Agents to descend on the Coast

Property experts will swarm the Gold Coast next month to learn how to make the most of a challenging market

A COOLING housing market would be a firsttime experience for many real estate agents with the shape of the sector set to change, according to industry veteran John McGrath.

Mr McGrath (pictured) — founder of the highly popular Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) to be held on the Gold Coast next month — labelled it a shakedown that would challenge many.

“Many agents have never been through a market like this and are having great trouble adjusting to the cooler market conditions whilst some have used the changes to double their market share,” he said.

“At AREC this year we have selected speakers and experts who are using the change as a springboard to establish a dominant market position.

“There’s no doubt there is a shakedown happening in the industry that will result in fewer agents left but I believe greater opportunity than ever for those remaining.”

Mr McGrath said the conference “could not have come at a better time”.

“Customer expectations are higher than they’ve ever been, technology is playing a much greater role and agent teams being more prevalent than ever before. But I think the greatest risk to the industry is now resistance and not changing any of these things. So change will be a major theme this year and how to embrace it rather than resist it,” he said.

AREC organiser Total Real Estate Training general manager Nichola Byrne said the themes would be “Connect. Think. Innovate. Grow”.

“The real estate landscape is a different place than it was a year ago, therefore we believe that there has never been a more imperative time for agents to upskill and embrace change. A focus on honing their skills, learning new techniques and connecting their circles will empower them to thrive in new market conditions and deliver optimum results for consumers,” she said.

“We have designed a program together that features 21 speakers from differing walks of life, giving a truly unique and wide scope of practical strategies that our delegates can implement into their businesses.”

Last year a record 4058 attendees — 38 per cent of whom were from NSW, 31 per cent from Victoria, 12 per cent from Queensland, 3 per cent from South Australia and 10 per cent from New Zealand — took part.

Keynote speakers include world leading sales entrepreneur and best-selling author Todd Duncan, music legend Mark Schulman, US industry success Barbara Corcoran and Australian conflict adviser Scott Dutton.