In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

eXp founder Glenn Sanford hands global leadership to Leo Pareja

Glenn Sanford, who founded eXp in 2009, has handed the chief executive role at the group's Nasdaq-listed parent company, AGNT, to Leo Pareja. Leo has run eXp Realty since April 2024 and led the group's acquisition of NextHome, and took over on 8 October after a unanimous board vote. Glenn stays on as chairman. Leo says his focus is giving every agent the tools, technology and ownership stake to compete in an AI-native market. More here

REIWA Council elects Rob Mandanici as Institute's new president

REIWA has a new president. The Council has elected Rob Mandanici, who served as Suzanne Brown's deputy for the past two years, with Peta McKenzie elected Deputy President. Rob's background spans residential sales and residential and retail property management, and CEO Blaine Slater says his experience of legislative change in Victoria will help in understanding how similar reform could play out in WA. More here

Knight Frank appoints Ben Turner and Georgia McDonald to NSW team

John Brasier's NSW office leasing team at Knight Frank has two more signings. Ben Turner, most recently JLL's Head of Office Leasing, Sydney CBD, joins as a partner focused on major project leasing, large backfills and development leasing. Georgia McDonald comes from Cushman & Wakefield as associate director, with more than seven years in the Sydney CBD office market. Both start in early 2027. More here

Mark Murray joins LJ Hooker ahead of Margaret River expansion

LJ Hooker Property South West is heading to Margaret River, and Mark Murray is its agent on the ground. He'll work remotely in the region until new premises open next year, adding to principal Brent Spooner's offices in Bunbury, Busselton, Collie and Dunsborough. Mark started in real estate in 2012 after more than 15 years farming broadacre properties and running his own business, and sits on the REIWA Rural Committee. More here

Alessandra Knez joins Harcourts as property operations manager

Property management teams across Harcourts Victoria and Harcourts SA have a new support role to call on. Alessandra Knez is the new property operations manager for both, bringing 15 years in real estate and Property Management of the Year recognition in 2025 and 2026. She's also a certified life and mindset coach, and Head of Property Management Karmen Costigan says that focus on people will help offices build capability and confidence. More here

Raj Bhandari brings established Kellyville agency to First National

Raj Bhandari's Hills District agency now trades as First National Kellyville. The sales and property management business has run from North Kellyville since 2019, and Raj says clients will keep dealing with the same local people. What changes is the support behind them – training, technology, marketing and property management resources – with First National's cooperative structure a big part of the appeal. More here

LATEST ROLES

Chris Perrone joins Knight Frank's industrial tenant team

Businesses hunting for industrial and logistics space have a new adviser at Knight Frank. Chris Perrone has joined as Associate Director, Tenant Representation – Industrial, based in Melbourne, most recently from property and warehouse matching platform uTenant. Chris will work alongside Partner Richard Trumbull on site selection, lease negotiations, relocations and renewals, and brings more than a decade across commercial property, logistics and business ownership. More here

PRD Queanbeyan adds Adam Heading to its sales team

Local agent Adam Heading has joined the sales team at PRD Queanbeyan. Sales and Operations lead Martina Woodford says Adam has built a strong reputation across the region for his honest approach, market knowledge and long-term client relationships. He's seeing buyers do more research and focus on value, with Queanbeyan's affordability, lifestyle and proximity to Canberra still drawing local and interstate purchasers. More here

Dan White tells members Ray White has "more of the best"

Ray White's awards season has wrapped, with more than 5,500 members at eight events across Australia and in Auckland. In the spring White Report, Managing Director Dan White told members the events followed a record year for the group. By Ray White's own figures, 24 of Australia's top 100 agents by value of property sold are with the group – more than the next three brands combined. More here

Marcus Washington: Building freedom and flexibility in Pakenham

Marcus Washington's Area Specialist Solutions now owns its own factory. Five years after joining Area Specialist, Marcus has bought a factory outright and set up an office inside it, giving the Pakenham business room to grow. He now has two sales consultants and a property manager, the rent roll has gone from 30 to 110 properties in eight months, and he's aiming for 600 under management within five years. More here

REA Group's Excellence Awards mark a decade with 11 categories

REA Group's Excellence Awards are marking their 10th anniversary, and submissions are open until 11:59pm on Friday 6 November. There are 11 submission-based categories, from Rising Star of the Year to Most Influential Woman in Property, plus a data-driven Top Agent award that eligible customers enter automatically. Winners receive grants of up to $10,000, with finalists and winners announced in February. More here

Jellis Craig targets $100,000 in first Foundation Month

Jellis Craig is spending October raising money for the Jellis Craig Foundation and five charity partners, including LifeChanger, The Big Umbrella and The Lighthouse Foundation. Its first Foundation Month began with a fun run around Albert Park Lake on Friday 2 October, where around 300 team members turned out with families and pets. Staff are fundraising individually, every open for inspection this month carries donation materials, and the target is $100,000. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Troy McGuinness joins Colliers to lead ACT office leasing
• Richard Clucas, Michael Hallam join hohm Property Group as partners

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Five Queensland offices unite as Ray White Rural Condamine Group

Pittsworth, Warwick, Dalby, Chinchilla and Stanthorpe are now one business. Directors James Croft, James Arthur, Alison Jones, Lizzy Arthur and Sally Croft have brought their 35-strong team together as Ray White Rural Condamine Group, naming the new identity after the river that connects all five towns they serve. More here

Georgie Haug takes reins at Belle Property Samford

Belle Property Samford has a new leader and a new office. Georgie Haug, named Belle Property's number one agent nationally for GCI three years running according to the network, has taken over as the business moves around the corner from its old site, bringing more than 20 years of local market knowledge with her. More here

Rochelle Adgo named Ray White's number one salesperson

Three awards from one presentation: Rochelle Adgo topped Ray White's salesperson rankings across Australia and New Zealand for 2026. The Ray White Mitchelton agent also placed fourth for number of sales and took out the group's top Loan Market agent-to-broker referral award, capping a record year for the network. More here

Gary Gaurav launches C21 Aspire Group in Brisbane's north

Gary Gaurav has launched C21 Aspire Group, joining the Century 21 network across Brisbane's north. The group has offices in Albany Creek, North Lakes and Narangba, with a Fitzgibbon office opening, and pairs younger local agents with colleagues who have 25 to 35-plus years in the industry. Gary, nine years in real estate, says the move was about more than "changing a sign above the door". More here

Courtney Berry named Harcourts Victoria operations manager

Sales, property management, training, head office support – Courtney Berry has touched most corners of the business over the past decade, working across South East Victoria, inner Melbourne, the CBD and the Mornington Peninsula. She now steps into the Business Operations Manager role at Harcourts Victoria, covering for Bella Costikidis while she's on maternity leave.

Courtney will support the state's offices and teams, drawing on her operations and training background to help smooth out processes and day-to-day work. Harcourts Victoria CEO Adam Fiteni says her breadth of experience across the industry made her a strong fit for the head office team. More here

Peter Diamantidis opens ninth Ray White office in Quakers Hill

Quakers Hill now has a Ray White presence of its own, after Peter Diamantidis spent a year building a team there before formally launching under the brand. It's the ninth office for Ray White United Group, where Peter – 24 years in the industry, starting in property management at 15 – now oversees around 139 people, more than 4,500 managed properties and roughly 1,300 sales a year. A tenth office is already locked in for later this year. More here

Josh Wilson and Tara Apps launch Belle Property Echuca Moama

The Murray River town now has a dual-licensed team covering both sides of the border. Josh Wilson, born and raised in Echuca with 12.5 years in real estate and an average of around 85 sales a year, leads sales, while Tara Apps brings 12 years across sales, business development, property management and leasing to head up property management. Together they'll service residential, rural, lifestyle, small farm, commercial and industrial property across Echuca Moama for Belle Property's newest office. More here

Misal Patel and Khushi Shah to open Harcourts Para Hills

Two years ago, Misal Patel and Khushi Shah set out to build a business covering both sales and property management – since then, they've tripled their rent roll and built a solid local sales book. Misal brings more than 23 years in sales across India, New Zealand and Australia, while Khushi's background spans property development, investment and digital marketing. Now the South Australian pair are opening Harcourts Para Hills, bringing that full-service model into the network. More here

LATEST ROLES

New owners for Ray White Whyalla and Port Augusta

Darren Sherriff and Prue Duka are handing over the two offices they ran in tandem. Leah Kirk, Whyalla born and bred, started as a receptionist 13 years ago and takes over Ray White Whyalla next month, with her husband Jamie joining as auctioneer. Charmaine Budd, nine years with Ray White in Port Augusta, is now principal there as the office becomes a standalone business. More here

Cara Schwartz returns to Harcourts, joins Pinnacle team

A Queensland Rising Star of the Year title doesn't happen by accident – Cara Schwartz earned hers from the REIQ in 2023 after cutting her teeth at Harcourts, then striking out to build her own independent client base and team. Now she's back in the fold, joining Harcourts Pinnacle under managing director Johnny Linn, a relationship years in the making. More here

Bronte through and through – David Tyrrell of Ray White Phillips & Co

Nineteen years after starting in real estate on the eve of the Global Financial Crisis, David Tyrrell is still working the beachside suburb he grew up in. The Ray White Phillips & Co agent takes 160D Macpherson Street, Bronte, to auction on Saturday 17 October with a $10 million price guide, in a market where buyer's agents now sit in around half of his sales. More here

Dylan Choe joins newly launched Belle Property Epping

Sydney's north-west has a new local face at Belle Property – Dylan Choe joins the freshly launched Belle Property Epping, bringing more than 13 years across sales and off-the-plan projects, along with a client base and community ties built through years living locally in Ermington. Fluent in Korean and English, he'll work alongside the Belle Property Parramatta, Carlingford and Beecroft group as it extends its footprint into Epping, Eastwood and Ermington. More here

Harcourts Ulverstone and Penguin rebrands as Coastline

More than 15 years after opening their doors, Brad Reeves and Wendy Squibb have taken their Ulverstone and Penguin business into a new name and a bigger patch. Harcourts Coastline now covers a new Ulverstone office and a freshly opened Devonport branch, stretching the team's reach from Heybridge through to Hawley Beach. More here

Ray White team passes $265,000 raised for Giant Steps

Four years, 89,112,998 steps and still counting – Ray White Lower North Shore Group has passed $265,000 raised for autism support service Giant Steps through its annual 10KADAY campaign. Director Richard Harding credited the community behind the result, while client services manager Irena Allen led this year's leaderboard with 456,372 steps, averaging more than 15,000 a day. More here

Harcourts Local golf day raises $20,000 for Queensland charities

Mental health and youth housing just picked up a $20,000 boost, thanks to Harcourts Local's golf day. Business owner Jacqui Bartholomeusz saw 132 players and 148 attendees turn out for the Harcourts Local Cup, with proceeds split evenly between the Mental Awareness Foundation and The Lady Musgrave Trust – and one golfer from last year's event so moved by the cause they've since pledged a further $100,000 over two years. More here

Donations to double for one day in A Night Without Home

World Homelessness Day is next Saturday, 10 October, and the property industry's fundraiser for it, A Night Without Home, is open for sign-ups. You can donate, fundraise, sleep in the office or the car, or go without the comforts of home for a night. First AML, REI Astra and Bunnings pledged to match the first $75,000 raised on Double Donation Day. The campaign is run by A Home for All Foundation and backed by REA Group. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

A new COO and a $3b deal for Ray White Canberra

Nine years after her first day on reception, Georgie Parry has been named Chief Operating Officer of Ray White Canberra. Along the way she built the group's Customer Care model, its People & Culture function and its Social Media & Marketing division, work recognised with the network's Operational Excellence Award for 2025/26.

The group has also acquired Cream Residential. REIACT President Chris Wilson and his team join from 1 November, bringing roughly 380 managed properties built over 29 years and taking the group's residential portfolio past $3 billion. More here

Shane Kempton joins Elders as WA residential manager

Elders' WA residential network has a new leader shaping recruitment and agent growth. Shane Kempton joins Elders Real Estate as State Residential Real Estate Manager, bringing more than three decades across real estate leadership, business ownership and executive management, plus a stint with the Australian Army and work as a leadership coach.

He'll work alongside the existing WA leadership team on performance and capability development, part of what Elders describes as a period of expansion for the network. More here

Family-owned Townsville agency rebrands as First National

Thirty years after Helen Munro founded it, the Townsville agency she built has become First National Townsville, now led by director Tracy Crome and a 24-strong sales and property management team. Tracy joined the family business two decades ago, and says the move brings national marketing, training and compliance support while keeping ownership and decisions local. More here

Adrian William welcomes Simon Pilcher following Pilcher Residential merger

Annandale's Pilcher name has built two decades of trust – now it's merging into a bigger team. Simon Pilcher, who founded Pilcher Residential in 2012 with wife Terri and set suburb records across Annandale, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Petersham and Summer Hill, joins Adrian William as executive sales strategist, mentoring the next generation while continuing to serve the market he's led since 2005, backed by Adrian William's resources. More here

Jasmyn Calgaro named partner at Ray White Nepean Group

From a nine-person office to partner: Jasmyn Calgaro has been named business partner at Ray White Nepean Group, joining principals Mark Jennings and Tim Doyle at the helm of the western Sydney business. She started as a 19-year-old sales associate and settled more than 130 transactions last year, placing her among the top one per cent of Ray White salespeople nationally, according to the network. The partnership gives her a say in the direction of the group she's spent 11 years helping build. More here

Luke and Nikki McAuliffe open Harcourts Gungahlin | Belconnen

Canberra's north has a new local option – Luke and Nikki McAuliffe have launched Harcourts Gungahlin | Belconnen, bringing 20 years of combined experience across residential sales, property management, commercial leasing and high-end negotiations. Luke's business has grown largely on repeat clients and referrals, while Nikki's background spans real estate operations and property management. The new office will service Gungahlin, Belconnen and surrounding suburbs. More here

LATEST ROLES

Thomas Fuller brings a high-performance mindset to Ray White Phillips & Co

Before real estate, Thomas Fuller was chasing a professional rugby career through the NRL and Waratahs pathways, becoming a father at 20 and swapping the field for a carpentry apprenticeship and, eventually, property. Now 27 and raising three children, he's applying that same discipline at Ray White Phillips & Co, drawing on the eastern suburbs knowledge he's carried since growing up in Clovelly. More here

Edward Wright joins NAI Harcourts Pinnacle commercial team

Brisbane's Northern Trade Coast Industrial Corridor has a dedicated new face – Edward Wright has joined NAI Harcourts Pinnacle as a Commercial Sales and Leasing Consultant. Edward spent his career in hospitality management before the move, and says the operational pressure of running busy venues translates directly into the problem-solving and client results the commercial market demands. He'll now work alongside the Pinnacle team covering clients across Brisbane's northside industrial precinct. More here

WA's top real estate performers honoured at 2026 reiwa.com awards

Nearly 900 WA real estate professionals filled Crown Perth for the 2026 reiwa.com Awards, where The Agency topped the large office rankings for listings and value sold, and Ray White claimed the franchise and marketing group categories for 2025-26. Belinda Turner of Professionals Geraldton took out Rookie of the Year, and 170 salespeople were recognised for their results. More here

How one Harcourts office is supporting bereaved local families

A grant presentation in Clifton Springs is putting a spotlight on grief support for children across Victoria. Harcourts Foundation ambassador Sarah Joseph and Harcourts Victoria chief executive Adam Fiteni joined the Harcourts Drysdale team to hand over funding to Wombat's Wish, whose weekend grief programs and one-to-one counselling support bereaved children and families at no cost. The visit reflects the Foundation's ongoing support for causes close to home for Harcourts communities. More here

Barry Plant agent takes third Home for a Cure property to auction

Romi Sleiman is taking his third consecutive Home for a Cure campaign to auction for My Room Children's Cancer Charity, after first putting his hand up in 2024. The Barry Plant Craigieburn agent has a Donnybrook four-bedder listed with a $700,000 reserve, built by Henley on land donated by Satterley Property Group, going under the hammer on Saturday, October 3. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Francesca Gasteen confirmed as Allhomes general manager

The top job at Canberra's Allhomes is no longer temporary. Francesca Gasteen has been confirmed as general manager after holding the role on an interim basis since July 2025, bringing more than 20 years across real estate media, sales leadership and commercial growth to the permanent post at the Domain and CoStar-owned portal. More here

Mark Stewart named CEO in One Agency ownership handover

Ownership of One Agency has passed from founders Paul and Annie Davies to four members who built their careers inside the network. Mark Stewart takes on the CEO role, joined by Matthew Crockett, Aaron Blackburn and Adam Martin – the group behind a multi-office business they've grown within One Agency since 2017. Between them, they now take custody of a flat-fee network spanning more than 120 independent offices across four countries. More here

Shane Sullivan opens independent agency in Sydney's inner west

Sydney's inner west has a new independent name on the shop front. Shane Sullivan, who grew up in Concord and built his entire 18-year career in the area, has launched SULLIVAN, an agency pitched around giving agents their own profile rather than folding them into a corporate brand. Shane was previously recognised as Domain's NSW Rising Star, awarded to the state's best agent under 30, and says the new venture is built to let agents become known in their own right while still carrying an agency's backing. More here

Kenji Fukushima – turning service into Sydney's Eastern Suburbs' most loyal clients

Twelve years after starting Saturday opens for Alexander Phillips, Kenji Fukushima is now a standalone agent with his own associate, James Brady, as part of the founding team at newly launched Ray White Phillips & Co. Raised in Waverley, with a Bachelor of Business and a Diploma in Property Services, he's built a client base across Sydney's eastern suburbs on repeat business and referrals rather than one-off sales. He'll bring that hospitality-honed approach – eight years at the Swiss Grand and running events at the Hordern Pavilion before he ever got his licence – to the new office. More here

Knight Frank unifies Queensland valuation team under Matthew Ryan

South East Queensland clients now get commercial and residential valuation advice from a single desk. Matthew Ryan, who has been with Knight Frank since 2006 and has nearly 20 years' experience in the state, leads the expanded group, which brings commercial valuations in the region in-house for the first time – they were previously handled by another licensee. Arabella Briggs, James Steed, Brenna Smyth and Basil Simitci round out the team covering everything from industrial and retail to specialised hospitality assets. More here

REINSW crowns Peter Matthews with its top industry honour

REINSW handed out its 2026 Awards for Excellence at the Hilton Sydney, and it was Peter Matthews who walked away with the night's biggest prize. The former REINSW President has conducted more than 30,000 auctions across a career spanning three decades in sales, agency leadership and technology. He now serves as Group CEO and International Director for Century 21 Middle East Group, Australia and New Zealand, and took out the Woodrow Weight Award for sustained contribution to the profession. More here

LATEST ROLES

LJ Hooker's marketing overhaul lifts local leads by 85%

Stephan Gervois, LJ Hooker's general manager of marketing, has taken the network's brand campaign, The Difference, to a win in the Acquisition Marketing category at the 2026 Australian Marketing Institute Awards – the only real estate company recognised this year. Under his watch, the network says the campaign has driven an 85% jump in sales appraisal leads reaching local offices, with Stephan crediting the network's marketing team, its offices and agency partners Überbrand and Reload Media. More here

Exploration Day 2026: Celebrating the people behind the Explore Property network

Explore Property Whitsunday leader Steve Marks has picked up the Person in the Arena Award, the network's highest recognition, at this year's Exploration Day in Brisbane. The award, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's words on courage and commitment, capped a night that also saw Karyn Voevodin of Central Townsville sweep the sales rankings, topping both the GCI and total sales tables. More here

Melbourne and Perth commercial firms merge to form NAI Harcourts RPG

Two established Harcourts commercial names have combined – Romano Property Group founder Maurice Romano and NAI Harcourts Perth's Tony Romano have launched NAI Harcourts RPG. The pair reconnected at this year's Harcourts HX conference, and the new venture pairs two decades of Maurice's Melbourne projects with Tony's Perth business, the number one NAI Harcourts office for the past four years, according to the network.

The new business will initially focus on growing its Melbourne presence, with an eventual Perth footprint for RPG on the cards. More here

Amie Goddard joins Ray White The Bayside Group

Ray White The Bayside Group spent years watching Amie Goddard from across the fence. Now she's on their side of it, bringing more than 13 years in the Cheltenham and Bayside market and what the network describes as an Elite Performer reputation. More here

Harcourts Foundation grants $30,000 to PCYC North

Pauline Smith, Head of the Harcourts Foundation, has directed $30,000 toward PCYC North's Reset Opportunities for Youth program, which works with 10 to 18 year olds across northern Tasmania on confidence, resilience and vocational skills. Harcourts Tasmania Co-CEO Kate Littlejohn backed the funding as the Foundation opens a further $100,000 in grants for eligible charities statewide, with applications closing 3 November 2026. More here

Ray White NSW & ACT names 2025/26 award winners

More than 1,100 members and guests filled Sydney's International Convention and Exhibition Centre for Ray White New South Wales and ACT's annual awards, where Ray White Upper North Shore & Northern Beaches claimed the No.1 Business title for a fifth straight year under principal David Walker. Double Bay's Elliott Placks and Michael Krimotat took home the CEO's Cup, and Brendan Lappan topped the state's sales rankings with Ray White Macarthur Group. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Knight Frank returns to Tasmania in dual-branded McGrath offices

Two cities, two brands, one name at the top of both. Josh Hart has spent 18 years building a reputation in Tasmania's market, and now he's the one steering Knight Frank's return through the newly paired McGrath Knight Frank offices in Hobart and Launceston. More here

Robert Krnjeta launches Harcourts TWG in Melbourne's west

Robert Krnjeta's ties to Werribee run deep, and he's chosen the suburb as the base for his next chapter, merging Harcourts Melton and Werribee into Harcourts TWG with Petar Krnjeta, Rick O'Halloran, Reece Beckley, Martin Mintoff and Mark Mintoff by his side. He's framed the venture as one measured by people staying, not just offices opening. More here

Aurora Property adds award-winning duo to Lower North Shore team

Two decades of residential, commercial and off-the-plan sales experience sit behind Konstantin Melnikov's new title at Aurora Property, alongside a network of clients and referral business he's built over that time. Ferenc Goemoeri, who's worked with him since 2021 and came to Sydney from Hungary via London, joins him as they open Team Melnikov's doors in Neutral Bay from 7 September 2026. More here

Rob and Jacquie Horder open two new McGrath offices

Casino and Kyogle mark new ground for McGrath, with Rob Horder and Jacquie Horder putting 16 years of local dealmaking behind the launch. Nine staff join them from day one, covering a patch running from Nimbin to Woodenbong and down to Evans Head, with property management earmarked as the next build-out. More here

Scott McElroy takes out Belle Property network's top CEO award

Three offices, one CEO title. Scott McElroy has built Belle Property's Carlton, North Melbourne and Ascot Vale businesses into a combined operation strong enough to top the network's biggest annual honour, chosen from 215 offices and celebrated alongside standout years for the Northern Beaches and Cairns teams. More here

Shane Stone opens First National agency in Heathmont

A local kid made good, Shane Stone has swapped classroom lecterns for his own shopfront, opening First National Stone & Associates in Heathmont, the suburb he grew up in. Three decades of finance, property management and auctioneering experience, plus years teaching the next generation at Swinburne University, now sit behind one name on the door. More here

Tayla Long appointed Harcourts Tasmania operations manager

Tayla Long knows the Harcourts Tasmania network from the ground up, having spent her career at Harcourts Launceston building the relationships she'll now draw on statewide. She steps into the Business Operations Manager role this month, coaching business owners and their teams as the network leans further into promoting from within. More here

LATEST ROLES

Ray White NZ marks record market share at annual awards

A night in Auckland closed a year most agents would take twice over: Ray White New Zealand's 202 offices now handle one in four residential sales nationwide, its best share yet. Richard Thode's national top-salesperson award and Ray White Remuera's 12th straight office-of-the-year title were the headline wins, but it was Mary Taylor, Pat Taylor, Peter Best and Tony McPherson's life membership – recognising three-plus decades each of building the profession – that gave the room its quietest, proudest moment. More here

Adrian William gives its brand a refresh

That signature pink first turned heads last October, when Adrian William's Breast Cancer Awareness Month signboards raised $31,729 for Chris O'Brien Lifehouse. Designer Lyndal Harris of September Design Studio, who's shaped the look since day one, says that response is part of what convinced the agency to give the colour a permanent, larger role across every touchpoint. More here

Barry Plant careers night draws 173 registrations

Full circle moments don't get much neater than this. Alice Geddes once sat among the hopefuls at a Barry Plant careers night – now she's the one running them, and 73 people turned up to hers through heavy rain. Meanwhile in Warragul-Drouin, Candice Hill is proving the appetite for real estate careers isn't confined to the city. More here

For Zoran Solano, property has always been about the long game

Zoran's introduction to property came long before Hot Property Buyers Agency existed, watching his grandfather build a portfolio after migrating from Italy and collecting rent alongside him as a child. That lesson in patience still shapes how he runs the Brisbane business today. "The biggest lesson I think is that investing is for the long term, not get-rich-quick," Zoran says. More here

Rachel Buglisi – building success from the ground up in the Latrobe Valley

Eighteen and on reception is where Rachel Buglisi's story in Traralgon begins, but it's the years since that tell you who she's become. Repeat clients kept finding her through lockdowns, which is what convinced her to back herself independently. Now, with a full-time assistant supporting her and a CBD office in the works, she's turning what started as a leap of faith into a lasting practice built on trust. More here

Highland rebrands with a digital-first push for prestige listings

David Highland's Cronulla-based network is putting its new look to work over the coming year, with AI-assisted marketing at the centre of how it presents high-end property to buyers. Campaigns, digital platforms and communications will all carry the refreshed identity as the rollout continues. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

REA Group's marketing chief swaps Australia for the top job at Trade Me

After a decade shaping REA Group's customer and marketing agenda, our loss is NZ's gain. Kul Singh is heading home to lead Trade Me as CEO. He takes over from Anders Skoe, who wraps up seven years at the helm at the end of September, with Katrina Konstas stepping into Kul's former role at REA Group from 1 September. More here

Todd Alexander appointed CMO of Century 21, BHG

Todd Alexander steps into the role from 1 September, having spent recent years building out a 20-person marketing team as part of Ray White Group's Senior Leadership Group. His remit now stretches well beyond one market, covering Century 21 across Australasia, plus Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. More here

Valentina Parra named Ray White Victoria and Tasmania COO

Seventeen years after starting on reception in Queensland at 18, Valentina Parra now sits in Ray White Victoria and Tasmania's newly created COO seat. CEO Domenic Belfiore, who's worked alongside her for the past seven years, will lean on her to run the corporate team day to day while he chases network growth. Her own goal isn't just scale – it's leading on compliance and customer experience too. More here

Nima Aliasgary joins LJ Hooker as sales director

Nima Aliasgary's track record earned him Chairman's Elite Performer status and a top one per cent ranking among his former network's agents, according to LJ Hooker. Now he's putting that record to work as sales director alongside principals Kathleen Fairweather and Michael Ferguson, tasked with growing the Narrabeen and Forestville offices across the Northern Beaches and Forest areas. More here

O'Brien Real Estate unveils refreshed brand identity

Sixteen years in, Dean O'Brien is giving his network's visual identity its biggest overhaul since founding it in 2010, with new logo, colours and messaging landing across Victorian offices on 1 September. The refresh leans on people, connection and possibility as its guiding ideas. "We haven't changed who we are," Dean says. "We've created a brand that better reflects who we've become and where we're going." More here

Barry Plant reports growth amid softer Victorian market

Melbourne's median house price slipped 1.1 per cent over the year to June, yet Barry Plant's numbers moved the other way – listings up 16.1 per cent, appraisals up 12.8 per cent, and 245 agents crossing the $100,000 GCI or sales milestone. CEO Lisa Pennell points to it as evidence the network is building on a stronger base heading into the new financial year, not just weathering a soft patch. More here

REMAX Australia's RMX26 conference draws close to 200 members

Close to 200 REMAX members made the trip to the Sunshine Coast for RMX26, filling two days with sales and property management breakouts, a marketing panel led by Operations Director Josh Davoren, and a Q&A with the network's top auction performer, Henry Wong. Mat Steinwede opened proceedings with his story of adversity and reinvention, while D'Leanne Lewis, more than three decades into a career she says chose her, spoke on staying true to your own path. More here

Jellis Craig Port Phillip adds prestige experience with Hamish Palmer-Hill appointment

Hamish Palmer-Hill brings his prestige track record to Jellis Craig Port Phillip, an office building on roots dating back to the mid-1980s and leading the inner-south market since 2010. For Hamish, it's a chance to push his career forward at a moment he sees as one of genuine momentum in the area. More here

Jack Gilchrist – building a real estate empire in South Gippsland

Jack Gilchrist's path here wasn't a straight line – a law offer he turned down, then property management, then the sales listings other agents didn't want. Three years after that first slow start he sold roughly 80 properties in a single year, and by July 2022 he'd moved his Korumburra business under the Area Specialist banner. More here

LATEST ROLES

FOUNDIT strengthens Sydney Eastern Suburbs presence with appointment of George Goldsworthy as partner

George Goldsworthy holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and an MBA, credentials she's paired with a straightforward rule for clients: sometimes the best advice is not to buy. At FOUNDIT, she'll run acquisitions start to finish, from brief to settlement, for owner-occupiers, investors and developers across the eastern suburbs. More here

Rural group named number one in Ray White network

A goal set a year ago has now been delivered: James Croft, Sally Croft, James Arthur and Alison Jones have taken their group from three offices to five, with Warwick also landing ninth nationally. Their focus now shifts from reaching the top spot to holding it. More here

Harcourts Batemans Bay owners open second office in Narooma

Two locations, one team – that's the philosophy Omania Terry and Dene Lewthwaite are taking into Narooma, with Dene's 27 years in the industry and Omania's client-relationships background now stretching across southern Eurobodalla. "We've always believed that real estate is about people and relationships," Omania said. "Having a presence in Narooma means we can be even more accessible to clients across southern Eurobodalla, while still bringing the same team approach and local knowledge to everything we do." More here

Harcourts Property Specialists opens two new WA offices

Since 2003, Harcourts Property Specialists has built a property management book across Perth that now stretches to more than 30 years' combined experience, and this year has picked up Titanium Awards for growth and performance along the way. Four offices in, with Subiaco and Hopetoun now added and seven salespeople on board, Victor Paz says the team's confidence comes from having weathered every kind of market Perth has thrown at it. More here

Beau Miller takes over as principal of Whitsundays agency Taylors

Fifteen properties under her own name before she'd finished her twenties, then a stint overseeing thousands more for Elders across two states – Beau Miller has spent years building toward exactly this kind of call. She's now settled into the principal's chair at Taylors Property Specialists, a business she describes as her latest leap into ownership. More here

Harcourts Tasmania invites charities to claim $100,000 already raised

That $100,000 didn't come from a single cheque – it's the sum of countless charity auctions and property-linked fundraisers run by Harcourts Tasmania offices over time. Belinda Dowde is now steering it toward eligible groups before the 3 November deadline, with local presentations planned to mark where every dollar lands. More here

Ray White Queensland holds firm on targets after tough year

Three decades in, and the Max White Award finally has Leesa Paull's name on it. The Ray White Collective Group Operations Manager took home the network's top individual honour at this year's Brisbane ceremony, using her moment on stage to hand the credit straight to the admin teams and EAs she says make the results possible. More here

Rohin Arora – from early setbacks to $1 million at 30

One listing changed everything for Rohin Arora – a $350,000-above-reserve sale in Upper Ferntree Gully that he estimates generated around 50 further sales. That "incubation period" building his database from scratch has since paid off with a top 100 national ranking and back-to-back Agent of the Year honours across four suburbs. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers + Shakers…

TRG expands Eastern Suburbs footprint with acquisition of Express Realty

Robert Kogan built Express Realty into an impeccably run operation over 30 years before folding it into Gavin Rubinstein's TRG last month, a connection sparked by his son Frankie's role on Zac Rabin's sales team. The deal has pushed TRG's managed portfolio past 1,000 properties, with Jerome Srot's property management division now ten strong at the firm's Rose Bay headquarters. More here

Monika Doyle returns to Barry Plant as Chief of Staff

Monika Doyle's rebrand work earned her a name at Barry Plant well before this appointment, with two design award wins to show for it. Now, fresh back from maternity leave, she's taking on a newly created role at head office, tasked with tightening the connections between departments as the network pushes into its next growth phase. More here

Brett Reddell builds family succession plan at Area Specialist

Brett Reddell's turning point wasn't a market shift, it was a mentor helping him back his own judgement after a divorce that wiped out his savings. Six years on with Area Specialist across the Gold Coast and Logan, that self-belief is now the blueprint he's handing to Ethan Reddell, 20, over a staged three-plus-two-year handover. More here

McGrath extends into Campsie as growth corridor heats up

A decade on from launching McGrath Bankstown, George Kapos is putting down roots in Campsie, folding Heny Dao's local knowledge into the business as McGrath Inner Southwest takes shape. Between Chipping Norton, Berala, Campsie, Belmore and Punchbowl, the combined offices now oversee 2,000 rent roll properties. More here

Alexander Phillips launches Ray White Phillips & Co in Woollahra

Alexander Phillips describes the eastern suburbs market as increasingly selective, with clients wanting a clear point of difference – which is exactly what he's betting Ray White Phillips & Co delivers. Beyond the ledger, he's long backed his local patch, sponsoring Bronte Surf Life Saving Club, St Catherine's School and several junior sporting clubs in the area. More here

Real, REMAX Group marks global milestone

The ink's barely dry on the deal that closed August 24 in the US, but Joel Davoren isn't treating it as a turning point so much as a continuation. He's built REMAX Australia's reputation on independence and member-first thinking, and he's adamant that won't shift under the new global banner. More here

Ray White WA honours top performers amid market shift warning

Nine years in, Vivien Yap's Ray White Dalkeith | Claremont has now claimed the settled commission crown eight years running, with Vivien also taking Top Principal honours. Stephen Cole of Ray White Broome doubled up on sales awards, and Georgia Higgs and Doug Corby topped property management, as CEO Mark Whiteman pointed to listings up 300 per cent since Christmas as the challenge ahead. More here

LATEST ROLES

Ray White Core Group opens seventh Victorian office

Seven offices in, and Ray White Core Group is showing no signs of slowing across Melbourne's north and west. Anil Malik, Mark Srivastava and Dhaval Mehta have brought Sharath Rao on board as selling principal for Beveridge, backed by a full local team including Simran Kaur, Bhargesh Patel, Jaspreet Singh, Amit Asija and Mudit Mahajan – all chasing that 100-and-100 first-year target. More here

REIACT honours more than 30 Canberra real estate professionals

Thirty-two years running, REIACT's Awards for Excellence drew 400 people to Canberra this year, with the profession's biggest regulatory shake-up as the backdrop. Michael Ceacis and Jane Macken now sit in the Hall of Fame, Peter Walker picked up the President's Award, and Dan Hawcroft took the Achievement Award home. More here

Rita Kennedy returns to Ray White Maroochydore full-time

Sunday morning finds Rita Kennedy back where she started, three kids older and a Sunshine Coast market she never really left. She's chasing longevity this time, not just listings. "For me, success is about continuing to strengthen my place within the community, building genuine long-term relationships and creating a business that people feel confident coming back to," Rita said. More here

Jay Giblett says tougher markets reward trusted agents

Sixteen years in the same patch will teach you something about staying power. Jay Giblett has spent that time building what he says has been a market-leading presence in Endeavour Hills, and three years into his run at Area Specialist with Shenay Miller, he's banking on relationships over reach as conditions tighten. More here

Grace Anderson and David Sylvester open Ray White Katikati

Ten years building a name as Katikati's leading salesperson, and 25-plus spent coaching sales teams elsewhere – Grace Anderson and David Sylvester are pooling that experience under one roof at Ray White Katikati. Their first-year priority is straightforward: grow the team and expand the property management portfolio. More here

Ferntree Gully wins Ray White Vic/Tas top office for tenth year

A decade at the top doesn't happen by accident. Patrick McConnachie has built Ray White Ferntree Gully into a team that shows up every year and does the work again, from listings to auctions to everything in between. This time, he says, felt like the sweetest win yet. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Winning is just the beginning for Barfoot & Thompson

Peter Thompson didn't call last week's Auckland gathering a celebration lap. Fresh off honours as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, he used the room of 1,500 to lay out where Barfoot & Thompson still has ground to cover – commercial, rural, projects – and reminded everyone that 22,000 rental properties under management is a floor, not a ceiling. More here

Gavin Rubinstein hits Elite status six weeks into the financial year

For Gavin Rubinstein, the milestone sits alongside a bigger number: 13 straight years of Chairman's Elite recognition now within reach, a feat only five others in the network share. He built TRG from a boutique start-up in 2019 into a business spanning Rose Bay, Woollahra, Hunters Hill and Dubai. "On the days we miss, we learn and try to evolve our practice moving forward to ensure we continue to deliver premium outcomes for the people that we represent," Gavin said. More here

Beba Ramic joins The Agency WA

For Beba Ramic, real estate has always come down to people first – a philosophy shaped by her move from Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearly 20 years of building relationships across Perth's western suburbs. She's now settling into The Agency WA, still working the Mosman Park patch she knows best. More here

Geoff Grist joins Harcourts after 21 years in Mosman and Neutral Bay

Twenty-one years of buying, selling and managing property on the Lower North Shore has given Geoff Grist a level of local knowledge you can't fake. He's carrying that experience, and a two-decade habit of donating a Backpack Bed with every appraisal, into his new chapter at Harcourts. More here

McGrath partners with Hodges to expand Melbourne footprint

A 172-year run makes Hodges the oldest name in Victorian real estate, and now it carries a national badge alongside it as Hodges McGrath. John McGrath called the tie-up a chance to "preserve their great heritage whilst integrating their team into" McGrath's network, with Knight Frank's global reach thrown in for Bayside and Rye clients. More here

Ripple Wu brings Box Hill team to Jellis Craig

Box Hill's transformation into one of Melbourne's busiest metropolitan centres has plenty to do with why Jellis Craig wanted a foothold there. Ripple Wu, recognised for years on Australia's Top Women in Real Estate list, is the one delivering it, opening a second Whitehorse office and bringing her established local portfolio with her. More here

REIQ names 40 real estate professionals as Fellows

Forty Queensland professionals have picked up the FREIQ post-nominal this year, from Dean Yesberg in Brisbane's north to Steve Cordenos in Cairns. The REIQ Board reserves Fellowship for members who've clocked 15 years and kept a clean conduct record, with Gold Coast names like Ailsa Gould and Philip Game among the largest group honoured. More here

LATEST ROLES

Ray White South Australia and Northern Territory celebrate 2026 award winners

Justin Kurenda and Adam Keane have spent years building Ray White Glenelg | Brighton into the outfit that swept Adelaide's stage this month, and CEO Matthew Lindblom credited their "courage and conviction" in charting the office's growth. Justin called the recognition "extremely humbling," pointing to the team behind it: "You guys have got us to where we are today." More here

Highland Group honours staff at Crown Sydney awards night

Crown Sydney's Glittering Pearl Ballroom set the scene for Highland Group's tenth-anniversary-style celebration of loyalty and progress, with long-serving staff and rising performers both recognised on the night. Group General Manager John Schwarzer, Group Sales Manager Jaymie Kelly, Double Bay director Bill Malouf and COO Laura McKay were among those on hand as the group marked the culture behind its results. More here

Brisbane agent's charity event aims to raise $104,000 again

Sonya Treloar has spent nearly three decades turning a personal tragedy into practical support for grieving families, and her Hummingbird House fundraiser has become a fixture on Brisbane's giving calendar. This year's 25 September event will include first-hand accounts from families the hospice has cared for. She said one guest had written after losing a baby on the same date last year. "They want to be in the room to celebrate what Hummingbird House did for them and their family during such a difficult and sad time," Sonya said. More here

LJ Hooker names A Home for All primary charity partner

A four-year commitment now sits behind the partnership: LJ Hooker's network is putting its fundraising and volunteering weight squarely behind A Home for All through to 2028. Simon Heathcote takes the reins on coordinating that effort, with October's A Night Without Home campaign the first major test. More here

Building success through reputation in Leongatha

A decade in and Matt Redmond still isn't chasing appraisals – the phone does the work for him. Since joining Area Specialist fifteen months ago, he's leaned into a network of 14 agents stretching from Korumburra to Pakenham for ideas and shared leads, while keeping his Saturdays for opens and his year dotted with proper breaks. More here

Ray White Goulburn staffer to shave head for grandfather

When Robert's diagnosis came to light this year, Tamika Straney turned the news into action rather than sitting with it. Come 23 October, the Ray White Goulburn team member will front up at the office to have her head shaved in front of colleagues and locals who've helped push her fundraising past $6,000 on the way to $10,000. More here

O'Brien network honours top performers at annual gala awards

Beyond the headline results, O'Brien's gala also recognised the network's regional momentum – Warragul took out Number One Growth with a 50 per cent lift in sales revenue, David Clark earned the Agent Growth Award for more than 60 per cent growth, and Bairnsdale was named Franchise of the Year. Jae Lukey and Kayn Luff also picked up honours for business development and leadership respectively. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Jenna Wallace promoted to lead Knight Frank occupier platform
• Chantelle Walker and Derek Seth open Century 21 Rise in Gympie
• Cunninghams welcomes Claudia Macdonald to strengthen Forest area presence
• Patrick Bird named Elders NSW rural real estate manager
• Josh Rutman, Jesse Radisich join Knight Frank's Melbourne team

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Woodards chairman to drive 6,000km through outback for charity

This isn't John Piccolo's first stint behind the wheel for a good cause – last year's Bash left him with a memory of a young Indigenous boy's smile that he says still stays with him. That's what's brought him back for round two with "Lovers Not Mechanics", chasing his $5,000 target before the cars roll out of Victoria on August 18. More here

Michael Qader and Vincent Ianni's AQ Properties joins Harcourts

Michael Qader has spent more than two decades in Sydney's south-west, long enough to know the area beyond property lines and street names. That local grounding, paired with Vincent Ianni's grip on landlord relationships, is what Harcourts NSW chief executive Andrew McCulloch points to in welcoming Harcourts AQ to the network. More here

Pardeep Singh – taking calculated risks to achieve success

Before Area Specialist, Pardeep Singh was selling two or three properties a year with no real training behind him. A message to founder Michael Choi changed that. "The way he provided me the platform – it's changed my life," Pardeep said. Now with a rental division and a three-person team under him, he puts this year's growth down to one habit: showing up in Pakenham and Officer every single day. More here

Norman Tran promoted to associate director at Adrian William

Five years after swapping a short leasing stint for sales at a brand-new office, Norman Tran now sits at the table with the founders who took a chance on him. William Pereira puts it simply. "He's a giver," William said. Norman is already turning his attention to Madison Burton, James Zamagias and Jonathan Roseworn – the team he says made the promotion possible. More here

No two rural markets are alike, but the challenges often are

Three days in Albury-Wodonga, one clear takeaway for Rohan Ibbs: rural agents don't need identical playbooks, they need a room to swap what's actually working. The Muster's charity auction backed that spirit up with real money – $25,000 for the First National Foundation, with Yes Unlimited's homelessness work getting $10,000 of it. More here

Why Storyhouse treats social media as a sales tool, not branding

Before Storyhouse, Mark Josem spent two years running the top sales team across a 41-office corporate network, honing the negotiation instincts he'd first built leading a 65-person national sales team. Now operating from Hawthorn East, he's ranked number one agent locally for sales volume, according to realestate.com.au, with one Camberwell buyer purchasing sight-unseen after finding the listing on Instagram rather than a portal search. More here

Matt Johnson opens McGrath office in Traralgon

After 16 years building a career rooted in Gippsland, Matt Johnson now has a McGrath shopfront to show for it. His Traralgon team – Matt Fava, Ben Britten and Sam Shaw – picks up the Toongabbie to Jeeralang patch just as McGrath Research flags the region for its east coast sales growth. More here

Andrew and Tracey Macmillan join FOUNDIT buyer's agency

Three decades of prestige sales expertise and a medical technology founder's eye for detail now sit under one roof at FOUNDIT. Andrew Macmillan and Tracey Macmillan bring complementary strengths – his deep read of Stonnington, Sorrento and Richmond, her advocacy work across Stonnington and Boroondara – to a Melbourne buyer's agency built on research and negotiation support. More here

Sophie Desprez and team join Stone Southern Highlands

Eight years running her own franchise, and a client book stretching from Boxers Creek to Bowral, are what Sophie Desprez brings to her new home at Stone Southern Highlands. She joins George Kolovos and Alexander Kolovos with a phrase that sums up the move nicely. "The people, the passion and the local knowledge remain exactly the same. What we've upgraded is the toolkit behind us," Sophie said. More here

BresicWhitney launches financial wellness program for its people

BresicWhitney is treating money literacy as a genuine staff benefit this month, not just a perk on paper. Daren Chan has brought in Fox & Hare to run August workshops covering everything from super to investment planning, with the door open for staff to keep working one-on-one with advisers afterwards. More here

Why one Perth agent came back on his own rules

Nearly four decades in, Mark Anderson still turns up to meet the photographer himself. That instinct – staying personally in the room throughout a campaign – is what he credits most for the trust he's built, and why he now limits his client list to people who share it. More here

Alistair Boyle – finding freedom and family time in Casey-Cardinia

Alistair Boyle spent 23 years building a signage business before real estate ever entered the picture, starting the trade at 15. That grounding in running his own operation shows in how he's structured his Area Specialist business – 80 per cent referral-driven, with clients who've used him three and four times across generations. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Tony Chen joins Knight Frank's Western Sydney investment sales team

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Belle Property adds Macarthur team led by three principals

Three principals, one shared address book across Camden, Picton and Campbelltown – Luke Mannion, Anna Younan and Tanya Gilbert have spent years building local relationships across sales, rural property, developments and management. Now trading as Belle Property Camden | Picton | Macarthur, they're pairing that local depth with a national network behind them. More here

Peter Kladouris opens OBrien Real Estate Mount Waverley office

Sixteen kilometres from Melbourne's CBD, Mount Waverley has long been one of those quietly resilient pockets where trust matters more than flash. Peter Kladouris brings his local relationships and track record to a fresh OBrien Real Estate office there, with Dean O'Brien welcoming what he calls a strong alignment of values between the businesses. More here

Tom Gunness named Ray White Queensland's Head of Auctions

Three years ago Tom Gunness swapped selling for the gavel, chasing the buzz of the auction floor rather than the listing pitch. That instinct has now landed him a corporate seat, with Ray White Queensland handing him the Head of Auctions role and a mandate to mentor agents chasing genuine buyer competition statewide. More here

Jack Cole thrives with Area Specialist in Frankston

Jack Cole started out in Frankston real estate off the back of a podcast he heard at 18, and a decade on he's still known locally as the ute-driving agent who sells to everyday families. He's candid that going it alone with Area Specialist means generating every lead himself, but at 30 to 40 deals a year, he says the trade-off has paid off. More here

Harcourts Property Hub opens new office in Currumbin

Two years after joining Harcourts, brothers Dave Manby and Chris Manby have taken their expansion to Currumbin, rounding out a footprint that now stretches from Palm Beach through to Banora Point. Rather than pulling back amid market uncertainty, the pair say they're leaning into it. "We believe times like these create opportunities," Dave and Chris said. More here

Jason Cook joins The Agency in Geelong

Two decades in sales and service, eight of them dedicated to Geelong, have earned Jason Cook a reputation built on trust and tailored strategies rather than quick transactions. He's now stepping into the property partner role at The Agency, bringing that relationship-first approach to the brand's growing Greater Geelong footprint. More here

Barry Plant Mildura reshapes leadership as next generation steps up

35 years in business, and Barry Plant Mildura just recorded its best financial year yet. Rather than filling one gap left by Tense Venneri's move to head office, the team spread the load: Matt Mason now leads as Managing Director, Brenton Love has more sway over sales, Danica Leng handles the numbers, and Dominic Mezzatesta owns the socials. More here

LATEST ROLES

Ferguson, Fairweather directors rebrand Sydney agency to LJ Hooker

Two decades building a name on the Northern Beaches now comes full circle for Michael Ferguson, Lachelle Ferguson and Kathleen Fairweather, whose Forestville and Narrabeen offices are back under the LJ Hooker banner Kathleen's late husband Brian once flew. From here, it's about growing rent rolls and backing their agents to lead. More here

More Than 1,000 Food Items Collected as Urban Community Rallies for OzHarvest

By month's end, all those tins and cereal boxes tallied to more than 1,000 items, now heading to OzHarvest for distribution to charities across New South Wales. Katrina Tarrant, Urban Real Estate's chief executive officer, sees it as proof of what a real estate team rooted in its community can do beyond settlements. More here

Mike Hay and David Conolly launch Ray White Noosa

What drew Mike Hay and David Conolly to Ray White wasn't chasing something new – after 15 years building their name in Noosa, it was culture. Mike points to Ray White's capital city databases opening Noosa listings to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane buyers, while David says the long tenure of staff at head office sealed the decision. More here

David Hayden takes ownership of Stone Forest office

David Hayden went to school in the Forest and never really left, building relationships there for two decades before he became an owner rather than just an agent. Now he's steering Stone Forest into its next phase, with local hiring high on the agenda. More here

Ray White's high stakes negotiation training blows 700 members away

Dan White called Victoria a return act for good reason – he says the network's people were "blown away" by her session two years ago, and this second run drew more than 700 members. Her core lesson landed again: negotiations succeed when you focus on the other side's needs, not your own. More here

Daniel Robinson – building an attraction business on the Mornington Peninsula

Two and a half years after moving to Area Specialist, Daniel Robinson has turned steady growth into the numbers to back it up – and a renovated home in Mount Martha to show for it. He's now leaning further into the model that got him there, marketing hard and turning away listings that don't fit. More here

Harcourts leaders launch podcast on business planning and data

Nothing says Sunday morning like a podcast title that doubles as a dress code. Mike Green and Nick Jewitt have already banked three episodes, with more recorded and ready to roll, promising the kind of honest, after-the-meeting talk about leadership and data most webinars never quite get to. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• PRD Tamworth extends its footprint into Gunnedah
• Phil Crowder and team join TOOP+TOOP in Adelaide Hills

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Bathurst teen fast-tracks real estate career through school

While his classmates clock up part-time hours elsewhere, Jayden McGrath has spent his final years of school picking up something rarer: a head start on a real estate career. By the time he leaves St Stanislaus College, he'll walk out with a Certificate III in Real Estate Practice already in hand, thanks to a traineeship he pursued himself at LJ Hooker Bathurst. More here

Meet Showtime – the property manager who wrestles on weekends

Wrestling actually came first for Sean Thompson – he grew up watching it in Newcastle before real estate entered the picture. He waited until he was 27, mid-lockdown in Melbourne, to finally step into the ring, and four years and four promotions on, his Ray White Southbank team is still turning up in custom shirts to cheer him on. More here

REMAX gathers top property managers for Platinum Plus forum

Now in its third year, REMAX's Platinum Plus Forum has become a fixture on the property management calendar, and this year's Bougainvillea House gathering leaned into the human side of the role. Josh Davoren framed it as recognition for a profession he says keeps businesses running, with Ashleigh Goodchild, Sadhana Smiles and Colleen Callander unpacking service, resilience and leadership for the 40-strong crowd. More here

Ray White duo open second office in Hallett Cove

Three years after opening Ray White Woodcroft together, Pete Fallon and Cain Dover are putting down a second flag, this time on the coast at Hallett Cove. Cain will lead the new office, with the pair betting that families upgrading between the foothills and the sea will keep choosing them for both moves. More here

Cunninghams comes home to Dee Why

Cunninghams has staffed Dee Why deals from Balgowlah and Avalon Beach for over three decades without ever putting down roots there. That changes now, with John Cunningham fitting out a dedicated space in the suburb's centre with Alinea. “It’s an investment in our people, our clients and our future,” John said. More here

Ray White Canberra hits 22 acquisitions with latest deals

Sixteen years, 22 businesses folded in, and Ben Faulks still calls each one an honour rather than a transaction. This time it's Boris Property, Morrell Property and Sadil Quinlan joining the fold, pushing Ray White Canberra past 150 people and one in four auctions in the capital, according to the group. More here

Charity home auction raises $1.06m for domestic violence survivors

Four registered bidders pushed hard on a brand-new Banya home this month, knowing every dollar above reserve was headed straight to families escaping domestic violence. Jodi Price, principal of LJ Hooker Mooloolaba | Mountain Creek and a SunnyKids board member, took it to $1.06 million under the hammer, funding six transitional townhouses and continuing her office's 12-year run of fundraising for the charity. More here

Harcourts Foundation names its first Sneaker Day winners

Corporate shoes stayed in the cupboard across Harcourts offices for a good cause, and Wendy Lenaghan and the team at Harcourts Broadbeach | Mermaid have taken out the inaugural Sneaker Champion title. Aimee Garside of Harcourts Dapto, Harcourts Melbourne City, Harcourts Alliance and Harcourts Mandurah also picked up category wins, in a fundraiser for homelessness charity Orange Sky. More here

LATEST ROLES

Virender Kaindal launches First National Empire in St Albans

St Albans has a new independent player in Melbourne's western suburbs. Virender Kaindal, who moved into real estate in 2019 after running his own hospitality business and building experience across several agencies, has launched First National Empire, offering residential sales, property management, commercial, rural and lifestyle services, and auctions across the region. More here

43 agents hit Altitude status at The Agency this year

Altitude status at The Agency now requires $1 million in GCI or 76-plus settlements, and 43 agents cleared that bar this year – more than double the 20 who managed it back in 2023. Andrew Jensen points to the 27 who also posted personal bests as proof the growth is compounding, not just recruitment-driven. More here

Carmen Christie builds success on honesty and expert negotiation

Twenty listings at a time, decades of negotiation runs from Cairns to Warragul, and a reputation for telling vendors the truth even when they don't want to hear it – that's the track record Carmen Christie brings to her move to Area Specialist. The Victorian agent, who covers the patch from Drouin to Trafalgar, made the switch last year chasing more time for her clients and less time on admin, and says the change has delivered both a better lifestyle and stronger results. More here

Harcourts Foundation grant helps Smart Pups raise $35,750

A sold-out Winter Gala at Maroochy RSL has raised $35,750 for Smart Pups, marking 15 years of the Sunshine Coast charity pairing assistance dogs with Australian children living with autism, epilepsy, diabetes and mobility challenges. The Harcourts Foundation's $13,000 grant helped bring around 200 guests together for the night, with funds going towards breeding, training and placing the charity's next assistance dogs. More here

David Lu: Building a team-focused real estate business in Melbourne's west

Eight years running as Cairnlea's top-selling agent gave David Lu the track record – now he's building on it as co-owner of Area Specialist Brimbank, launched with business partner Nick Makroglou just over a year ago. The team of seven has already notched up more than 100 sales, and David's multilingual work with the area's Vietnamese community remains central to the business. More here

Harcourts agents prospect through winter to build spring pipeline

This year's Dial Hard 2 challenge crossed the Tasman for the first time, with hundreds of Harcourts consultants and property managers on both sides taking part. Honours went to Harcourts Launceston and Harcourts Macktown, David Hernyk, Nutrien Harcourts Tenterfield, Kim Robinson, Harcourts Napier, Aidan MacMillan, Harcourts Tauranga Property Management and Jenny Harris, but Adrian Knowles said the real win was watching agents build winter habits ahead of spring demand. More here

Barry Plant directors focus on strategy as AML deadline passes

With the AML deadline now behind them, Barry Plant's directors used their annual Leadership Conference to look further ahead, turning attention to strategy rather than compliance. Timing the gathering around the launch meant the new rules landed as a non-event, leaving the room free to talk growth instead. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Raine & Horne Great Southern named as top-performing rural WA office
• Samuel Johnson joins Melbourne Sotheby's International Realty in Macedon Ranges

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Jay Papasan steps down from Keller Williams

Perhaps best known globally as the co-author of the bestselling book The ONE Thing, Jay Papasan is closing a massive 26-year chapter. When he joined Keller Williams in September 2000, the company had 27 employees and fewer than 7,000 associates. By his final day on August 1, it had grown into what he describes as the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count – with Papasan having shaped its research, publishing and coaching arms along the way More here

The strategic shape-shifter – why Laura Langford embraces the 'curly' deals

Laura Langford didn't set out to specialise in receivership sales or offshore buyer campaigns – she followed the energy, moving from Brisbane residential into Gold Coast commercial dealmaking with Chinese and Malaysian investors, then back into residential when that's where the momentum sat. That instinct now shapes her work across Republik Property and Ras360. More here

Brent Harriage and Janine Pepyat open First National Prom Country

Meeniyan's newest independent agency brings two locals full circle. Brent Harriage, with a quarter-century in South Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley, and Janine Pepyat, 14 years deep in residential and commercial property, have put their names to First National Prom Country – with Brent back where his First National story started, in Mirboo North. More here

Sam Thompson joins Ray White Northern Beaches

As a lifelong local, Sam Thompson has spent years building his name around Bayview and Church Point before this move. Now at Ray White Northern Beaches' Mona Vale office, he's pairing that neighbourhood knowledge with a much larger network's reach. Managing director Charles Caravousanos put it simply: "Sam's local knowledge combined with the resources of the Ray White Group means Bayview and Church Point sellers now have access to a level of service that wasn't available to them before." More here

LATEST ROLES

BresicWhitney named Sydney Contemporary's first real estate partner

Ten years of Sydney Contemporary, and BresicWhitney's tie to it now has a formal title. Will Gosse, the group's CEO, says the connection is about being part of the city's culture rather than watching from the sidelines. Fair director Zoe Paulsen welcomed the new arrangement, noting art and real estate share the same goal. "Both are ultimately about creating a sense of place, connection, and identity," Zoe said. More here

Ellis Schofield marks a year building his own brand at Area Specialist

One year in, Ellis Schofield says the freedom to run things his own way has paid off in ways he didn't expect – faster decisions, systems built around his clients, and a business that finally looks like his team rather than someone else's playbook. "Just having that flexibility has made a massive difference on our lives," Ellis said. More here

Sam Lawley, Jeroen van de Peppel join Ray White leadership team

Perth's newest GM didn't need much convincing – Sam Lawley calls the Dalkeith Claremont opportunity a rare one, packing up from Adelaide after meeting a leadership team he says shares his values on people and performance. Jeroen van de Peppel, meanwhile, swaps supporting the industry from the sidelines for working inside it, bringing 17 years' experience including negotiating Subiaco Oval's naming rights during his Domain years. More here

Adam Alexander joins The Agency on Mornington Peninsula

Quarter of a century on the Mornington Peninsula has taught Adam Alexander a thing or two about calm negotiation and reading a room, skills that have earned him a string of sales and auctioneering awards along the way. Now at The Agency, he's keen on building out the local team, with wife Hollie already on board and immersed in the community. More here

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Vivien Yap and Hayden Groves merge WA real estate businesses

Vivien Yap and Hayden Groves aren't strangers to WA's top tables – Vivien as the network's biggest Perth owner, Hayden as an award-winning leader in his own right. Now they're combining forces with Breanna Ridge-Singh, who'll co-lead alongside Vivien, folding sales, auctions and property management into one leadership team built for what's next. More here

Tony Sesto appointed CEO of Buxton Real Estate

Buxton's next chapter has a familiar theme running through it – customer experience – just delivered by someone new to real estate. Tony Sesto steps in after two decades building high-performing teams at BMW, Honda and Marshall White, with a brief to guide the group through its next stage of growth while leaning on 165 years of community trust already banked. More here

eRealty names Paul Tyrrell as new chief executive

Paul Tyrrell has spent his career on the commercial and partnership side of property technology, most recently with View Media Group. Now he's taking the top job at eRealty, tasked with bringing the company's various platforms – built by founder Troy Rushton since 2020 – together under one network. More here

Richard Shalhoub to lead new Agency team in Sydney CBD

Richard Shalhoub steps into the top job for The Agency's freshly assembled Sydney CBD operation, bringing a track record CEO Matt Lahood pegs at more than $2 billion in sales. He'll run the five-strong crew – Richard Scholl, Lisa Dwyer, Emma Vadas, Leah Atley and Yianni Pikos – out of Millers Point, Barangaroo and Surry Hills, with a commercial management division reportedly next on the cards. More here

From marine biology to real estate success through community service

Before real estate, Rachel Lawrie was on call around the clock as a marine biology consultant to the fishing and aquaculture industries – a pace that didn't work for a single mother of two. Thirteen years and roughly $750,000 in community contributions later, she's building Stadium Real Estate as what she calls a "petite boutique agency", with her daughters now on board. More here

Rachael Campbell joins FOUNDIT as Noosa partner

Noosa's coastal-to-hinterland market now has a dedicated buyer's advocate under the FOUNDIT banner – Rachael Campbell has joined as Partner. She brings more than two decades buying, renovating and investing in property across Noosa, the USA and Indonesia, working with everyone from owner-occupiers to interstate relocators. She'll run acquisitions end-to-end, from sourcing through to settlement, with access to off-market and pre-market opportunities via her local network. More here

How Leo Edwards built a reach to rival the portals

Twenty listings, one principal, and a database north of 30,000 – that's the model Leo Edwards has built at Inverloch 3996 @realty on Victoria's Bass Coast. The sole agent skipped the shopfront entirely, instead building a standalone website for every listing and a two-week pre-market campaign that adds hundreds of buyer contacts to his list with each new release. More here

Scott Dolce joins Belle Property network as Academy Manager

Scott Dolce's path to this appointment wasn't linear – leasing, property management, BDM work, sales and running his own business all fed into it. That range now underpins his new remit training and coaching agents across Belle Property, Hockingstuart and Acton | Belle Property nationally. More here

Ayesha Shahnawaz returns to Harcourts to launch Harcourts Infinity

Balcatta has a new six-person office, led by a familiar face for Harcourts. Ayesha Shahnawaz started her career with the network as a property manager, then spent years building her own agency, Paradise Pulse Realty, before deciding to return. She's launched Harcourts Infinity, bringing four sales professionals and a virtual assistant to service Perth's northern suburbs from Balcatta Road. More here

LATEST ROLES

Belle Property Mornington and Mount Eliza opens third office in Seaford

Seaford now has a Belle Property office of its own, as principals Brett Trebilcock and Bill Joycey extend their Mornington and Mount Eliza business along Melbourne's Bayside corridor. Joining them as partners are general manager Erin Winch, head of property management Alistair Shearer, and licensed sales agent Billy Dhandwar, rounding out a five-strong leadership team across the three offices. More here

Barry Plant Berwick raises $72,000 for Make-A-Wish

Five agents, one trivia night, and a record for Make-A-Wish Australia: Barry Plant Berwick's sold-out fundraiser at Beaconsfield's Pink Hill Hotel pulled in $72,000, which the charity says is the biggest amount ever raised by a single community event. Director Hayley Taufa said the push was personal, sparked by colleague Candice Hill's nephew Logan and his own wish granted through the charity, and the office already has next year's event on the calendar. More here

Stone Real Estate acquires Central Coast rent roll, relocates Wyong office

Wyong's Stone Real Estate office has moved into bigger premises, a sign of how quickly principal Abdullah Choudhari's Central Coast business is growing. The expansion follows Stone's acquisition of the rent roll from Brand Property The Entrance, built by the Lamont family over years of local service. The combined team now taps Stone's wider network across the region. More here

Harcourts Foundation backs Perth choir and Orange Sky fundraiser

Kobe Rae, Harcourts' Head of Auctions, traded his usual listing day patter for a charity gavel this month, running the auction at Brisbane's Vanloads of Hope event and helping push the night's takings past $53,000 for homelessness charity Orange Sky. It's the kind of volunteer turn the Harcourts Foundation likes to back, alongside a fresh grant for Perth Harmony Chorus, the 40-year-old a cappella group also supported this round. More here

Bec Turner joins First National Cleveland as BDM specialist

Twenty-three years into a property management career, Bec Turner is back where she started, bringing her portfolio-growth expertise home to Redlands. First National Cleveland gains someone as focused on mentoring the next generation of BDMs as she is on the numbers. More here

Northern Beaches trio joins Ray White

Between them, Kylie Segedin, Melissa Pease and Josephine Cowling have spent decades as fixtures of Mona Vale's property scene, guiding generations of local families through sales long before "team culture" became a talking point. They've now brought that history, and associate Luka Valkovic, to Ray White Northern Beaches, where directors Charles Caravousanos and David Walker say the trio's local standing and performance will lift what the office can offer the community. More here

Mark Josem launches new Melbourne agency Storyhouse Real Estate

Six months in, Mark Josem's bet on story-led campaigns is paying off – realestate.com.au has him ranked number one in Hawthorn East for both sales volume and median price, with listings drawing more than double the average enquiry rate. It's a fresh chapter after more than a decade building a top-ranked sales team, and a pre-real estate career leading a 65-person national sales operation. Storyhouse Real Estate now runs from Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, with English–Mandarin auctions among the tools setting its campaigns apart across Boroondara and Stonnington. More here

Would rather be right than first – BresicWhitney's AI approach

Ninety days of mapping workflows before touching a single tool – that's the pace Will Gosse has set as BresicWhitney partners with AI adoption agency allgenai. The CEO wants property management, sales administration and buyer and seller communication understood first, so any technology serves the people running the business, not the other way around. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• New buyer's agency targets renovation and distressed properties
• Justin Nickerson returns for third House For Life auction

And finally…

In this week’s edition of Movers +Shakers…

Gemma White: Building success through authentic relationships

Twelve years learning the rental side of the business gave Gemma White a grounding most agents skip, and it shows in how she talks numbers with buyers today. Now approaching five years in sales at Professionals Vertullo Real Estate, she's carved out a genuine niche across Hope Island and Runaway Bay, owning five investment properties there herself gives her advice on the ground weight. More here

Ayden Vojnic joins LJ Hooker as growth manager

Ayden Vojnic brings a background in recruitment and broker performance from his time at Aussie Home Loans to a new growth manager role at LJ Hooker. He'll focus on building the network's footprint across Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. More here

Urban Real Estate offices become OzHarvest food drop-off points

Katrina Tarrant is turning Urban Real Estate's office network into a community food bank this winter. As CEO, she's partnered with OzHarvest to open every branch across the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra as a drop-off point for non-perishable donations, twice weekly, supporting families facing food insecurity. More here

Lukas Pedder to lead new McGrath office in Mildura

Mildura's property market is drawing fresh attention from investors and buyers' agents, with McGrath Research ranking it 11th out of 191 east coast markets in March 2026. Lukas Pedder, who has worked in the region since 2016 and previously sold real estate for McGrath in Melbourne, has been appointed principal of the network's new Mildura office, running both sales and property management. More here

Harcourts Australia, NZ face off in Dial Hard 2

Come 28 July, Harcourts teams on both sides of the Tasman will spend three hours seeing who can book the most appraisals, with New Zealand stepping into its first Dial Hard after Australia's earlier win. Adrian Knowles and Bryan Thomson lead their respective countries into the contest, with spring pipelines – and bragging rights – on the line. More here

BresicWhitney bolsters commercial team with two appointments

Two decades across commercial property has led Tony Youssef to BresicWhitney, where he takes on the Commercial Manager role. Michael Lahood joins as Commercial Associate, bringing a background in business ownership to the team. The pair will help lead BresicWhitney's commercial division, which manages a portfolio the group describes as spanning 5,000 properties. More here

Harcourts Foundation grant to fund 1,700 meal packs

Lynne Davis has spent more than 15 years working in the not-for-profit sector, and five years ago she launched Koala Kids' Back Packs Inc to help Adelaide children facing food insecurity. The volunteer-run charity has now received a $5,000 grant from the Harcourts Foundation, funding more than 1,700 emergency meal packs for children across the city's north suburbs. More here

LATEST ROLES

Samantha Self joins REMAX Select as general manager

A known face around Mackay's retail scene, Samantha Self is swapping shopping centre management for real estate leadership, taking the general manager's chair at REMAX Select. Principal Nikita Kinnane picked her for shared values around trust and integrity as much as her business background. "I'm excited to take on the role of general manager and work alongside Nikita and the entire team at REMAX Select," Samantha said. More here

Harcourts adds Glenfield and Austral to NSW network

Babu Pokhrel, Ish Khanal and Min Bhusal have spent years building a Southwestern Sydney agency on trust and local reputation. That business now trades as Harcourts Glenfield & Austral, joining the brand's New South Wales network with access to its systems, technology and international reach. The office services Glenfield, Austral and surrounding suburbs, an area seeing strong infrastructure investment and population growth. More here

Sam Borg named director of Ray White Woodside

At 27, Sam Borg has spent six years building his career with Ray White, earning back-to-back Elite status before stepping into business ownership. He's now been named director of the newly launched Ray White Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, taking charge of sales and day-to-day management alongside Ryan Keatley, who steps into an advisory role focused on operations. More here

Belinda McLachlan joins Harcourts Pinnacle in Brisbane

Northern Brisbane's Lawnton and surrounding suburbs have a dedicated specialist again, with Belinda McLachlan taking on the role at Harcourts Pinnacle. She's been in the industry since 2015, building a client base across Moreton Bay on campaigns ranging from waterfront homes to lifestyle acreage. At Pinnacle, she'll lean on that local track record with the backing of a growing Queensland team. More here

Volkan Akintetik and Reece Caira join LJ Hooker network

Berkeley Vale has a new LJ Hooker office, and it's owned by two agents who built their names locally first. Volkan Akintetik and Reece Caira, consistently ranked among the Central Coast's top performers according to LJ Hooker, have stepped up from sales into business ownership, filling what the network calls the missing piece in its corridor market presence. More here

Rick Schultz opens Ray White Albert Park

Rick Schultz spent seven years building his name at Ray White Port Adelaide before deciding it was time to run his own show. He's now hung out his shingle at Ray White Albert Park with a five-strong team, including sister Rayme Truong as office manager, with the first year earmarked for building local market share and community roots. More here

ALSO, DID YOU MISS…

• Sotheby's buys $13.5 billion western US luxury collective
• Andy Bui named principal of Century 21 Property People
• Jacob Siever joins CBRE as senior negotiator
• Rob Gillies to head property management at RT Edgar Stonnington
• Christie's International Real Estate opens new South Coast prestige team
• BigginScott Manningham relocates to new Doncaster East office
• PRD-Colliers dual-brand partnership marks 20 years

And finally…