Elevate: The Official Podcast of Elite Agent Magazine Elite Agent

Tara Bradbury knows how to reshape the real estate landscape, one innovation at a time.







A master of transformation, Tara has pioneered a paperless agency at Active Agents, not only embracing technology, but turning it into a defining pillar of her brand and setting new standards of efficiency and client engagement.







Tara and her husband Shane recently celebrated five years in business - and in today’s edition of the Elevate podcast, with Samantha McLean, Tara takes a deep dive into why she left her successful coaching career to become an agent again and reveals the strategies that have helped her build success.







She explores the impact of virtual tours and how they’ve revolutionised how properties are shown, saved her team time, and helped them serve their clients better.







Sam and Tara also examine her innovative approach to building authentic social media engagement and how she turns every tenant interaction into a potential referral.







Tara also reveals how changes to Queensland’s rental laws have impacted her business and how maintaining a work-life balance fuels her professional and personal growth.







“If you’re thinking of starting your own property management business, don’t be afraid. Just because someone tells you that you can’t do it doesn’t mean there’s not another way or another angle to get to it.”







Sam and Tara also discuss:









* 2:00 - Career pivot success: Tara explains her shift from coaching to real estate, driven by family needs and professional fulfilment.







* 5:02 - Pioneering paperless: How Tara established a paperless agency, the strategic choices behind it, and her unique marketing approaches.







* 9:00 - The power of virtual tours: Discover the transformative impact of virtual tours on efficiency and service delivery in Tara’s agency.







* 11:19—Mastering market turbulence: How Tara steered through the pandemic's challenges, positioned the agency as a pivotal information hub, and mastered the art of letting go.







* 13:20 - Authentic engagement: Leveraging organic social media growth to build credibility and authentic engagement.







* 15:25 - Transforming tenants into partners: How Tara transforms everyday tenant interactions into lasting, high-value referral partnerships.







* 17:40 - Crafting a stellar team: A deep dive into how Tara built her team, nurtured talent in property management, and developed a sales operation from the ground up.







* 21:57 - Legislative landscapes: Insights into adapting business strategies in response to Queensland’s evolving rental laws, ensuring landlord and tenant satisfaction.







* 26:20 - Balancing acts: The strategies Tara and Shane employ to enjoy work-life balance, including setting boundaries and keeping home a business-free zone.







* 28:29 - Vision for the future: Peek into the next five years at Active Agents, including strategic plans for growth, and maintaining agency values.

Fostering talent today lays the foundation for tomorrow’s leaders.







That’s the astute ethos of not just Ray White Chairman, Brian White, but of Australasia’s largest real estate group as a whole.







In a very special edition of the Elevate podcast, Brian sat down with host Samantha McLean, at Ray White’s recent Leadership Academy, peeling back the layers on the 122-year-old group’s strategic approach to nurturing the next generation of real estate pioneers, building a culture of competitive selling and a focus on always innovating.







Brian also reveals the nuances behind trademarking the term ‘Competition Creators’, why auctions are a core philosophy in the group and why they are not merely a sales tactic, but a driver of market momentum that offers advantages for vendors and buyers.







He also shares insights on The Tesolin Group leader Josh Tesolin’s meteoric rise in the industry, including the traits that foster his success and the principles industry newcomers can adopt to craft their own careers.







Brian and Sam also discuss Ray White’s strategies for tripling its market share in just a few years,  how a culture of excellence propels agents forward, the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing real estate practices, and the essential nature of mental resilience for agents navigating market fluctuations.







“Being a family business has a lot of advantages. We are the springboard for our people, and the harder they jump on us, the higher they're going to go."







Sam and Brian also discuss:









* 1:30 - Leadership unlocked: Insights into Ray White’s Leadership Academy, including the pivotal role of leadership excellence in sculpting tomorrow’s real estate stars.







* 2:25 - The art of competition: The strategy behind Ray White’s “Competition Creators” trademark and its impact on sculpting a high-performance culture that delivers unparalleled results.







* 3:40 - Auction mastery: Why auctions are not just a sales technique but delivers benefits for vendors and buyers and fuels market momentum.







* 5:45 - The Josh Tesolin effect: How auctions catalysed Josh’s rise to the top and why his journey is a masterclass for real estate newcomers.







* 7:10 - Growth trajectory: Dissect Ray White’s exponential market share growth and why strategic vision and fostering agent empowerment create success.







* 8:24 - The new frontier: What Ray White would think of AI and how this tech lever is poised to enhance, not replace, the nuanced art of real estate.







* 9:50 - The Harvard edge: The secrets of Boris Groysberg’s methodology, including how the Harvard case study approach works in real estate.







* 10:58—The big issue: Why agents’ biggest challenges are mental resilience and understanding that market highs and lows are temporary.







* 12:15 - Leadership by design: Explore the crafted nature of leadership, focusing on nurturing confidence, skills, and discipline beyond the sales pitch.







* 13:40 - Authenticity as currency: Brian’s core lesson on the non-negotiable value of authenticity and directness in forging a successful real estate career.







* 15:05 - What the future holds: A strategic peek into Ray White expanding the ecosystem with adjacent services and setting new industry benchmarks.

Josh Horner knows how to choreograph success, one client at a time.







Adept at grabbing an audience's attention and keeping it, Josh has rewritten the script as a dancer on Broadway, a choreographer at Disneyland and now he’s doing it with real estate.







As director of The Horner Agency, Josh has built an attraction brand and redefined what it means to engage, educate, entertain and exceed expectations in an industry where trust, time, and confidence are currency.







In today’s edition of the Elevate podcast, hosted by Kylie Dulhunty, Josh gives a master class in how to tap into the emotion behind a sale and use it to connect with clients and craft memorable experiences that generate word-of-mouth acclaim.







He also peels back the layers on how he creates his viral listing and sold videos, including how to capture and keep attention, how to navigate the fine line between clever and tacky and what to do when a vendor isn’t interested in a humorous video.







Kylie also quizzes Josh on his dance career, how he got into real estate, the unlikely crossover skills between the two professions, and the strategies that took Josh from struggling with real estate basics to the phone ringing off the hook.







And what about his garden gnome logo? With the flair that only he can muster, Josh reveals where the logo concept came from, what it symbolises and how his client gifts continue to market his brand long after the sold sticker goes up.







“Your two words are trust and confidence, with the entire community. If you can build trust and confidence with people, then they’ll listen to what you have to say. Otherwise you just sound like a bloody parrot repeating some scripts or dialogue from some real estate coach.”







Kylie and Josh also discuss









* On the world stage: A whistle stop tour of Josh’s dance career, including the Australian Ballet, Billy Elliot on Broadway, and choreographing parades for Disneyland.







* Unexpected turns: How an asthma diagnosis led Josh to dance and how a shot of tequila and a bold audition landed him on Dancing with the Stars.







* Leap of faith: Navigating loss and homesickness after the curtain fell on his showbiz career and how Josh found new horizons and purpose in real estate.







* From novice to notable: How Josh transformed from grappling with the real estate basics to a mindset change that propelled him into his new role with determination.







* The art of real estate: The striking similarities between dance and real estate that Josh leverages to thrive and the power of mastering fundamentals to build momentum.







* Emotion-driven excellence: Why emotional engagement is the cornerstone of Josh’s real estate strategy and how he crafts unforgettable client experiences.







* Strategic savvy: Josh's arsenal of techniques for strategic selling, where integrity, intuitive client insights, and reading non-verbal cues create the ultimate agent-client synergy.







* Becoming a magnet: Discover how Josh intertwines his dance and real estate personas to build a magnetic social media presence and personal brand as an 'attraction agent.'







* Viral listings: Behind the scenes of Josh's listing videos, including his creative process, how he targets his audience, captures their attention instantly, and the pitfalls to avoid.







* Brand personification: The quirky tale of choosing a gnome as his logo, alongside Josh's thoughtful client gifts strategy, which continues to market his brand well beyond the sale.

Success in the Easter market and beyond hinges on strategic planning and seizing opportunities.







And no one knows how agents can achieve exactly that, better than The Agency’s CEO of Real Estate, Matt Lahood.







On today’s episode of the Elevate podcast, hosted by Samantha McLean, Matt unveils groundbreaking strategies for maximising sales and supercharging client engagement in an ‘always on’ landscape where agent response times can make or break deals.







Matt also takes a deep dive into the essence of effective planning, how you can leverage the Easter period to its full potential, and why face-to-face interactions with clients are more important than ever.







He also tackles the ever-persistent challenge of talent acquisition, and offers a fresh perspective on optimising revenue while minimising expenditures for a robust business model.







“Speed is a new currency. If you can ring up and get McDonald's delivered to your door in 20 minutes and you can't find an agent… Well, our industry is disconnected from reality, isn't it?” - Matt Lahood







Sam and Matt also discuss:









* 1:30 Maximise Easter sales: The essential pre and post-Easter selling strategies to motivate sellers and underscore the criticality of in-person discussions.







* 6:59 - Speed is your asset: Delve into the ‘always on’ real estate landscape, its implications on client expectations, and how to excel in this fast-paced environment.







* 12:32 - A resilient market: The interplay of interest rates, inflation, and the pivotal role of buyers and sellers without mortgages in market dynamics.







* 16:31 - Talent acquisition tactics: The challenges of recruiting quality people in, including the transformative potential of embracing flexibility and role innovation.







* 19:54 - Strategic planning for success: Why you need to plan long-term to overcome cyclical market fluctuations, enhance your business growth, meet client needs, and stay competitive.







* 26:01 - Financial wisdom: Beyond the GCI debate and how to optimise revenue while curtailing expenditures for a healthy business.







* 27:46 - Rethinking work spaces: A case study on how adopting unconventional work settings can boost your business.







* 29:27 - Redefining business focus: How Matt's weekly strategy sessions revolutionise planning, transforming routine oversight into strategic growth opportunities







* 34:16 - Mastering market intelligence: The importance of comprehensive market knowledge to leverage the anticipated surge in post-Easter activity.

In an industry that promotes that it never sleeps and where agents thrive on hustling, will new Right to Disconnect legislation change the fabric of real estate?







That’s the question Elite Agent Digital Editor, Kylie Dulhunty, explores in this episode of the Elevate podcast, hosted by Samantha McLean.







Kylie takes a deep dive into how the legislation will alter real estate practices, detailing the specific types of communication affected and what will happen if agencies fail to comply.







She unpacks the six crucial factors that will be examined in deciding if communication is unreasonable, offers insights into how this legislation extends to evaluating employee behaviour as well and explores what the changes mean for sales agents, property managers, senior managers and admin staff.







“I've talked to agents that have driven to the airport in Sydney at 10 o'clock at night because the vendors have got back and a buyer has signed and they want to get the deal done. And I think that is still going to happen, because if you look at the way sales agents are paid, it's based on commission. So if they potentially miss that contact, it could really affect what they earn. If they miss a phone call or an email, it could mean they miss a listing or they miss a sale, that buyer's gone and they buy with someone else.” - Kylie Dulhunty







Sam and Kylie also discuss:









* 3:43 - Navigating the new normal: How the Right to Disconnect will change real estate, the kind of contact it relates to and what happens if you don’t comply.







* 5:00 - Defining the boundaries: Unravel the six key factors to determine when communication crosses the line and whether an employee’s silence can be deemed unreasonable too.







* 7:02 - Disconnecting demystified: What the pivotal change means for sales agents, property managers, senior managers and admin staff.







* 11:11 - Conflict resolution: Strategies for addressing workplace disputes over the Right to Disconnect.







* 12:34 - Future-proofing your agency: Actionable steps to shield your business and the critical question of revising employment contracts.







* 13:48 - Leveraging technology: How PropTech offers solutions to after-hours communication challenges.







* 16:03 - Countdown to change: When the Right to Disconnect starts and the mindset makeover essential for navigating the transition.









Resources:







Elite Agent: What the right to disconnect means for youREIQ: Right to disconnect - Information for real estate workplaces

Kul Singh's method for elevating the agent experience with REA Group hinges on a simple but effective principle of doing and being “better”.







As today’s guest on the Elevate podcast, hosted by Samantha McLean, the Chief Customer Officer reveals the three pillars REA Group will focus on this year - better customer experiences, better employee experiences and better business growth.







He takes a deep dive into the transformative strategies that set the stage for customer satisfaction and agent success, including a new focus on streamlining onboarding, and how this intersects with what buyers and sellers want in today’s market - price transparency and data security.







Kul also analyses 2023's market shifts, the positive outlook for this year and how agents can harness these changes to not only meet, but exceed, their own clients’ expectations.







Sam and Kul also dissect the ethos behind Ready24, and how this initiative and the prestigious AREA Awards go beyond accolades to foster a culture of excellence and philanthropy among real estate professionals, and how each can help agents better build their brand and engage more with real estate consumers.







“If we come down to the fundamentals on what consumers are looking for, they want prices on listings and 70 per cent of them say they skip past listings without them. That's not good for us. That's not good for our customers.” - Kul Singh







Sam and Kul also discuss:









* 2:00 - Seizing opportunities: A strategic analysis of the 2023 market dynamics, projections for 2024, and why the current climate is optimally aligned for transactions.







* 4:47 - On a mission: REA Group’s ambition to redefine global property experiences, including the digital evolution and significant growth in India.







* 6:56 - Elevating customer experience: How REA Group plans to boost your flexibility and efficiency, enhance inspection metrics and streamline the onboarding journey.







* 8:45 - The market pulse: Why buyers want prices on every listing, the critical role of data privacy and the drive towards a more uniform real estate industry across Australia.







* 13:28 - Inside Ready24: The ethos behind Ready24, its genesis, and its commitment to social responsibility, plus how your participation directly contributes to aiding the homeless.







* 16:25 - Leadership and legacy: The Ready24 speakers, including Andre Agassi on winning on and off the court and Rachel Robertson on the art of leading high-performance teams.







* 19:05 - Celebrating excellence: Kul spotlight’s the AREAs, the unique marketing tools winners receive and how these honours link consumers with real estate professionals.







* 20:50 - Embracing the next frontier: The potential of the Apple Vision Pro and spatial computing in real estate, including how the technology can create better property engagement.







* 23:25 - Kul’s 2024 blueprint: Kul’s personal ambitions and professional strategies for the upcoming year, focusing on enriching family life, employee and customer satisfaction, and embracing a holistic approach to health and fitness.