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.