Before the Weekend ☀️

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade work through a week where the rules got stricter, and the people living under them got very little say in how.First, Victoria. Auctioneer and coach Andy Reid called Peter after last week's episode to say we had it slightly wrong, so he came on to fix it. After a briefing from Consumer Affairs Victoria's Nicole Rich, the draft clause that appeared to stop buyers making an offer until they had held the contract for 14 days has been put down to a typo - the contract now simply has to be available for 14 days before the auction. From 1 October the statement of information becomes the property price statement, "a statement of information on steroids" with detail on every comparable sale. The reserve has to be published seven calendar days out, and while it can come down during the auction it cannot go up. An offer above the reserve that is rejected on price resets the seven days; one rejected in writing on process does not. Campaigns launched before 1 October get two weeks' grace, so the auctions of 3 and 10 October run under the old rules. Andy's read is that auctions accelerate at the bottom of the market and drift away at the top, and his line on the new rules: "it's actually one of the best conditioning tools we've ever been given." Peter's worry is the week the market moves after the reserve is set, and he wants a month of results before he believes it.Then AUSTRAC. Section 167 notices started going out in late August to agencies that have not enrolled, a reminder that the deadline has passed.Then the story that divided the industry. McGrath Bulimba principal Tony O'Doherty has had his Queensland real estate licence cancelled over an assault in Ireland in 2013, when he was 23. He pleaded guilty by video link in November 2025 and received a two-year sentence, fully suspended. He is appealing, and McGrath is standing behind him. Kasey walks through what changes inside an office when the licensee goes, down to the form 6s and the name on the door, and Peter asks the harder question: at what point does society let someone move on, and what precedent does it set if it does?Then housefishing in New Farm. A rental listing at 22 Mark Street appears to have been built with AI images that bear little resemblance to the house. Peter, once called the catfisher of real estate from his years at BoxBrownie, draws the ethical line - a grey sky or a Queensland lawn can be fixed, power lines cannot - and says this one is beyond any disclaimer: walls stretched, power points gone, every image changed. Queensland's Property Occupations Act allows up to 540 penalty units for false or misleading representations, and Kasey asks what rights a tenant has if they signed without ever inspecting.Then Revenue NSW and the contractor who is really an employee. Most internal conjunction arrangements fail every payroll tax exemption, and section 47 can set aside the ones that pass.Also this week: Kasey reports back from the REIQ Property Insider Lunch, where Treasurer David Janetzki said loan applications and approvals are down and Queensland is not paying for Jim Chalmers' budget, and the AFR's John Kehoe put the tax changes at 60 basis points on an investor loan with transactions down about 15 per cent; the WA rent cap debate returns; and Kasey heads to PM/ONE in Sydney while Peter flies from PropTech Connect in London to the REACH gathering in Colorado.Before the Weekend is a weekly podcast for Australian property professionals, hosted by Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade. New episodes every Friday.

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade work through a week where every regulator wanted more from the industry and none of them wanted to talk to it.First, audits. NSW Fair Trading's strata and property taskforce finished a statewide sweep of agents holding consumer money: 34 businesses facing potential licence suspension, 41 overdue audits lodged, 32 warnings, three industry bans, six mandatory training orders and more than $200,000 in fines, with a Penrith agency losing its licence and copping $22,000. Nobody here is accused of stealing - they simply did not lodge the audit. Then the ones who did steal: a NSW property manager, 162 transactions and roughly $151,000 plus $36,000, gets a 12-month community sentence, while a Brisbane operator who took $131,000 gets four and a half years jail. Same crime, wildly different states.Then Scams Awareness Week and the email account somewhere in the transaction that criminals are watching for weeks. The rule is simple: anything over $5,000 gets a phone call before it moves.Then Victoria declares war on auctions. Reserves set 14 days out, a property price statement seven days before unconditional, all signed off by a premier who has since left the building. Peter's read is that buyers will simply drift to private treaty, which has no transparency at all. Then the Tenancy Skills Institute's Two Tides of Homelessness report - 327 property managers, nearly 126,000 tenancies, and 6.43 per cent of them at risk, up from 4.8 per cent a year ago. The finding that matters: in Queensland, portfolios with no referral pathway saw at-risk tenancies jump 150 per cent while those using PM Assist fell 18.47 per cent. Property managers themselves said 52 per cent of the 3,114 failed tenancies were preventable. Then a Gold Coast developer allegedly terminating five-year-old off-the-plan contracts under sunset clauses, the test case for the 2023 reform, and 1,522 NSW construction firms gone in a single financial year.Josh Stanton of Opteon joins to make sense of the 1 July 2027 valuation deadline from a regional desk in Gladstone: why metro investors should wait four to six weeks and regional ones until September or October, a worked Kirkwood example that lands $8,450 more tax under the new regime rather than the tens of thousands being reported, and the warning nobody else is making - do your renovations before 1 July, because the new system does not appear to treat them kindly.Then the interview that changes the mood. Aaron Barber, general manager of the REINSW, on 500 legislative changes in 18 months, a domestic violence regulation published on 7 June and handed to the institute on 7 August, and reforms that now require the property manager to notify the remaining co-tenant, change the locks and chase damage from a person who may be violent. Seven property managers have already refused the four-hour CPD course because it would be triggering. When Aaron asked the minister for a meeting, the response was: "You are playing games, stop playing games."Also this week: Kasey heads to the REIQ property insider luncheon, Peter packs for PropTech Connect in London and the REACH portfolio gathering in Boulder, a licensed conveyancer allegedly short nearly $1 million, and why your real estate institute membership just earned its keep. If anything in this episode is close to home, 1800RESPECT is 1800 737 732.Before the Weekend is a weekly podcast for Australian property professionals, hosted by Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade. New episodes every Friday.

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade work through a numbers week in which almost none of the numbers agreed with each other.First, Universal Property Group. Administrators were appointed Tuesday to a business carrying roughly $3.2 billion in liabilities, $2.85 billion of it borrowing, spread across hundreds of numbered subsidiaries running as high as UPG 460. They want $20 million just to keep it trading for five weeks. The number that matters to anyone holding a contract is the $27 million of buyer money sitting outside protected accounts - alongside $209 million of completed stock nobody has been able to shift, in the middle of a supply crisis.Then Perth, where REIWA disqualified an agent from its own awards because the figures he submitted did not stack up. That would have been the story on its own. The second matter is heavier: the same agent is alleged to have bought his own vendor's home through a company registered the same day the offer was made, at the agency's own address, with the disclosure form arriving almost six weeks after the contract was signed. There was a ghost open home and there were retrospective valuations all alleged at this point.Then the flip. Three of the big four now forecast a rate hike where the consensus was a cut in 2027, with Westpac the last one holding. Peter puts the ACTU's two-year lease mandate against the arithmetic a property manager actually faces - $5 a week incremental against an $80 step-up - and argues the mandate would produce exactly the behaviour it was written to prevent.Then the story nobody else ran. Four providers published vacancy rates for the same cities in the same quarter and none of them match. Sydney: Domain 1.1 per cent, SQM 1.7, PropTrack 1.7, Cotality 1.9. Brisbane: Domain 0.6 against Cotality 1.2. Darwin 0.1 against 0.9, a ninefold gap. Cotality calls Sydney and Brisbane the loosest capitals while Domain and SQM have Brisbane among the tightest. As Peter puts it: "Brisbane, no one seems to know where the hell the vacancy rate is."Also this week: national house rents at $730 a week and 69 per cent of weekly pay in Sydney, a Highland Property rent roll doubled to 5,000 by running property management as its own business unit with its own P&L, New Zealand naming and shaming its worst property managers, Ingenia's $992.5 million move on Peet, and a study finding 81 per cent of Australian homes sit below the World Health Organization's 18 degree safe minimum across winter."Every source referenced in this episode is listed at beforetheweekend.com"Kasey McDonald → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-mcdonald-tutaki-857a3337/Peter Schravemade → https://www.linkedin.com/in/schravemade/

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade work through the week the buyer's agent industry stopped being a story about one bad operator.First, AUSTRAC. Operation Claw pooled data from ten major Australian banks and found potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected fraudulent home loans - inflated incomes, misrepresented employment, offshore and third-party funds at settlement, most of it linked to Sydney property. Peter has been one of the loudest critics of how many AML checkpoints Tranche 2 forces on a single transaction, and says this is the answer to the question he put to AUSTRAC's CEO on stage last year. He's still not happy about how it was implemented.Then the number every property manager will be asked about for the next twelve months. Ray White modelling puts the break-even gross yield for a leveraged investor at 5.15 per cent. Capital city yields are sitting at 3.95. Something has to close that gap, and rents can't. Peter puts his own money where his mouth is and explains why he just locked his tenants onto two-year leases - and why he thinks making that compulsory, as the ACTU proposed on Tuesday, would be the fastest way to make the problem worse.Josh Deckart of Zapiio joins to give the state of the buyer's agent market from the inside: the SMSF wave that ran to the deadline and then stopped dead, why he could name fifty small operators who have already left, and the argument nobody else is making - that the budget put jet fuel on the commercial market, where leases are CPI-linked and every increase gets passed to a small business tenant. Two hours after that interview was recorded, Atlas Property Group announced it was entering voluntary liquidation.Then the interview that changes the mood. Peter Diamantidis of Ray White United Group has spent three years building a recognition program that rewards property managers exactly like sales stars - overseas trips, partners included, gated on hard metrics his teams don't get to negotiate. He set a target of 500 new organic managements. They brought in eleven hundred. Three property managers have left in three years. His answer to principals who think it's too expensive: "Just pay two recruiter fees, there's your trip."Also this week: Real acquires REMAX, McGrath partners with 172-year-old Hodges, the REIV takes on the Victorian government over auction reserve disclosure, and the last regional markets standing.Before the Weekend is a weekly podcast for Australian property professionals, hosted by Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade. New episodes every Friday.

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade work through a week where the running theme was what people chose not to say.Two agents started from the identical insight - the public doesn't much like real estate agents. One put a self-deprecating joke about himself on a billboard in Wynnum and said up front he wrote the review himself. The other invented a theft, accused a woman who doesn't exist, and didn't tell anyone until the last slide. Half a million views later, Peter asks the question nobody else is asking: did it sell the house?Then NSW publishes the results of a statewide, intelligence-led trust account operation - more than $200,000 in fines, 34 businesses on notice, and 41 overdue audits that only arrived once licences were threatened. The Supreme Court hands down its deposit flicking judgment, which says considerably more than the media statement announcing it.Also this week: a Victorian buyer left with a $32,000 termite bill, and a Facebook post the vendor wrote before she signed the Section 32. The RBA holds at 4.35 per cent while ANZ forecasts Sydney down 9.9 per cent across 2026. The Sydney Plan commences with one genuinely new idea buried inside it. A Canberra agent who slept rough as a teenager is trying to renovate twenty vacant public housing homes and have families in them by Christmas, while 588 sit empty and 3,650 people wait. And Peter reads REA's new AI Search Trends report properly, and finds the story is what isn't in it.Before the Weekend is a weekly podcast for Australian property professionals, hosted by Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade. New episodes every Friday.

A special edition of Before the Weekend, recorded in Brisbane.Peter Schravemade sits down with Peter Hutton, who built Hutton & Hutton from his dining table into a three-office, thirty-person Brisbane agency turning over $200 million a year - and then watched around 70 per cent of its revenue walk out the door in eight weeks.The first resignation arrived in the first week of December, a month after the opening party for a new heritage-listed head office. A second office followed six weeks later. Recruiters stopped returning calls. By his own account he spent that year asleep under his desk most afternoons, and signed the liquidation paperwork on the sixth of January with something close to relief.Hutton has since taken the business apart structurally and found six things that went wrong. They became his book, Keep 100% Of What You Earn, and he is unusually direct about all of them: the termination clause he wrote himself, the red flags he chose not to act on, the lease he should not have signed, the third office he opened too early, and the ceiling he hit as a manager of people.The conversation also covers what the industry does to its own - the rumour that circulated in New Farm, the creditor who built a website asking if anyone knew where Peter Hutton was hiding, and the envelope of white powder that put his family on a footpath for six hours while a hazmat team worked.His argument, borrowed from a wartime statistician, is that the industry studies the wrong businesses. The aircraft that came home taught the analysts nothing. It was the ones that didn't that showed them where to put the armour.If any of this lands close to home, the Rise Initiative's Real Care app offers free confidential sessions with a psychologist. Details and all links in the show notes.

This week on Before the Weekend, Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade dig into the Victorian petition to ban "continuous video sweeps" during rental inspections - and why the technology being described isn't what's actually happening - plus the data privacy questions nobody in the coverage thought to ask.Kasey sits down with Kasey Lawrence of The Rental Network - consultant, trainer, and the industry's unofficial agony aunt - on the "listen up" text message that mortified the internet, Victoria's prescribed rental application form, bond portability's teething problems, and why the money hiding in the average rent roll would shock most principals.Also this week: Cotality confirms the downturn has spread to Brisbane and Adelaide as the RBA meets Tuesday; REA Group grows earnings 15% on flat listings - and what that means for agents' and vendors' marketing spend; one year of CoStar-owned Domain, graded against the boardroom revolt in the US; whether off-market (or as Pete insists, "off-portal") sales have gone too far; the $52,000 strata levy letter no owner wants to receive; Peter's interview of the week with Ellis Taylor of Real Time; and The Block returns - along with the annual question of whether it helps or harms how Australians think about renovation.

A special edition of Before the Weekend, recorded in Sydney.Peter Schravemade is joined by Jacqui Barnes, Head of People and Growth at Laing+Simmons and author of the Women in Real Estate Insights Report, and Ellis Taylor, Director of Real Time Australia - the recruiter that Blackbird and AirTree name as their number one preferred talent supplier.Two months on from the report's launch, Jacqui returns with the person who is using her findings against the industry. Ellis is candid about it: the hardest stretch for a new agent is months six to eighteen, and that is precisely when he calls. "That's when I target them."Jacqui's response is that the industry has handed him the opportunity. Agencies spend seventy to eighty thousand dollars a year bringing someone up to speed, then make a judgement call at month nine on a two-year journey - without doing much to help the person get there.The conversation covers what the report found about the gap between the support leaders believe they provide and what their people actually experience, why tech sales retains people that real estate loses, how AI-driven talent engineering builds a personalised eighteen-month campaign around your best juniors, and what an agency has to do to make itself hard to raid.Both guests finish with something an agency owner can act on before Monday.Links, the full report and contact details for both guests are in the show notes.

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? [email protected]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 linkConsumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 PDF Available at the website: www.beforetheweekend.com

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.

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.

Episode DescriptionThis week on Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald unpack a week of significant developments across the real estate industry.The pair examine REA Group's new partnerships with major franchise networks including Harcourts and Ray White, and what it could mean for the future of industry data independence and the Real Estate Industry Partners (REIP) initiative.They also discuss signs of a changing market as listings begin to accumulate in parts of Australia, creating new challenges for agents and vendors alike. As market conditions shift, are we about to see the true value of agent skill and negotiation return to the spotlight?Victoria features heavily in this week's episode, with discussion around proposed reserve price disclosure laws, rental reforms, and concerns that new legislation could have unintended consequences for buyers, sellers and property managers.Other topics include:The Sydney Morning Herald investigation into agent review systems and pricing accuracyThe first major property-related AML/CTF prosecution and what it means for the industryWhether agents should be giving investment adviceThe role of reviews, ratings and consumer trustA lighter look at some of the more creative (and questionable) real estate advertising appearing onlineIf you're working in sales, property management, proptech or simply keeping an eye on the future of the industry, Episode 5 is packed with insights, opinions and discussion points to take into the weekend.

Ahead of her first visit to Australia for REIQ LIFT 2026, Peter Schravemade sits down with Miami-based REALTOR®, architect, technology pioneer and industry leader Ines Hegedus-Garcia.Ines shares her unique journey from architecture to real estate, explains why leadership starts with having "a seat at the table", and discusses the global challenges currently facing the profession.The conversation explores artificial intelligence, the future role of agents, and why leaders must resist what she calls "intellectual laziness" in an age of AI-generated content. Ines argues that authenticity, critical thinking and human judgement will become increasingly important as technology continues to evolve.She also offers a preview of what attendees can expect from her keynote at REIQ LIFT 2026 and discusses why Australia, the Great Barrier Reef and rugby are all on her must-see list.If you're interested in leadership, technology, innovation and the future of real estate, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

This week on Before the Weekend (Friday 5th June 2026), Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald tackle another big week of headlines across the real estate industry.The conversation begins with the rise of AI-powered prospecting after an ABC investigation into "Daniel", an AI sales caller allegedly contacting prospective property buyers. The pair discuss disclosure, transparency, and whether consumers really care if they're speaking to a machine.They then unpack a bizarre sign war playing out in Logan, where directional signs fitted with Apple AirTags allegedly led one agent directly to a rival agency's bin. Is it petty competition, social media theatre, or something more concerning?The discussion shifts to allegations of kickbacks in the strata management sector, exploring contractor relationships, procurement transparency, and whether reform is needed in building management and owners corporations.Also covered this week:Property management trust account fraud in New South WalesA Victorian agent fined over licensing and trust account issuesThe importance of due diligence when buying propertyA landlord's failed attempt to recover damage costs after missing a tribunal deadlineGold Coast rents overtaking SydneyThe impact of negative industry headlines on consumer trustPlus, Peter previews an upcoming Quick Bite episode with Miami real estate leader and REIQ LIFT 2026 keynote speaker Ines Hegedus-Garcia.AI Cold Caller "Daniel"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-02/real-estate-agency-spams-phones-with-fake-ai-salespeople/106732950Logan Sign War / Apple AirTagshttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/18wmQCvxpB/Strata Kickback Allegationshttps://apple.news/Amyw2SQC9QMex5V126N3tAwNSW Property Manager Trust Fraudhttps://www.realestatebusiness.com.au/property-management/31921-pms-reminded-to-be-upfront-after-landlord-loses-11-8k-in-damage-costsVictorian Licensing & Trust Account Breachhttps://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/latest-news/estate-agent-mark-reuben-sentenced-for-unlicensed-tradingDream Home Becomes Nightmarehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msMWxZiz7KwQueensland Property Power Listhttps://www.couriermail.com.au/Brisbane Court Matterhttps://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/top-harcourts-brisbane-real-estate-agent-james-francis-connors-charged-with-rape/news-story/077722f68cef9d8a411ee392fb7e6358

Episode 3: Housing Headwinds, Industry Change & The Future of Real EstateThis week on Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald unpack the biggest stories shaping the property industry right now.Fresh from AREC 2026, they discuss attendance, industry sentiment, and the conversations happening both inside and outside Australia's largest real estate conference.The centrepiece of the episode is an exclusive interview with Tim Lawless, Executive Research Director at Cotality, who shares his insights on housing affordability, rental pressures, investor participation, construction feasibility, and why Australia may be facing its most significant housing downturn in decades.Peter and Kasey also explore:The growing affordability crisis across Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.Why renters may have reached their financial limit.The unintended consequences of recent negative gearing and capital gains tax changes.The challenges facing first home buyers.Construction costs, labour shortages and housing supply constraints.What a changing market means for agents, principals and property professionals.The episode also features highlights from Peter's interview with Jacqui Barnes following the release of her groundbreaking Real Women in Real Estate Report. The discussion explores leadership, career progression, agency culture, retention, workplace behaviour, and the future of women in real estate.Whether you're an agent, property manager, business owner, investor or industry leader, this episode offers practical insights into the forces shaping Australian real estate today.

Leanne Pilkington - Leadership, Legacy, and the Future of Real EstateFresh from AREC and just days after receiving the prestigious REIA President’s Award at the REIA NAFE, Leanne Pilkington joins Peter Schravemade for a candid Quick Bite recorded at the Loose Moose on the Gold Coast.In this fast-moving conversation, Leanne reflects on the changing face of AREC, the influx of first-time attendees and New Zealand agents, and why industry recognition means more when it comes from your peers. She shares stories from her early days answering phones in her father’s real estate office at just 12 years old, through to becoming one of the most influential voices in Australian real estate leadership.The discussion also dives into:The evolution of women in real estate leadershipThe origins of Real Women in Real EstateConcerns around industry standards and bad behaviourThe importance of culture and choosing the right agencyWhy flexibility matters for retaining talentHer work with Head Start Homes helping people transition from social housing into home ownershipThoughts on legacy, leadership, and giving back to the next generationThis Quick Bite is honest, thoughtful, and packed with perspective from someone who has helped shape the Australian property industry over multiple decades.

In this Quick Bite episode of Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade sits down in Melbourne with Antonia Mercorella, CEO of the REIQ, for a timely conversation about the growing challenge of entering the Australian property market.Recorded in the wake of the Federal Budget, the discussion moves beyond politics and headlines to explore the real issues affecting first-home buyers, including housing supply shortages, financial literacy, lending complexity, rentvesting, and the confidence gap many younger Australians are feeling.Peter and Antonia unpack:Why home ownership feels further away for younger generationsThe importance of financial literacy and understanding lendingBuying with friends or family as a pathway into the marketRentvesting and purchasing outside preferred suburbsHow market data and technology are changing buyer behaviourThe role proptech tools can play in helping buyers prepare financiallyThe episode also references organisations and tools including the REIQ, REIV, and ScaleApp.A practical and grounded conversation for anyone trying to understand today’s housing market and find a pathway into home ownership.

REISA Revolution 2026 is fast approaching, and in this quick bite episode of Before the Weekend, Peter Schravemade catches up with Andrea Heading, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia.Andrea shares what attendees can expect from this year’s “Future Fit” conference, including a strong focus on AI, keynote speaker Professor Toby Walsh, dedicated sales and property management streams, and the networking opportunities that continue to make Revolution one of South Australia’s standout real estate events.If you’re in real estate, proptech, property management, or leadership, this is a great preview of what’s ahead at Revolution 2026 in Adelaide.Conference details via REISA Revolution 2026

Episode 2 of the Before the Weekend podcast dives into the biggest conversations shaping Australian real estate right now, recorded live from Melbourne ahead of the prestigious Austros and National Awards for Excellence.Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald unpack the role auctions play in measuring market confidence, the changing state of industry conferences like AREC, and what’s really happening behind the scenes across Australia’s real estate landscape.This episode also features exclusive interviews with:Jacob Cain, discussing housing policy, the Federal Budget, auction culture, industry advocacy, and the future of real estate professionalism in Australia.Anna Post from the National Association of Realtors, sharing insights into how the US real estate market operates compared to Australia, including buyer representation, MLS systems, and international collaboration opportunities.The episode also explores one of the biggest emerging stories in property technology:Google’s re-entry into real estate searchWhat it could mean for portals like REA and DomainHow AI-driven property search is changing consumer behaviourWhy agents need to start paying attention to who owns listing data, imagery, and digital assetsA candid, industry-focused conversation covering auctions, advocacy, proptech, conferences, portals, AI, and the future of real estate in Australia and beyond.

Episode DescriptionIn the inaugural episode of Before the Weekend, hosts Peter Schravemade and Kasey McDonald unpack some of the biggest issues currently impacting the Australian real estate industry.Joined by special guests Hayley Mitchell, Ashleigh Goodchild and Antonia Mercorella, the episode covers:Victoria’s new prescribed rental application form and the reaction from property managersWestern Australia’s rental reforms and the end of no-grounds terminationsThe federal budget, negative gearing and investor sentimentIndustry conduct, compliance and underquoting crackdownsConsumer trust, regulation and the future of real estate professionalismAML/CTF changes and what agents need to prepare for before July 2026A practical, fast-moving conversation designed to help agents, property managers and industry leaders head into the weekend informed and prepared.