to the lenders behind them. MA Financial has paused withdrawals from its real estate credit fund until at least March 2027, as longer selling periods and refinancing delays make it harder to know when some borrowers will repay. If you work with developers, this is the finance side of that slowdown. |
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HOW IT SOLD  The $985k Woy Woy villa nobody advertisedNo open homes, no photography, no advertising spend – that was the vendor's brief. Francois Duverge matched the three-bedroom villa with a downsizer from his database for $985,000, then helped prepare the buyer's own home, which sold after its first open. Delayed settlements on both properties meant the two sales settled simultaneously. 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  Monique Cruse and Daniel Arnott launch Ray White InnisfailRay White has arrived in Innisfail. Monique Cruse and Daniel Arnott have launched the office with the Murphy family and Joe Indorato. Daniel joins as Director and Principal alongside David Murphy and the leadership team behind Ray White Cairns and Cairns Beaches. Their five-person team will run independently, with close ties to Cairns and the backing of Ray White Queensland CEO Jason Andrew.  Pulse Property expands to Liverpool and Campbelltown, hits 110 staffPulse Property Agents is growing beyond the Sutherland Shire, with Simon Perri's Liverpool and Campbelltown offices joining the brand and Simon staying on to lead them. Clients keep the same local faces and offices, the agencies say, now backed by Pulse's systems and marketing. Managing director Ben Pike calls it a milestone: the team is now 110, with the two new offices joining Miranda, Sutherland and Cronulla. |
 DiJones licensee says new model freed up his time to leadAsk Daniel Blagg what's changed in a year as licensee of DiJones Lindfield, and he'll talk about time, not growth. Shifting admin and operations onto the group's centralised services, backed by CEO Dean Mackie and COO Brent May, has given him more hours with his team and clients. Next on his list: team growth, leadership development, and expanding opportunities in his local market. |
 Harcourts Property Centre opens New Farm officeHarcourts Queensland CEO Andrew Friebe calls the new Harcourts Property Centre office in New Farm a significant addition, and it's a full house, with residential, commercial, prestige, and projects teams under one roof. Sam and Aaron are at the helm, Jake Hathway brings his prestige focus, and a projects joint venture with Gary Thompson turns to Brisbane's new developments ahead of the 2032 Games. |
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AGENTS ON SOCIAL Victoria’s Secret has the catwalk, but real estate agents have the open-home runway. 💃🏡 |
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TRUE OR FALSE: Old property deeds sometimes measured land in fathoms, the same unit sailors used for six feet of water. On dry land, though, a fathom meant something else entirely: the patch of ground one man could dig in a day. And the answer is … It's actually false. The fathom came ashore without changing much at all. Sailors used it for six feet of depth; on a deed it meant a square fathom – six feet by six, or 36 square feet. That's about 3.3 square metres, so not much more than a picnic rug's worth of land. via Bass River, NJ History – Old Deed Terms. |
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