

Thought Leaders – Real Estate Re-imagined (formerly The Elevate Podcast)
Elite Agent
Thought Leaders – Real Estate Re-imagined spotlights the outside-the-box minds rewriting how property is sold, leased and managed worldwide. Host Samantha McLean, editor of Elite Agent, shares frank, inspiring conversations with real estate practitioners as well as founders and entrepreneurs from outside the industry. Expect actionable playbooks on AI-powered prospecting, climate-change resilience, brand storytelling, next-gen leadership and talent retention. Each episode distils data and tactics you can apply immediately—whether you’re chasing your first million in GCI, steering a multi-office network or craving a better work-life balance. Subscribe to reimagine what’s possible and thrive in real estate’s new era.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 15, 2020 • 34min
The 2020 property market in perspective: Dr Nicola Powell
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
As Domain’s senior research analyst, Dr Nicola Powell is the leading force behind the property portal’s detailed data reports.
This year, in addition to general market insight across a range of media, she’s been instrumental in delivering property market data that takes a deep-dive into the impacts of COVID-19.
In this podcast, Nicola shares her expert insight into the property market shifts of 2020, including where we are now and where we’re tipped to go from here.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Nicola also discuss:
A very unique year
Why armageddon never happened
Reasons for resilience
The rental market
The regions
Regions and rental prices
The migration of residents
What we want from our homes
First home buyers
Advice for agents
The million dollar question
Last words of advice
Links and resources mentioned
First-Home Buyer Report 2020
Q3 2020 Rental Report
Q3 2020 House Price Report
Dr Nicola Powell on Elite Agent
The harder the lockdown, the faster the property market recovery
Connect with Dr Nicola Powell
Website
LinkedIn

Dec 11, 2020 • 28min
Patience, purpose, and pipeline: How Jason Roach secured success
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
Sydney agent Jason Roach has clocked up some pretty impressive success as an agent, auctioneer and principal after making the transition from the banking sector.
After joining the real estate industry in 2014, Jason quickly achieved double centurion status with C21 and more recently became a property partner with The Agency.
In this episode Jason shares the story of how he came to be in real estate and his tips for prospecting, along with why it’s imperative to be patient and have faith in yourself.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Jason also discuss:
A back to basics approach
Insight from a banking career
Trust and Jason’s first listing
Starting his own business
COVID and going back to the start
Managing the leadership dynamic
Trusting the process
Every auction is an interview
It’s the outcome that matters
Building a database
From novice to top performer
Listing presentations and appraisals
The structure of Jason’s day
The move to The Agency
Goals for 2021
Links and resources mentioned:
Tom Panos
Matt Lahood
Jason Roach on Elite Agent
The ex-banker turned Double Centurion
Jason Roach heads up The Agency Upper North Shore
Connect with Jason Roach
Website
LinkedIn

Dec 3, 2020 • 44min
How to empower your team for growth: Sunil Kumar
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
Sunil Kumar is the founder and CEO of Reliance Real Estate – a brand which is renowned for fast-paced growth driven by an ethos of respect and empowerment for his team.
Established in 2011 in Melbourne’s West, Reliance now encompasses eight offices and a team of more than 124 people.
In the process, Sunil has been named principal of the year by the Real Estate Results Network for two consecutive years, while the company was listed as the eighth fastest growing in the country by the Australian Financial Review in 2017.
In this episode Sunil shares his insights into leadership and growth, along with the Reliance journey so far.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Sunil also discuss:
Hardcore prospecting
Growth with intention
Strategic concentration
Growing or going backwards
Culture at the core
The power of words in listing presentations
How Sunil met Taney Jain
What Sunil looks for in staff
What we deserve, now what we desire
Advice for leaders
Links and resources mentioned
Taney Jain
Sandy Rana
Mukesh Kumar
Sunil on Elite Agent
Empowering for Growth
Real Estate Results Network have announced the winners of the Australasian Real Estate Results Awards (ARERAs)
Connect with Sunil Kumar
Website
LinkedIn

Nov 27, 2020 • 45min
Imogen Callister: World-class social media strategy
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
After a career that has spanned journalism and included working at the REA, Imogen Callister started The Media Coach earlier this year.
Her new business embraces a passion for both storytelling and real estate, and sees her working with agents to build a personal brand and campaigns that people want to connect with.
In this episode Imogen shares her top tips on creating a world-class social media presence and strategy.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Imogen also discuss:
Why agents need to start acting like media companies
The difference between paid, earned, and owned media
Which platform to use
Doing a digital health check
The biggest mistakes agents make
Why marketing is all about being ‘a world-class bottle of water’
Finding your point of difference
It’s not about being liked, it’s about being seen
Handling negative reviews
Social media trends ahead
Resources and links mentioned:
Imogen at Elite Agent
Handling negative social media reviews
Connect with Imogen Callister
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram

Nov 23, 2020 • 44min
The art of the chase: Tim Heavyside
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
Tim Heavyside is an 18-year veteran of the real estate industry and is a director and auctioneer at Fletchers Real Estate in Melbourne.
As part owner of a 101-year-old brand, he is also Fletchers in-house sales trainer, and like many in Victoria, has recently navigated the challenge of transacting property while Melbourne endured extended COVID-19 lockdowns.
In this podcast Tim shares a wealth of tips for securing sales during tough times, along with the skills he uses to gain listings.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Tim also discuss:
How the game is always the same even in tough times
The new ways to sell a property
Skills Tim drew on in lockdown and lessons learned in 2020
How Tim entered real estate and went from novice to expert auctioneer
The real estate mindset
Links and resources mentioned
RealTime Agent
BidTracker
Openn Negotiation
Phil de Fégely
Books
Useful Belief – Chris Helder
The Power of Connection – Rick Rushton
Connect with Tim Heavyside
Website
LinkedIn

Nov 20, 2020 • 35min
Using data to drive relationships: Travis Williams
This episode of the Elevate podcast is brought to you by Connect Now
Travis Williams is the founder and CEO of Box+Dice – an Australian tech-co which has pioneered cloud-based real estate technology over the past two decades to become one of the country’s leading CRM and transaction platforms.
A highly successful agent in his own right, Travis entered the industry as part of a family business, and has translated this personal insight into a CRM built for agents, by an agent.
In this episode of the Elevate podcast, Travis explains the value of a database, why agents are ‘market makers’, and how comprehensive client data can help agents come back from a setback.
He also shares the story of how Box+Dice began while offering an insight into his own real estate career.
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In this podcast, Samantha and Travis also discuss:
The importance of metrics
How Box+Dice came to be
Lessons learned from a start-up
Travis’ real estate career
The peaks and troughs of real estate
Communication skills, the power of silence, and why agents shouldn’t block the offer
The biggest CRM mistakes agents make
The value of a database in off-market sales
Where technology will take the industry
What’s next for Box+Dice
Links and resources mentioned
Box+Dice
Peter Gilchrist
Travis Williams on Elite Agent
Make the right CRM switch
Connect with Travis
LinkedIn
Website

Nov 13, 2020 • 27min
Looking back, moving forward: Owen Wilson and Kul Singh
REA Group CEO Owen Wilson and Chief Sales Officer Kul Singh need little introduction as the leaders of one of the industry’s largest real estate portals.
But this year the REA Group has also endured the challenges of COVID-19 from a business and industry perspective.
As a result, they’ve worked hard to pivot and adapt, by offering their customers support, introducing a range of new products, and also navigating the work from home shift brought about the multiple lockdowns in Victoria, where the group is headquartered.
In the interim, they’ve also experienced unprecedented audience growth.
In this episode of the Elevate Podcast, we discuss how the REA reacted to 2020, the support they offered the industry, and where the group plans to go from here.
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Samantha, Owen and Kul also discuss:
Collaboration with the industry, including the new Property Panel
Ongoing support that will extend into 2021
Audience growth and what this indicates in terms of property trends
The AREA Excellence Awards, and some exciting new additions
The resilience of the real estate industry
Submissions for AREAs 2020 are now open
Information on entering the AREAs
Tips for a winning AREA entry
Last year’s winners
REA on Elite Agent
REA Group wants you for their online Property Panel
REA Group Freezes prices, introduced data-based AREAS
REA Group celebrates excellent results in their annual report
Resources
REA Property Panel
REA Agent marketing centre
Connect with Owen
WebsiteLinkedIn
Connect with Kul
WebsiteLinkedIn

Nov 10, 2020 • 22min
Master strata faster: Simone Firns
Simone Firns is proficient in four languages, a whizz at debt-collection and now a valued Owners Corporation Manager with Melbourne firm Network Pacific Real Estate.
She’s also the 2018 AREAs winner for Excellence in Customer Service and part of the Network Pacific AREA winning team in 2019 for Game Changer Of The Year.
Through the challenges of 2020 and extended lockdown in Melbourne, Simone has continued her focus on clear and effective communication with her customers. It’s been the key to building her portfolio and excelling in her career.
In this episode of the Elevate Podcast, we talk about embracing technology and how “Sally” has put Network Pacific and Simone ahead of the customer service curve.
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Samantha and Simone also discuss:
Winning AREAs two years in a row and perfecting your pitch
Maintaining customer relationships with innovative tech
Why hard work, dedication and being open to learning are the keys to unlocking a satisfying career
The game-changing management of Airbnb property via an app
Life in lockdown and managing an Owners Corporation portfolio from your kitchen bench
The importance of ongoing, consistent communication
The brains behind Sally – developing the app that will revolutionise property management in real-estate
Submissions for AREAs 2020 open on October 7
Information on entering
Last year’s winners
Simone Firns: Blood, Sweat and No Tears
Resources
Network Pacific
Connect with Simone
WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitter

Nov 6, 2020 • 29min
Personal service at scale: Jamie Billerwell
Quirky. Funny. Laser-focused. Jamie Billerwell of Code Property Group has so far had her biggest year as a BDM in her career to date.
The combination of a hot Sunshine Coast market, a great team, and being spurred on by winning Property Manager of the Year at the AREAs last year have created the conditions this year for her to significantly grow her business and her career.
Dig deeper past that bubbly exterior and she is passionate about creating wealth for her clients; devising personalised campaigns and strategies geared toward each and every property. She’s also determined to make a difference in the lives of her clients.
In this episode of the Elevate podcast, we talk about her customised approach to serving her clients while using the latest ideas in digital marketing and social media.
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Samantha and Jamie also discuss:
The role of a BDM and how she approaches lead generation; where her best sources of leads are
Why focusing on every lead channel is not necessarily the most efficient strategy when it comes to growth
How she works with the sales team
Creating an individual experience for a large number of people – what Jamie does instead of letterbox dropping
How to be first to start the conversation with any potential landlord
Her ‘controversial’ strategy for dealing with people who call and ask straight away about fees
Getting higher value properties onto the rent roll, plus marketing tips for ‘elite’ clients
The trap some PMs and BDMs fall into of transferring their own biases and preferences onto the client and how to avoid it
Her focus for the next 12 months.
Submissions for AREAs 2020 open on October 7
Information on entering
Last year’s winners
Jamie Billerwell: Serendipity and Success
Resources
Code Property Group
1Form
Connect with Jamie
WebsiteLinkedInFacebook (Jamie)Facebook (Code Property)Instagram (Code Property)Twitter (Jamie)

Oct 30, 2020 • 33min
The Art of Modern Communication: Kamal Sarma
Talk to anyone and they will say that 2020 has been full of lessons in effective communication, with probably still more to come. But what are the lessons we need to take forward from this year to set us up for success in connecting on a deeper level with our clients, our teams, our families and other people we meet?
CEO and Founder of Rezilium Kamal Sarma says true leadership right now is one of the scarcest resources on our planet – and mastery of this topic is not something that you can learn from a listicle.
But in this episode of the Elevate Podcast, we discuss what you can do to learn and practice to master the art of communication and modern leadership – bringing greater awareness of empowering vs disempowering language and how to change from traditional win-lose thinking to true win-win styles of communication.
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Samantha and Kamal also discuss:
The lack of leadership in the world in general and what we can do to change that
The fact that 49 per cent of employees would rather quit than have a conversation about a workplace issue and what to do about it
How to open the lines of communication
Listening – why Kamal believes it’s now an overrated term and what the person sitting opposite you really wants
Why you should be wary of tips and hacks when it comes to mastering leadership
How and why leaders should ask for feedback
Positive vs negative language patterns, where they came from and how to change them
Beating ‘zoom fatigue’ and building relationships quickly even in online situations
How Richard Morecroft helped him improve his English accent.
Resources
Rezilium
R U OK?
LJ Hooker Accelerate
Win win conversations with Kamal Sarma
Connect with Kamal
LinkedInWebsiteFacebook