Before the Weekend ☀️

Before The Weekend
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Before the Weekend is a weekly Australian real estate podcast hosted by Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald, bringing together industry leaders, property managers, regulators, technology founders and special guests from across the property sector. Each episode delivers practical, straight-talking discussion on the biggest stories shaping real estate across Australia, covering rental reforms, housing policy, compliance, property management, technology, consumer trust, investor sentiment and the future of the industry. Designed for agents, principals and property managers who want insight without the spin, Before the Weekend breaks down complex issues into real-world conversations that help the industry head into the weekend informed, prepared and thinking differently.

  1. 15h ago

    Episode 12 - 31 July 2026 | Allan Resigns, REIV Breaks Ranks, "Deposit Flicking" and more

    Victoria changed premiers this week after months of questions over debt, infrastructure, crime and integrity — and on the very same day, the REIV took what it called an unprecedented step and stood alongside the Opposition to demand the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 be substantially redrafted. Consumer Affairs Victoria forced changes to one of the country's biggest rental application platforms, and a Melbourne band managed to pin almost every part of the housing crisis on real estate agents, landlords and property investors. Peter and Kasey also work through allegations of development land being flipped to associates in Melbourne's growth corridors, a seven-figure defamation judgment between competing Sydney agents, a Double Bay agency that collapsed while suing a former employee who has since died, and a NSW Supreme Court fight over what critics are calling "deposit flicking". Then there's Dashdot. Two months after a collapse that left hundreds of customers and employees owed millions, its founders are back — offering business coaching. Plus: the RBA's warning that housing has weakened more than expected, Queensland's claim of a record 50,000 homes under construction, the review of 46,210 Queensland social housing tenancies, Australia's 13 million spare bedrooms, and new Suburbtrends research on who really controls the country's commission pools. Every source referenced in this episode is listed at beforetheweekend.com. Got a guest suggestion or a story you want covered? hello@beforetheweekend.com

  2. Jul 24

    Episode 11 - Agents in the Firing Line, with Mike Mortlock | 24th July 2026

    Episode 11 asks whether governments are addressing Australia's housing failures or redirecting public anger towards real estate agents. Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade begin with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan's open letter to REIV CEO Toby Balazs and the dispute over compulsory reserve-price disclosure. They examine the REIV's alternative transparency model, Consumer Affairs Victoria's existing enforcement powers, the political timing of the intervention and the hostile online reaction that followed Peter's public response. The conversation then moves to New South Wales, where REINSW has taken the extraordinary step of asking Premier Chris Minns to remove Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong, alleging that meaningful industry consultation has broken down. Mike Mortlock joins the program as Managing Director of MCG Quantity Surveyors, Treasurer of the Property Investment Professionals of Australia and host of the Geared for Growth podcast, which has been running since 2017 and has published more than 300 episodes. Mike discusses the 1.2 million-home target, Treasury's rent modelling, negative-gearing and capital-gains-tax reform, investor confidence, construction costs, SMSF borrowing changes and the conversations property managers should now be having with rental providers. The episode closes with Queensland's tougher social-housing behaviour policy, an allegation that a real estate employee disclosed a client's highly sensitive location and transaction details, and a direct warning about governments using the profession as a pre-election scapegoat. The final message is simple: agents did not create the housing shortage, and turning them into campaign villains will not solve it. Views expressed are those of the speakers. This episode contains general discussion only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The privacy story is presented as an allegation and has not been independently verified in full.

  3. Jul 17

    Episode 10 - REIQ LIFT 2026, Proptech Pulse and a Cooling Market | 17 July 2026

    Episode 10 marks a milestone for Before the Weekend, recorded fresh from one of the biggest weeks of the year for Queensland real estate and proptech. Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald give their honest assessment of REIQ LIFT 2026, including the strongest sessions, the energy in the room and the recurring message that technology only creates value when people can adopt, connect and trust it. Kasey also speaks with REISA Chair Cain Cooke about South Australia's resilient market, the importance of becoming a trusted adviser and using technology to create more time for human conversations. The pair recap Top of the Props, where Homesnoop claimed the judges' award and Crayons CRM won People's Choice, before unpacking the inaugural Proptech Pulse 2026. The report surveyed 146 Australian and New Zealand proptech leaders and found that change management, integration and customer adoption are now bigger challenges than building the technology itself. They also examine Queensland's sharp quarterly fall in property transactions, claims that Sydney's market is "dead", rising rents, the meaning of genuinely affordable housing, concerns prompted by updates to Forms Live contracts, and an agency incentive program designed to reward property managers on the same footing as sales teams. A practical and candid discussion for agents, property managers, principals, proptech founders and anyone working across Australia's property industry.

  4. Jul 10

    Episode 9 - Realworks, LIFT and Market Confidence | 10 July 2026

    This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade are joined by REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella for a timely conversation about the Realworks forms transition, what Queensland agencies should be checking inside their businesses, and why compliant forms still sit at the centre of agency risk. The episode also previews REIQ LIFT, Top of the Props and the upcoming PropTech Pulse report, with a focus on practical technology, industry collaboration and the need for real estate businesses to build flexible, secure and compliant tech stacks. Kasey and Peter then move through a packed national news block: the hidden government costs built into new housing, warnings of a possible house price correction, the Bank of Mum and Dad pulling back, NSW Fair Trading action against Netstrata, Victorian rental advertising fines, Section 27 changes, NSW rental reforms and failed sale re-letting rules. The episode closes with quick mentions on AML, SMS Sender ID registration and Mike DelPrete’s take on the shift from portal wars to pressure on portals.

  5. Jul 3

    Episode 8 - 03/07/26 Realworks, trust and the new compliance burden for real estate

    This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade unpack one of the biggest operational stories to hit Queensland real estate this year: the Realworks transition, the end of REIQ’s relationship with Dynamic Methods, and what it means for forms, templates, historical documents and compliance workflows. The conversation looks beyond the software problem and asks whether real estate forms have become critical industry infrastructure. Kasey and Peter also cover falling property industry confidence, Queensland’s decline in dwelling approvals, the SMSF borrowing debate, the start of AML/CTF obligations for real estate, ACMA’s SMS Sender ID and spam compliance changes, a cautious shift in buyer behaviour, allegations around misleading property images, and a QCAT compensation decision involving a real estate salesperson. The common thread is trust: trust in platforms, trust in forms, trust in communications, trust in compliance systems and trust in the professionals who carry the risk on the ground.

  6. Jun 26 ·  Bonus

    Quick Bite - Victoria’s Real Estate Reform Storm with Toby Balazs

    In this Quick Bite episode of Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade is joined by Toby Balazs, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, to unpack the growing wave of regulatory pressure facing Victorian real estate professionals. Toby discusses the proposed disclosure of auction reserve prices, changes to rental legislation, the impact of more than 150 Residential Tenancies Act changes, pressure on property managers, investor confidence, housing supply, Section 27 deposit release, AML obligations and the practical realities for agents trying to operate in a heavily regulated market. The conversation also explores whether new rules designed to improve fairness and transparency may create unintended consequences for buyers, vendors, renters, rental providers and the wider Victorian property sector. Reference / download link Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 PDF Available at the website: www.beforetheweekend.com

  7. Jun 26

    Episode 7 - Confidence Check: Market Corrections, Pricing Pressure and People-First Leadership

    In Episode 7 of Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade unpack a week where confidence became the central theme across Australian real estate. They discuss falling auction clearance rates, Domain's forecasts for Sydney and Melbourne price falls, investor uncertainty following federal budget changes, Victoria's latest rental reforms, REIQ's Realworks transition, and the growing conversation around price transparency sparked by the Property Seeker Chrome extension. Peter also shares key takeaways from the PIPA Summit and REISA Revolution, including AI, AML, energy efficiency ratings and the shift from transaction-focused agents to trusted advisers. This week's feature interview is with Avi Kahn from Ray White AKG, who joins Kasey to discuss leadership, culture, growth, industry reputation, training, technology and why he would abolish price guides across Australia.

  8. Jun 19

    Episode 6 - Dashdot Collapse, REA’s Data Deals and the Fight for Industry Control

    In Episode 6 of Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald unpack a huge week in Australian real estate, beginning with the collapse of buyer’s agency Dashdot and the serious questions it raises about upfront fees, consumer protection, trust and the property investment advice sector. The episode also covers Queensland’s worsening rental supply crisis, with new analysis suggesting the state has lost nearly 13,000 rental bedrooms over three years, plus a Gold Coast prestige sales feud that asks who really gets to define market value: the selling agent, the buyer’s agent, the auction floor or the final buyer. Peter and Kasey also discuss another trust account misuse case in Victoria, a Sunshine Coast unfair dismissal claim dismissed after just one week of employment, and Ben Ikin’s move into proptech as CEO of SearchX. The feature conversation then turns to REA Group’s growing network of strategic partnerships, with Adrian Knowles, CEO of Harcourts Australia, joining to explain the Harcourts and REA Group deal, and Sadhana Smiles from REIP responding to questions about data sovereignty, REIP Nexus, proptech partnerships and whether the industry is moving closer to or further away from control of its own data. It is a long episode, but an important one, covering trust, data, portals, technology, agency risk and the future direction of the real estate industry.

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About

Before the Weekend is a weekly Australian real estate podcast hosted by Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald, bringing together industry leaders, property managers, regulators, technology founders and special guests from across the property sector. Each episode delivers practical, straight-talking discussion on the biggest stories shaping real estate across Australia, covering rental reforms, housing policy, compliance, property management, technology, consumer trust, investor sentiment and the future of the industry. Designed for agents, principals and property managers who want insight without the spin, Before the Weekend breaks down complex issues into real-world conversations that help the industry head into the weekend informed, prepared and thinking differently.

Information

  • Creator
    Before The Weekend
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Before The Weekend
  • Show Website
    Before the Weekend ☀️