The Real Estate Forum Podcast

The Real Estate Forum Podcast Series 2 Episode 6

• Craig Holowell

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This episode is proudly brought to you by our amazing partners:

Adaptive Fire and Electrical
Eleven Financial
Style With Us, Australia’s Number 1 Home Stylist

Million dollar agents Gavin Staindl and Brent Day have teamed up to bring you something truly special "The Real Estate Forum Podcast".

We’re back for Episode 6 of the year, and what an episode it is!

We’ve got a very special guest on the show, Brent Pullar from Harcourts Corporate.

At just 23 years old, Brent had built an incredible portfolio of 21 offices. But a life-changing accident saw him sidelined for more than six years, forcing him to relearn how to walk and talk.

Through sheer determination, resilience, and an unbreakable mindset, Brent fought his way back and has returned to the corporate world in a role he truly loves.

This story is nothing short of inspiring and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

Our very own Jade Murphy from Eleven Financial, bringing finance news, insights, and a bit of industry gossip from around Australia.

This episode is packed with:

🔥 Raw insights
🔥 Game-changing strategies
🔥 Real talk from people in the trenches

Real stories
Real strategies
Real quality guests
Real estate like you’ve never heard it before

So sit back, get comfortable, turn it up, and enjoy.

Tune in. Get inspired. Join the conversation.

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SPEAKER_00

But I always say a lot of times too in say to people in business, you know, the long way is the short way. And they go, what do you mean? But I said it again yesterday. You know, it's like a footy team, you know, get the draft, get the young ones, develop them, do all those different things. Yes, it might take you longer, but then if you're trying to recruit someone, they go, I'm only coming if you're going to pay me more, if I'm going to do this. I want, want, want, want, one.

SPEAKER_01

The Real Estate Forum podcast is back for another edition, and I've just told Brent that I don't watch his Instagram videos.

SPEAKER_03

He liked it, so I'll take a like without a watch. That's all right, mate.

SPEAKER_01

Do you reckon people just like videos without ever watching them? Like I'd watch maybe the first five that come through and probably the first five stories. That's me done.

SPEAKER_03

Uh yeah, maybe. I I'm a very uh I don't let my like out very easily. Really? Yeah, if I like it, I like it. But I'm very, very uh closed off with my liking. What? So if do you like any of my stuff? I don't know. I I only see you post like a video and I don't know, you don't post that much anymore.

SPEAKER_01

I know, because my social media girl left me.

SPEAKER_03

She's gone now?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, she's gone. What's she doing? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, well, she was doing social media, but she just got sick of doing real estate. Like she'd been with me for years. Yeah. And she's like, I just hate real estate and real estate agents, but we're still friends. Yeah. Um I social media is not my DNA. I do appreciate the amount of work that you put into yours. And I I just don't have the patience to watch it, Brent. I'm really sorry. Yeah. I will support you. I will like you. I'm not as frugal as my likes.

SPEAKER_03

Nah, that's good, man. Like, I I sit in, I try not to consume too much of it, but everyone consumes it. But sometimes, like even this morning, I woke up and I'm I'm I found myself on it. I'm like, what am I doing? I just threw my phone away and and read a book. And I'm like, this book's amazing. I can you actually learn shit. When was the last time you read a book? I've read no, I'm a pretty good man. Yeah. Oh, good. Uh the the power that no the power of thinking big or the magic of thinking big. Bro, it is literally one of the best books I've ever read in my life. Yeah, who wrote it? Uh Dr. Swart David Swartz, PhD. David Swartz, didn't he play for the D's back in the 90s? Same name. Same name. Same name? Yeah, yep. Um, but no, different person. Anything about gambling tips? Nah, a lot of life tips though.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, well, there you go. Maybe I'll read it. Audiobook? You know, audio book. I don't nah, I'm a reader. I like to read it.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, I'll give it to you. Yeah, thanks, man. Only if you read it, because I give people books and I never get them back. I'm like, have you read it? Like, no. I'll give my book back. I want to have like a library or something.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. No, definitely.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And yeah, to obviously we'll go over our sponsors very quickly. We have Sharon from Style with Us, uh, obviously staging, absolutely awesome at her job. And we have Jade from 11 Financial. She's going to be on the phone call later on today. Um, interesting to see what she's seeing in the marketplace with the interest rates because every second buyer, every every vendor is talking about it. So it'd be good to see her insights. Um, and we have obviously Douglas from Adaptive Fire and Electrical as well. And we have a new sponsor coming on board too, so that should be pretty exciting.

SPEAKER_01

Epic. Now I lost, we talked about lost listings last week, um, and like the weird ways that you lost a listing for those who didn't pay attention. I had a typo in a how to stage your house with for your photographer, and there was a typo down the bottom of the page, and they didn't list with me because of that. I also lost another listing because of the way I dress this week. And I wanted to bring that up. What is the proper way to dress as an estate agent? Because you are dressed in like just a shirt and and whatever pants they are. They're stuck 50. They're school pants. I'm pretty sure I had them when I was gonna high school.

SPEAKER_03

Pretty much. I'll get that comment a bit. Uh I don't know. I think you've got to dress to your market, and how do you define how to dress to a market? Like some people are tradies. Um, I think the real old school way of real estate is suit and tie, and which I I I like. Like you see someone in the suit and tie, you think, God, they're they're smart, they're professional. Me, I just feel more casual and I feel more relatable wearing what I wear. Um, what I've done. So you where do you get that shirt from? Just UniClo, bro. It's a$24 shirt. But I the one thing, dude, I see a lot of people wear these shirts and they like wear them for like six months. I reckon I buy three or four of these a month and just always charge them over so they look kind of good. Like this is brand new. Like you can see the presses in the uh shirt sleeves as well. But um yeah, I I think I've had a lot more success being more relatable to clients with what I wear, but I still try and make sure obviously I'm clean. The the clothing is clean and sharp as well. It's not like ragged and stuff like that as well. Well, tell me more.

SPEAKER_02

Like, how did what how did they say no because of what you're wearing? So it was very similar to what you're wearing, actually. Yeah. Because I've been watching you, Brent.

SPEAKER_01

I'm like, maybe I should be more like Brent. No, you haven't been watching me, you've just been liking me. I see you in person. I'm talking beyond the world of social media because you're my friend, Brent. Yes, all right. And I look at that and I go, maybe I should be more like Brent. Thanks. And I wore something what almost what you're wearing, and they said, Oh, they didn't tell me on the day, but they said, Oh, look, we just found the other person to have you know been a bit more professional with the way that they dress and speak. Um, and I'm like, okay, cool, good to know, good to know. Um but then at other times I feel like I've lost listings because I've been too formal.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And now if I was selling in two rack, maybe I'd go the three-piece tuxedo. But I don't know, you're just out here when you you core demographic of made up of 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds rolling around in a three-piece tux with a Rolex watch and a car that's worth more than their house, it's probably not gonna win you many listings.

SPEAKER_03

And I think as well, like if we changed everything, like we lose listings over a typo or the way you dress, if we actually changed our business based on the listings that we've lost over one out of ten or whatever it is, or even three out of ten, your business is gonna look like an absolute shambles because you stand for nothing. Yeah, you have you know, you even with our process, sometimes people say, no, I don't like that. Well, unfortunately, this is the process that works and XXNX is it's worked for them. And I remember I had this listing, dude. It's it's it's actually the worst listing I've ever had in my life. Uh, like the worst experience I've had in my life in real estate. She's like, Well, can you put the open times on my open board? And I said, uh, unfortunately, I can't do that. You know, we conduct a fair few opens, and for us to do that for yours, we have to do it for everyone else as well. So it's gonna affect our branding. And I don't believe that's gonna really get a buyer to buy your home with an open time on the board. Everything's online now, and we publish them and we really push it out to everyone so they know what times. And then she's like, Oh, I don't like your attitude, bro. And I just said, you know, in all due respect, um, I don't think this relationship's working. Um, but if I imagine if I change that, and you know, now every one of my boards has an open time, and you know, it just changes your whole thing. So if we listen to everyone, man, like you have to stand for something as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, for sure. Big episode. We've got Harcourt's boss coming in. I'm not gonna say the name, we'll wait for the reveal later on. 33 years, bro. Yeah, yeah. And he's so, I mean, that's basically us combined. Double.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, well, two years longer than I've been on on Earth.

SPEAKER_01

So, and so I've got a got a lot of questions about what it was like back in the days compared to now. Um, looking forward to that conversation. Obviously, we've got Jade. Um, she is talking about being busy, mate. You're busy. Too busy. 13 listings this month, you're busy. Big episode, and then obviously um talk a bit about the market. So, what's going on? Like, you're you're telling me that this week just all been about price reductions.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so it's it's a pretty dirty word in real estate, I think. Like I even sit in a lounge room with a vendor and and explain about a price reduction because a lot of people don't. They just say, Oh, yeah, okay, this price is gonna be magical, you're gonna have the best, best time of your life. Well, sometimes you don't have the best time of your life, and it's about having the confidence to have the yeah, the strong, smart conversations um to really get a client from point A to point B, but still have a strong financial stand there as well. So they're doing the right thing. So, what do you say to get a price reduction? I think it's just about having a general conversation, telling them stories. One today, we just aligned their price. Wasn't massive, I think it was 30 grand on the low end and 10 grand off the top end. And I gave them a case study. I had one last week, eight to 880. I had two open Saturday, Sunday on the weekend, had zero buyers through. I changed the price from 795 to 850. And I've on the way here, we got an offer at the price the vendor was willing to take, and they would have taken the whole campaign, and all by changing that guide up, like just really making that guide a bit tighter. And because they can see and they can hear the real life case studies that are happening, it's convincing and it's the truth, you know. It it it it it works most of the time.

SPEAKER_01

I think you used a good word, and and the words are important when you are coming to an emotional vendor who hasn't sold. Yeah, they thought they would be sold in a couple of weeks for an incredible price. The words that you use are really important. So we're not talking about dropping price, we're not talking about reducing price, you talk about adjustment, yeah. Or in your words, alignment. And on the flip side, when you go to the buyer, you would say things as guys, we've just reduced the price. Like that is powerful words. So for a buyer, it'll create that emotional um sense of urgency. But from a vendor, you don't want to be using those danger words because all they're thinking is, oh, you're just coming to drop my price. But when you talk about alignment or adjustment, it it feels a lot softer, but you're still getting the message across.

SPEAKER_03

Do you say similar things to what I say, or how do you go about it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I'd hold a gun to the head and said, do this now. Otherwise, we're taking off the mug now.

SPEAKER_03

That's such a right of white thing to do, guys. Yeah, it's such a right of white thing. Bloody dogs. Team in yellow. And you the the one thing as well, like, don't be so defensive. Like, I think I I hear it in the office, people like really defend like when the the I all the owners say it as well. Oh, you but Brent, you said it was this price. Look, Gav, I completely do think it's still worth that. Unfortunately, the market isn't really responding to that price guide. As much as I believe it's worth it. Unfortunately, I'm not in the position to purchase your home. And if we do want to pursue a sale, I'm happy to swallow my ego and swallow my pride and say I was wrong, because all the other houses on the market are dropping.

SPEAKER_01

We are not the gatekeepers on price, are we? Now, the the interesting thing on that, so in an area that I service, uh, it's probably the more affluent area of my postcode, and there is a double-story house on a 500-plus square meter block that we cannot sell for a million dollars or higher. And the last time that a property failed to sell for a million dollars or higher was in 2018. And I've just presented an offer to my vendor at 970.

SPEAKER_03

Take it or no?

SPEAKER_01

Well, they haven't yet, but they might. And it's but the the thing is that conversation is like, well, no, it has to be worth over a million dollars because every single double-story house on that kind of land has sold for one 1.1, 1.2, 1.3. That's the last hundred sales over the last five years. Yet this one isn't.

SPEAKER_03

So do you sit there and agree with them? Yeah, I it is worth that. It is probably is worth a million. I don't know. But no, in today's.

SPEAKER_01

But it's it's not. So what is the and I'm I'm keen to get our next guest um his take on this, yeah. The value or the worth, a perception that uh for these buyers at the moment, worth is not one million. Yeah. Right? And so for these owners and for me, all these times I've been seeing all these sales, I think surely we can get a sell that that that figure. But the reality is it's not there.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

The reality's not there.

SPEAKER_03

And every market's different, man. Like I go to Clyde North and we're selling a few homes there at the moment, and it's it's a very, very competitive market with listings, man. And like buyers, like we've had heaps of buyers through these houses, and it's not just us, like uh other agents as well. And the buyers have so much to choose from, so they're like less. Over supply? Yeah, which one I can get for the cheapest, which it's it's smart, but it's hard to sell real estate there. Yeah, really tough. You go to Langlang, I've got one listing out there, everything else is sold multiple offers. No houses on the market.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, you're seeing the the power of supply versus demand. And this is what the government are trying to bring in, and they they they want to create more supply, yeah, so that there is more, I guess, to choose from. But at the moment, if there is out in Langlang, they've got to pay the premium premium. Anyway, we're gonna move on because we are gonna get to Jade from 11 Financial. Um, yeah, big show. I've got so many questions for her. So join us after the break.

SPEAKER_03

Uh, we are back and we have Jade from 11 Financial on the landline or the the hotline. She's not on a Zoom call today because it's not back till next week. So welcome back to that.

SPEAKER_05

Back to the old days.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Uh tell tell me some juicy goss about what's happening in the finance world because we're copping it uh yeah, every day pretty much.

SPEAKER_05

No juicy goss at the moment. I think everyone's just sort of holding on for dear life and getting through day by day. Uh, the good news is that people are well from my end, I still see people inquiring um and looking to get into the market. I've actually had a few clients say to me this week, I feel like when issues like this happen or events like this happen in the world, it's the perfect time to buy. And I'm like, that is the attitude to have.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

But yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I think I spoke about it the other day because Gregory put it into my head, you know, a lot of people don't buy now, but it's the best time to buy, but then they'll buy when it's high because other people buy.

SPEAKER_05

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

Make seriousness.

SPEAKER_05

Well, look at COVID, you know, so many people were in such a panic at the start of COVID, and no one wanted to spend their money, and then all of a sudden, once we were a year into it, everyone was sick of their house and wanted to upgrade, and the property market went up by what was it, like 20% during that time. So I think it'll be interesting, but it's definitely hard to predict at the moment because I guess as we always say, no one has a crystal ball. What's it? We are seeing, you know, interest rates have gone up, which affects borrowing capacity. Banks are also now um increasing the minimum living expenses that they apply for customers, which is also going to reduce that borrowing capacity a little bit as well, on top of the rate increase. So that is going to make an overall difference in the grand scheme of things of how much people can offer up to, and so on. But yeah, I think it's going to be an interesting next, you know, six to twelve months.

SPEAKER_03

What's your average mortgage you write?

SPEAKER_05

I think you asked this a week or two ago. It's about 650,000. He doesn't listen.

SPEAKER_03

I've got to ask you.

SPEAKER_05

He doesn't listen, I know.

SPEAKER_03

Ask her every week.

SPEAKER_05

He's probably still wondering what bank his small his home loans with.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um, Jade, I've got a question. And we actually, Brent, you weren't here last week. We started talking about conspiracy theories. Oh fucking.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_01

And it was great. And I was like, I was questioning legitimacy around the rise in private lending. Anyway, Jade shot me down. There wasn't anything there. I was I was kind of plugging away, hoping to get something. My next one, Jade. The obviously the CBA came out and announced about how there's all this fortunate mortgage mortgages were approved. Um, that was a little while ago. Um, heard that there was actually a lot more than what they initially thought.

SPEAKER_05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Did you hear about that as well?

SPEAKER_05

I did hear about that.

SPEAKER_01

What's your take on that?

SPEAKER_05

You know, I have to be careful what I say in regards to things like this.

SPEAKER_01

This podcast isn't public.

SPEAKER_03

It's hosted by Craig. Just has it have Craig's mentality about Facebook commenting, just go for all that walk.

SPEAKER_05

I think there are definitely people out there that do the wrong thing in this industry. And now more than ever, it is easy for clients to, you know, whip up documents, um, especially with AI, and you know, you can edit a PDF for God's sake, but it comes down to brokers' due diligence to, I guess, check that what they're receiving from a customer is correct and a true document. The thing is, you know, you hear about people walking that would come to me and I can't get them finance, and then they walk into a branch and suddenly they're approved. Um, so look, I don't know. I can't speak too much on it. I know my book is all above board, but there's definitely people out there that take advantage of it.

SPEAKER_02

We're gonna start getting them on the podcast, I reckon. She sounds guilty.

SPEAKER_01

If you want to dodgy broker, then Jay 115. She'll get you there. No, I'm not at all. You're one of the best, Jake. The um, but there is this is what I was getting at last week, right? So there's this rise in private lending, um, there's a rise, especially in the like the commercial retail space, which just seems unhinged. And then there is all these fraudulent loans that have been approved by CBA, and they came out last week and just said, actually, there's a lot more than we initially thought. Then other banks have come out and said, Well, we actually, yeah, we got fraudulent loans too. It's just people putting, like, all you have to do is just get a PDF, whip it up with AI, change a couple of things, can't change a couple of numbers, and bang, it gets approved.

SPEAKER_05

I do think it's more heavy through the retail arm because they aren't as regulated as brokers. Like the requirements that we need to meet for checking off on things and record keeping is substantially less than those that if you went did it online or went into the branch. So um I I think it is heavily in the retail side of things, but yeah, we're in a world where we can produce any kind of information, video or document we want within minutes.

SPEAKER_01

So are the books inflated?

SPEAKER_05

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_01

Do we have too many loans that like can't be facilitated?

SPEAKER_05

Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, maybe I'm leaning back at this conspiracy thing. I'm I'm still on this conspiracy bandwagon over the last couple of weeks, Jade.

SPEAKER_05

I actually thought of you, I had an email come through today from a third-tier lender that was um advertising low doc guarantor loans. And I actually thought, oh, that that that seems a little bit hairy to me. I think you know, a guarantor loan is already there's somewhat of a risk on your guarantors, and it is definitely yeah, coupled with a low doc though, I'm like, oh, that's that's a bit interesting.

SPEAKER_01

Um, but I guess I'm telling you, like, we're gonna have we're gonna have a um a segment called Brent and Gav's Conspiracy Theories. But I I just think there's something about this. I just reckon, I don't know, I just reckon people are gonna sleep at the wheel anyway.

SPEAKER_03

I had no, I I had uh I I can't say too much about this. Oh come on, why is everyone so we had the house I don't know if I can I can't get any shit for this. I'm not the mortgage broker.

SPEAKER_05

We don't want to end up in the Daily Mail, that's all.

SPEAKER_03

No, we do. No, we do. I end up in the Daily Mail, I've got business out of it. Um we had a loan the the other uh uh other kind of period of time ago, and yeah, that was 100% fraud. Yeah, no, sorry, they they got the loan, the loan was legit, but they had to pay that certain loan provider dodginess, cash to get it.

SPEAKER_00

Don't tell me still have the title, the bank still has a title. So there's there's fraud, but the bank still so there's no loss from the bank. But the bank still wins that makes sense. Oh yeah, the bank still wins. So the bank's but fraud, but they've still they're actually not at a loss. No, for sure. And it's in the bank's interest to do it anyway.

SPEAKER_01

Because these people still have to make repayments, right? Yeah, that's right. So like it didn't. I mean, it happened in 08. Yeah, the bank were like, yeah, you have a loan, you have a loan, everyone has a loan. It was great, they were making repayments until they stopped making repayments and then all went to shit. Yeah. Have you seen the big shorts? Yeah, I haven't seen the big short loans. Have um ninja loans, 100%, yeah. Ninja loans. And what do you think a low doc with a guarantorious like the ninja loan? Anyway, um, yeah. What's your Brent, what's your take on this? Am I am I just barking up a tree that doesn't exist? Am I trying to find something that isn't there?

SPEAKER_03

Stop throwing the consumers under the bus.

SPEAKER_00

There's always going to be fraudulent activity. Always? Always. So someone's always, what do you got? You've got bikies, you've got underworld, you've got all different when when when money when when money's involved, like you look at a you look at a banking, someone goes along to a bank and there's a broker that's sitting in there, they're not getting paid what a normal broker is. And then they're offering all this money and they're getting their mate to do it or whatever, and they're getting away with it, yeah, and they're making however much more money. Once they do it once, those people, then they'll keep doing it because they got away with it. And then it just spirals.

SPEAKER_03

You look at the government, that's that's a spiral. The spiralling is what I'm concerned about. Well, CMFEU, like that that's how dodgy is that. And the government was obviously facilitating that as well. So yeah, that's from the top coming down. You need to be maybe you need to be more dodgy. Maybe we need to be dodgy. No, I'm dodgy.

SPEAKER_01

So I I'll tell you, I'm dodgy. Let me tell you, right? So I I said this last week on the podcast. I sold my house for whatever it was,$700,000. Tried to get a um a loan to buy a$2.4 million house, right? Went to a couple of mortgage brokers, they'll knock me back. Went to four banks, they'll knock me back. Went to this random third-tier lender that no one's heard of before. And I went via a different mortgage broker who always seems to manage to get shit done. Yeah, bro. And I got that loan.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, they get shit done.

SPEAKER_01

And I'm still there today. No bank would let look at me. High rate. Mortgage brokers were saying, Gav, you're not even close to being out of service existing. 8.8%. Wow.

SPEAKER_00

On 2.4.

SPEAKER_01

On 2.4.

SPEAKER_00

But I got it. But what most people don't understand is every bank has different criteria and they have different appetites. So they might have an appetite for a certain client for a certain period, then their book's full. And then they'll shut the door on that one. And then Else will open the door on that one and say, Hey, you know, we don't need any document, we need this information, that information. So every bank changes all the time. Yep. So that's when you go into a bank might say no, but then you go to a broker and a broker's got 30 or 40 different funds, and you'll get a different answer than just going to a bank.

SPEAKER_01

Liberty looked at me and laughed and said, No chance.

SPEAKER_00

Well, then you must have had some serious issues. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

If Liberty says no, well I ended up with a company called Wave Money.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, that's the that's the bank that um is doing the low dot garantol.

SPEAKER_01

Did Jade not interrupt? Jade's Jade's guilty, bro. Wave money were great. They got me what I wanted anyway.

SPEAKER_00

Judo's judo's a bank that does actually inside the Judo's a big bank now that does a lot of outside lending. Different ways.

SPEAKER_03

Business and everything. So diff bank different banks have different risk factors, I assume. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

That's the way they yeah, and then they shut the door and say, We've we've got too many of these clients now. Yeah, we don't want them anymore. And then yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Jade, thank you very much. Thank you for entertaining my conspiracy theories.

SPEAKER_05

Um you're so welcome.

SPEAKER_01

Jade is, by the way, very ethical. And if you want a decent broker who isn't gonna go doing something gold weave, then um, away from my panel. Well, even good. Anyway, um, Jade, thank you so much. Have a great night, and uh join us for our next guest who we're pretty excited about. Catch you.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Well, welcome back to the podcast. And tonight is or tonight's episode is probably gonna be one of our best because Brent has been in real estate for 33 years, which is a very, very long time. Today, we've got a seriously, seriously powerful gentleman sitting across from here. Brent's story is one of true resilience. After a life-changing accident, which I know nothing about, so we'll tuck into that a fair bit as well. He had a six-hour operation, which was only supposed to be a few hours, I believe, um, with a spinal fusion as well. So a little bit left of centre to real estate, and then we're going to tuck into a lot of real estate information. Also, through discipline, mindset, pure determination, he's rebuilt himself both physically. Because if I look across here, I mean, Gav's said before, the guy's got biceps, massive biceps, and he he looks fit as hell. So I called him the silver fox. This episode goes deeper than real estate. It's about overcoming adversity, staying positive when everything feels stacked against you, proving to yourself what's possible, and if you need perspective, motivation, or just a reminder to keep pushing forward, then this one will hit. Let's get into it, Brent. And we just spoke off air. 33 minutes. Wait, who what's your job title first?

SPEAKER_00

What's your role? Because you're from hardcore. I've never been into titles. Yeah. And they do they gave me a title when I came back. Yep. And my title at the moment is director of growth. Come back from where? The abyss. The abyss.

SPEAKER_03

So just a little bit of a little retirement kind of thing? Yeah. Hiatus. Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, cool. Director of growth. So does that put you like on the hierarchy if you can imagine a scale? Are you like top dog? One below top dog?

SPEAKER_00

I I I've never I never see it like that. He's top dog.

SPEAKER_01

He's top dog.

SPEAKER_00

No, no, no. I've never seen it like that since I started building a business or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03

So what do you so is your job like franchise manager?

SPEAKER_00

Kind of is that kind of um yeah, I I I came back a couple of years ago and the role was they needed to make a title. I said, I don't want a title. Yeah. But you know, like my job is to go around and work with business owners, sales consultants, uh, mentor, teach, yeah, and understand, listen, empathize, and being a business owner, being a franchise or being all those different things. You know, been through all the ups, all the downs. So I can empathize with people because it's hard. This business is hard, and it's a roller coaster.

SPEAKER_03

How many hard courts offices are there?

SPEAKER_00

We've got 45, just Victoria, 45 Metro, and then we've got another 40 uh rural. So we've got 85 officers.

SPEAKER_03

Well, that's huge. I was um I don't know who I was talking to, but like I thought Barry Plant was a massive network. Definitely, I think they've got less than 50 officers. I could be wrong there, but I thought they were way bigger than that. Used to be. Used to be bigger.

SPEAKER_00

I think they were at 85 at one stage. I think they're down about around 50s or 45s now.

SPEAKER_03

I think it was those stats because I know O'Brien's was like in the 30s or that we did have like 46, I think. But and I thought growing up, Barry Plant was like a juggernaut. And then I was speaking, I think I was speaking to like a guy in a similar role to you. I was out for dinner with Kyler and him, and um, yeah, I was like, I was shocked because you don't understand how much it's changed.

SPEAKER_01

So let's talk about then the role, we'll come back to your question, but the role of the independent agency. Yeah, and as the the guru of real estate in Harcourts, how do you combat that?

SPEAKER_00

I think independence's great for a time. I do. Yeah, and I think there's some great independent agents, but you know, a lot of times someone goes, Oh, I'm going independent, I'm doing those sort of things, and everyone's like, Oh, that's wonderful. And I think you have your honeymoon period, but then you've got to keep reinventing yourself. You know, and and the Ray Whites or the Harcourts and those, like we're your first number one in Australia, we're number two. We've only been here 27 years. You know, it's when you think about you know, all the other companies have been around so long, we're now the second largest in Australia, yeah, which is pretty powerful. But you know, when you've and we're number one in New Zealand, you know, we've got I think eight or nine thousand staff.

SPEAKER_03

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

But that machine that rolls behind the marketing machines, you know, the ring, all those different things, you know, then the independent, and hey, as I said, don't get me wrong, there's some amazing ones that keep keep doing it, but it's hard to keep doing it on your own. You know what I mean? It's it and I think even it's like a footy club we're talking about. Oh, it's you know, it's nice to people want to belong to something as well, you know, yeah, and be a part of something.

SPEAKER_03

And do you do much work in New Zealand?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I've been over there, yeah. Yeah, and um it's just amazing. Yeah, those businesses, you know, I've got a hundred people in an office and doing hundred, a couple of hundred deals, yeah, you know, a month. And you know, you and just they're just but they're different models in terms of everyone's on commission only, you know. Like it's you know, they don't have all the the requirements that we do over here, but still they're just massive, powerful businesses that just blow your mind.

SPEAKER_03

High commission rate there too, I believe.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, a lot of them are three percent and those sort of things. Yeah, um amazing to go and study those businesses, which I've had 20 years ago the opportunity to do so, yeah. And the way they think, you know, like I'll never forget one of them. You know, their biggest saying was when I left we think big. They think big.

SPEAKER_03

It's a good saying.

SPEAKER_00

I'll never forget it. Twenty years later, think big. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_03

Was it MPRE before that? Yes. What happened with MPRE? Was that you were MPRE? Yep. Because I remember when I was a kid, there was one in Cranberne, I believe. That's right, yep. And then the owner of Harcourts, Andrew, I think, Casimati. Yeah, Casa. Yeah, uh, and then he um he bought it off me. Into Harcourts or MPRE?

SPEAKER_00

I uh MPRE. Yeah. So yeah, Andrew bought the business off me. What happened? Why MPRE into Harcourts? What happened there? Um so we were 21 officers. I mean, we went from two officers to 21 in three years. You know, it was big growth back then. I like I was 20. It's crazy. 25, 26 when I started it. Yeah and um I had another business partner, my mentor, the whole lot. After four years, I bought him out. And um, I got to the end of that year, and then all of a sudden I was approached by four different companies. And uh Harkourts were one of them. They were actually the last one. I actually said of them. I was driving into Belnaring into the uh shopping centre there, and this guy rings me and said, I want to talk to you about doing a joint venture partnership. I said, join the queue. Yeah, you know, like ticket, ticket. You know, and anyway, long story short, we'd already had a deal on the table with another company, nearly done. And um, we said, look, let's keep our options open. And this is a true story that then Mike came down from Harcourts, had a chat with us, and then he said, I want you to come up to Queensland. And um, we said, Okay, so with Troy and my brother and I, and um, we thought it was great because we got invited to indie cars, right? Indy cars back in their life. It was like, you know, indie cars were on the Gold Coast, it was the biggest thing between 25, he's 23. I said, mate, let's just go to we we're going to Jupiter's casino on the track. We're getting free grog, free everything. Let's just go and listen to what they have to say. Yeah, and but we already got the deal on the table. We'll go and listen, we'll get all that sort of stuff. So we rolled up the airport with our financial advisor. He was all dressed in a suit, a whole lot. We were in shorts, t-shirts, and tongs. Yeah. And he goes, What are you doing? And I said, mate, we're just we're gonna go and listen to what they say. We're going to juve, you know, we're we're going to indie cars. Anyway, so we ended up rolling into this meeting with all the international people, Mike Green, Gilbert and Oka. Gilbert was a sports psychologist for your blacks.

SPEAKER_03

We love him. We have had him out our thing heaps, so sorry to interrupt you.

SPEAKER_00

Gilbert was my mentor for a long time. But anyway, all these guys, and they're all in suits to do this presentation for us. We got to morning tea and uh we're looking at each other. Here we were in shorts and t-shirts and said, This is actually pretty good, you know. And I said to my brother, maybe we should have got dressed up. And yeah, we got to that time. What we needed as a group though was um we were pretty much what we're talking about, we're very independent, you know, but we were we were just running on raw energy enthusiasm, just you know, like let's just run over every single town and what we could do. But we couldn't grow beyond that. We needed we needed all the resources behind them. And lo and behold, we sat there and um we decided that was the company. Mike then rang on the Tuesday, we went home and he said, Look, let's talk the next couple of weeks. And I said, Not talk a couple of weeks. I said, I got another deal on the table. You're either we're gonna do something, we're gonna do it. Yep. I think within 48 hours we did the deal. So then those officers became MPRE hardcourts, and then the new ones became hardcourts.

SPEAKER_03

You see, you had 23 or 25 officers.

SPEAKER_00

21.

SPEAKER_03

And how old were you?

SPEAKER_00

25, 26. That's that's crazy. Well done, man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

How'd you go at Jupiter's?

SPEAKER_00

Um, it was no, it was on the track. No, the Jupiter's box on the track. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was mate, it was fantastic. Yeah, I think when they could say gambling addiction, but you can imagine 25-year-olds being invited.

SPEAKER_00

That's yeah, we were young, we were you know, talk about thinking big, mate.

SPEAKER_01

That's huge.

SPEAKER_00

How many 21 offices at 25? Yeah, so I was 23 when I opened my first business, and then yeah, by 25, 26, I had 21.

SPEAKER_01

You know, when did you sell out? I haven't. You haven't? You still own those?

SPEAKER_00

Um I'm I'm still a director and shareholder in Victoria. Yeah. Yeah. So um we we we we did a 50-50. Um, but in the last however many years we've brought new people into my shares, Rada, Rada and Co., which are those guys there, which have been fantastic, my brother. Yeah, and um, so there's a few of us as partners, but they're those boys at Rada, they're if you ever want to interview some people as well, they just yeah, they're mind-blowing business. Good young guys, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Craig always um talks up our guests, and I I don't know half of our guests to be honest with you. And mate, everything he said about you, I I I take 50% of what Craig says to me. I believe not joke. I'm not joking. No, I take 20. And then, but wait, what you just said then, I've I'm sitting back here thinking, fuck, this guy's a special human being. Because that 25 to have that many, oh sorry, yeah, 25 to have that many offices. Blows my mind, man. So well done. That's fucking awesome. A lot of hard work that out.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. Um, I just think that it was, you know, we had a great brand, we're great people. Um, and there was an opportunity which is always in the marketplace that half the people were asleep, and yeah, I was young, I was everything, and the whole thing was I was always gonna go broke. So everyone said, just wait, he'll go broke, he'll go broke. Go into another town, you can't keep doing this. So while while they were having all these, saying all these things about me, which never ever stops, we were working.

SPEAKER_01

You're gonna go broke one day, mate.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm one day.

SPEAKER_03

Did you put your balls on the line? Excuse my terminology.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, how many times, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's cool. That's what I know to do, man. That's what you do every day.

SPEAKER_01

Because I actually think that any estate agent that that dreams of growth and lives it, they put their balls on the line every day. Because I mean, you don't have a fullback, right? Yeah, true. If you don't sell a house, what are you making money for? You don't you're not making any money.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, very good.

SPEAKER_01

Where are you getting your next McDonald's drive-thru chip and nuggets from? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

The old saying, you gotta be, you know, comfortable being uncomfortable. Yeah. You know, like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Let's talk about uncomfortable. What was it like on the operational table?

SPEAKER_03

We don't remember.

SPEAKER_01

And then run us through run us through this, what happened there, because I think this is an important part in your life.

SPEAKER_00

It would be nearly 15 years ago now. So I was the CEO. We went overseas on the age trips. I used to have trips on the age, and um, we were in Mikanos. We came back early, early in the evening, and um someone said to me, I'll race you down this hallway. So I was a runner, I was a 400-800 metre runner. So I was actually in I got into the Institute of Sport, so that's where you know I was probably top five in Australia. Oh, for the AIS. So, yeah, in Australia for the for the runners. So I got into the Institute of Sport in Victoria, and they want to train me for Commonwealth Games in the Olympics. Yeah, anyway, long story short, I um I ended up in progressing, it was very lonely, no money, no everything. So I ended up getting real estate. Anyway, go back to Mikanoz for an example, and this guy said, I'll race you down a hallway. So I said, No worries, let's go. So I had runners, shorts on, and I ran full pelt, and um there was water on the shiny concrete marble, you know, and I ran and I hit the water. I was winning, of course, but it flipped me from underneath and lifted me up in the air, and I I hit hit my head on the corner of the marble, head first, on the side. And um, yeah, I pretty much said my last words, you know, that I'm out of here. I thought I was gonna die. And um long story short, um, I wasn't well, had to wake me every four hours, so I didn't go into consciousness. Um, ended up getting home. Oh, firstly, before that though, they all went to um the beach, um, one of the beaches that day. And I was that unhappy that I was that crook that I missed out on it. So the next day I actually got myself out of bed and um went down there. Go to the beach. Anyway, got home, flew home, shouldn't have flown home, should have gone to hospitals, didn't want to do it over there, um, wasn't well when I got back. And in the end, I was like, I've got straight away I've got to go to the doctors. Anyway, they they ended up spra um scanning my brain and never my neck. Um, so I ended up living with a crushed C5 for three years. It crushed the nerve to my brain and the whole right side. Um, and my doctor at the time um just said, here's your pain, here's medication, here's all these different things. I ended up by eight neurofins, eight valliums, whatever I could do to function. We had a Christmas party and um that we at the Eureka Tower. I went up 48 floors um this time, and anyway, I just didn't feel well always with my neck. Went to osteos, no, nothing we can do for you. So I went there, we went to the boat builder's yard afterwards, and I said, I just gotta go, I don't feel well. So I drove my car back to my brother's place where my mum was looking after my kids, and then I just hit the couch and I said, I'm not, I don't feel right. So she thought I was having a stroke and said, you know, we've got to get you, we've got to get you to the hospital. So I went to Danny on private emergency, straight in there, and I said, you know, I'm not right. They said, How much do you have to drink? I said, I don't drink, blah, blah, blah. And the guy gets the doctor goes, What's the matter? I go, my neck. And he goes, mate, we've putting morphine into your leg for pain. He said, I said, How long have you been like this? And I said, I've been like it for three years. And he said, You need to see a specialist for this. Anyway, so he said, Here's a referral on Monday. What we'll do, just ring up, you know, and give them buzz. So I rang the lady, it was Christmas time, and she said, Look, get the scans, but it'll probably be next year that we'll come and see you. She goes, but ring tomorrow morning, so we'll let you know. So she goes, You have to be in here at Thursday, Thursday morning at eight o'clock. I said, Oh, this must be serious. So um, anyway, long story short, she um I got in there, it was a South African doctor, and he said, It's very impressive, your neck. And I said, What? He goes, You're functioning right now. And he says, You have a crush C5, it's crushing the nerve to your brain, the whole right side. He goes, You shouldn't be moving. He said, How long have you been like this? And I said, Three years. And it was just like so 16 days later, they did the operation, um, drilled the C5 out, and um, waking up was just horrendous pain. Never in my life have I had pain like that, you know, before waking up from an operation. I was pretty good for a fair while on and off. And um, then four years ago, five years ago, I got worse, and I just I just started living on painkillers again. And then the the the diagnosis was that they were gonna wire me with pacemakers for the pain because they were too uncertain with the neck and everything. And um, in the end, it was we'll we'll go and do this operation, which was meant to be two hours. And um, so I did say to the doctor, I said that when I went in, I said, listen, I woke up with a lot of pain last time. Can I please not wake up with the pain? And um six hours later was the operation. When they opened me up, it was a lot worse. So they ended up doing two discs there. So I've got three discs, artificial discs in my neck, and I got a full fusion in there. But I woke up and I gotta tell you, I was high as a kite. And my wife was sitting there, she was so worried because it was meant to be a two-hour call, and it was six hours. She thought, you know, something's happened on the table. But I woke up and I said, I feel great, they've fixed my neck, we're out of here. And um, anyway, I went back to sleep and woke up. After that, I was not good for the next 24 hours. I was in ICU and I just woke up, I was throat, I I was just not good at all. And um, but then I lived with the my neck having to make sure it was properly for nine months, you know, around my neck, that I couldn't move, couldn't do anything. I was diagnosed then that I would never come back with my brain injury, my head, the whole lot. I was out for good. And um slowly but surely I made my way back to seeing what I could do with work at a real estate office and working down there a bit in Frankston, and then I got back in the corporate side nearly on two years ago now. And um, yeah, so that's and how is it now? I have I have no pain. Yeah, really? Yeah, I have no pain, and I don't do I I just you know, I don't I used to swim, you know, I don't do all that different stuff.

SPEAKER_01

Um Do you run 400 metres up hallways?

SPEAKER_00

Not anymore, I don't. That's reserving, man. Yeah, so that's sort of the short story of yeah, but the journey from you know having brain injuries and and you know not being able to talk properly, walk properly, you know, lying in bed and everything taken away from you, it was it was hard and challenging, but it's life.

SPEAKER_03

Does it um I it's a stupid question, but I mean it a little bit more in depth. Does it obviously affect your mental health? But what kind of level of mental health would it affect you being unwell? Like having those injuries when you were going through that shit because like you get sick for a day and I just like fuck.

SPEAKER_00

I was sick for years.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, how how do you get over that mentally?

SPEAKER_00

The only thing that kept me going was probably my kids.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, like when when you have neck and nerve pain and you're misdiagnosed, yeah, you know, like the doctor that did it, like I, you know, yeah, but my kids kept me going, you know. Um and when you go to the deepest, darker places, you know, like there's one thing I learned in the other day is the only person that can help me is me. You know, there's there's people around you that can support you and those sort of things, but you know, when and it's challenging, as I said, you know, if anyone says they've got nerve pain and they've got neck pain and back pain and all those different things, you know, it's hard, you know. And when you can't do what you used to be able to do, I I say now, I said to my daughter the other day, they haven't seen because all I used to be able to do was drive my kids to school and pick them up. And you had the conversation, you know, before about you know not being there and that I was always 150 calls a day, you say, How'd you build this business? You know, but when I used to get home to my farm, I would sit in my carport, you know, for an hour or two hours on the phone to people. But my daughter was waiting upstairs for me. You know, but what I thought was more important was these people on the phone. Yeah, but what was more important, you know, now is would I have been that same person that just kept thinking that more, more, more is it? But when all I could do was drive my kids to school and pick pick them up every day, you know, that became the best thing for me. Yeah. Because I was a different person. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00

This in industry is driven by ego and yeah, you know, and awards and you know, this whole numbers and all those sort of things, but we lose sight and we lose track of you know what's really important. 100%.

SPEAKER_03

And um, in relation to the payment. Pain and stuff now, will you for the rest of your life have to take medication?

SPEAKER_00

No, I don't take any medication. No, zero medication.

SPEAKER_03

So I'm gonna ask you a deep question. Yeah. With um painkillers, like I've had painkillers for a little bit of back pain, uh tremodol, whatever it is, the buckle. Lyrica and all that this thing's the best thing ever. Uh you were taking it obviously for a period of time. Was it hard to get off that?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, um, yeah, and and some would which is coming out now, I think it's lyrica and those things, you know, it's suicidal, you know, all those sort of things. Yeah, I went cold turkey. Oh wow. Like I I was on all this medication, and the doctor says, Oh, blah, blah, blah. And then I decided that I'm gonna go cold turkey. Like, I didn't realise, and I said, you know what, I've had enough of them all. I threw them all in the bin. And it was Christmas time, just after Christmas, I think it was around boxing. We had to go to Dalesford uh to my wife's brother's place. Anyway, I got in the car the next day, and she's I'm driving along, and I thought, I don't feel good. What's wrong with me? Yeah, I I'm not really feeling well. Anyway, then we stopped at um we stopped at a food place. I was in there and I go, Oh, I don't know what's wrong. And then I got in the car and I Googled everything that I was on, and it says, do not go cold turkey. And I'd thrown them, they're all in the bin.

SPEAKER_03

You've been on a come down, massive come down, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I got there and there was a first birthday kids party, and I walked in the room and I was like freaking out. So I ended up I three days I w I went for a walk for three hours with water, and I just kept walking water, and I'd just run up hills, just jog up hills, get my heart rate going, get my heart rate going. And I did that twice a day. And my wife said, Where are you going? And I was off in the bushes.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And for three days I did that, and at night my head was spinning around and around in circles, and you you're in another world. And um, I got myself out of it after day four. Um, that I got rid of it.

SPEAKER_03

That's crazy, bro.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's insane.

SPEAKER_00

But it's pretty bad.

SPEAKER_01

So if you had your time again, would you would you do what you've done? Like the the conversation. I think most agents feel like they drive home, they want to switch off, they still want to call, another one comes through, they take that call. Would you still do that? Or would you go, nah, you know, I'm clocking off, I'm gonna see my daughter upstairs?

SPEAKER_00

Who knows? Who knows from that person to that person? But I think in certain points it was, you know. Um my my my two daughters are my best mates, one's 21, really 22, and the other one's 16. But you know, I think I think, you know, in real estate, people come and go, you know, and we're trying to impress these people that really aren't aren't really that important. Yeah. When you read and you hear about, you know, books and all those different things about people that their biggest regret is their kids. You know, billionaires that, you know, they get they get it in the mail from, you know, come to my come to my 21st dad or stuff like that. You know, they what have you got when everything's all said and done? Interesting one.

SPEAKER_01

That makes sense. We'll go for a bit of a break, but it is an interesting one because obviously a lot of us that agents listen to this podcast, and a lot of us that agents dream for the life that you have at the moment, Brent. Um, that's the ultimate end goal. But then at what sacrifice do you make to reach that? Yeah. We'll come back. Um, we'll be with Brent for a short time before we wrap up the podcast. Thanks guys for still joining me. Yep. We're back with Brent Puller, head of growth and development at a hardcourts, the CEO of what I'm calling the CEO, it's not really the CEO, but the big boss dog at Harcourts. Kind of you ex-CEO, want to find out a bit about what it was like doing real estate back then and what it's like doing real estate now. And for the new guys coming in, what's your advice to them?

SPEAKER_00

When I came back in the role of what I'm doing now, I thought, far out. I'm getting older, I'm getting this, I'm getting that. There's technology, being out for a bit, being all these different things, but you know what? Nothing's changed. We're in the people business. I agree. We are in the people business, and the way you treat people, you know, the way you service them, you know, the way you are. My whole philosophy the whole time is don't be a real estate agent. People don't like us. I'm the same now. You know, be a good human, be, you know, just just just you know, be real, be can be caring. And and you know, the old days of you know, the best ones that I still see out there, they're on the phones, they're great in their community, they're great networkers, and they're great humans. The ones that come through that think they're rock stars and they're all those different things, they come and then they go. Well, you just one of Sharon who's been with me 20 years today, so you just you look over the years, she's been with me 25 years now, and she says, you know, where are these people now? You know, the ones that stay the journey and continue, these they are good people.

SPEAKER_01

The problem is though, that's not flashy or sexy, and it doesn't make your money overnight.

SPEAKER_00

Um, I don't think you have to be flashy or sexy to make your money. I mean, do you you know, this, you know, the this is a I this is a long, long game. You know, and the way you treat people and the way you do and all those sort of things is yeah, I don't think you I think you can still be flashy and in a different way, you know. Like I always people always used to say to me, you know, be sitting in a room, lounge room, and they say, You don't seem like a real estate agent. I go, I don't want to be. Okay, people don't like, but you are one. I go, it doesn't mean they have to like it the way they are, you know, the the image that certain people will give us and who they think they need to be, but you go and pick most of the good real ones, and they're just good people.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, 100%. We get that a lot. I get that fair bit, you get it a fair bit too. You did you don't come across as real estate or real estate? I'm like, I love what you just said. Yeah, that's conflict. Talk dirty to me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's important. Yeah, what's changed? Hey, you know, like has technology changed? Yeah, I think social you probably guys touched on social media. I think social media is so powerful, but it it's not just about the listings and sales. People want to see the person behind it. Yeah, you know, they they would they want to see, you know, the kids, the family, the human element, you know, that's they they're not interested in just you know, the just listed and the just solds and all those sort of things.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I thought you see you still see it in today's day and age, like you know, just just listed. I I listed uh this amount of houses and I've sold this amount. Well, fucking good on you, bro. That's your job. Yeah, like show a household. Like Gav has Gav's stuff makes me laugh and it's personable. You posted a photo of a pink car. Is that a true pink car? Yeah, yeah, like a pink car. That's funny, man. That's funny shit. Like, who cares? Like, you won't say, like, oh, I listed 28 houses this week. It doesn't do that, which is which is what you're saying as well.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I think people I think people though also they still need to know you're getting results. Don't get me wrong.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But you know, it's a balance, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But I feel like you could you can show off that you're good without having to gloat about it or like be super fancy and say, oh, you know, I've listed this many, I've sold this many. People understand success. They can kind of resonate with success without having it shoved down their throat.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. 100%.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and then you you mix that with authenticity, which is what you're talking about as well. And I think people then really become attracted to not just your state agent, but the person. And then once you're attracted to the person, then business starts flowing.

SPEAKER_00

And I always, you know, my whole philosophy has always been if I sat in a lounge room, you know, choose the person you feel comfortable with. If you don't like if you don't feel comfortable here, don't choose me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, that's because like you said earlier, but it's about relationships and those sort of things. And and I'll never forget, once I rang someone, they said, Oh, I lost the listing. And I gave it to LJ Hooker. I said, What? And they said, Well, you said choose who you feel most comfortable. We felt more comfortable, you know, this this person, they just related better. Yeah, but it's the same always with with the franchising and people coming in, you know, like people say, What are you gonna do for me? And I always say nothing. I used to say nothing. And I said, What do you mean? I said, Well, you know, I've got to work out if I like you and you like me. If you don't like me, don't join our organization. If I don't like you, I don't care if you write two million dollars, I don't care what you do. If I don't, if I don't, you know, if we don't gel, and you, you know, we're not on the same, you're you're better off somewhere else.

SPEAKER_03

And it really ruins a brand. Like you can have a a two million dollar writer in an in a brand, and we've probably both seen this happen. Everyone just leaves, and then it's just that person, and it really kills a brand quickly and does more damage as opposed to having five five hundred thousand dollar writers that build a team and build it up as well. So 100% agree with you.

SPEAKER_01

How do you go recruiting people now in this day and age? Is it still the old school pick up the phone? Hey, you want to catch up? Let me talk to you about why this brand's better than this brand.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's um for me, it's old relationships and different things. And you know, some people I've got so many relationships in real estate that are other brands and all those sort of things, and they're never gonna change and they're never gonna do anything, you know, but they're still friends. Yeah, you know, like, but I always say a lot of times too, in in say to people in business, you know, the long way is the short way. And they go, What do you mean? But I said it again yesterday, you know, it's like a footy team, you know, get the draft, get the young ones, develop them, do all those different things. Yes, it might take you longer, but then if you're trying to recruit someone, they go, I'm only coming if you're gonna pay me more, if I'm gonna do this, I want, want, want, want, one. You know, like we're nurturing and building your own people. Like when I started MPRE in my own business before that, but I was 23, 24 years of age. So no one older than me would work for me. So I used to get 18, 19, 20-year-olds, but I'd just teach them to hunt.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Teach them to hunt, and I'd get in a listing presentation, and I'd do all those sort of things and help them from there. But I cultivated, I cultivate an army. Yeah, and then all the older people are in and they go, ah mate, they're all young kids and all that. Well, they were just standing out the front and having cigarettes back in the day. Yeah, you know, and I think we listened to the guy from the Melbourne Football Club the other day, he's you know, speaking, and he says, you know, they they look at a couple of attributes, and it's really that want and that desire and the that training, he said, we can teach the rest. Yeah, you know. When you talk Hey, so there's still there's still hope for you and I, Brennan.

SPEAKER_03

Hopefully, very when you talk about um nurturing and obviously going to the draft and stuff, uh, is it good to see Petrarca go to Gold Coast? I'm happy for Petrarca. He's a gun, man. He's so good.

SPEAKER_00

He is, but we we actually spoke about that. I think you know when a club you know leaves a player out on the field, and you know, you hear about Collingwood players, for an example, that he he he went grey. Yeah, and the Collingwood players said on the field, don't go near him. Yeah, you know, but if you go into a hospital, for example, and you're nearly dying, and you know, the the club isn't calling or finding out anything, you know, it's it doesn't matter what player it is, your best or your worst, they lost him. That's what happened.

SPEAKER_03

Sorry, I I I just got what you were saying, but yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00

You know, and and and you know, the he needed he he needed a new start. Yeah, and you know, we've just sponsored Melbourne Footy Club and they talk about it, and so it's the best thing for him, you know, and Clayton moving on and all those sort of things, and the culture and all those different things that they're building and what they want to do, you can see through that club as well. Yeah, you know, we've been really in the last couple of years for our business. We probably went off track and those things, you know, different people. But now, you know, if people aren't going to fit into our culture, if they're not gonna do the things they want to do, you know, we we've moved more offices on the last two years now than we put on. But we're replacing them then with people that want to do the things, want to be a part, you know, want to be all that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_03

And if you don't, well yeah, it's like you join you join us, like sorry, yeah, you join us. If you don't want to join us, like we're not joining you, we don't want you here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, to do that. And not in a bad one, we'll do everything to help you, but uh it's a two-way street as well for me. I'm gonna come out to help you, but if you're not gonna help yourself and you're not gonna be a part of what we're a part of and doing as well, well, don't be don't be here.

SPEAKER_03

We've seen a lot of brands do that. I think the last 80 months is they're actually downsizing their franchisees because a lot of them aren't performing and they're more of a liability than more of a more of an asset as well.

SPEAKER_00

But you know, I I I always say you can't want from others what they don't want for themselves. Yeah. And you know, if I just look for people with the want. I don't care where they come from or what they do, you know, you can find them in a cafe, you can find them in different, you can teach them, but you can't you can't teach, you know, if you find, and and sometimes you've got to go through the I say you've still got to go through, you know, people you think you think someone you put on, you go, This kid's gonna be a world beater or whatever, and they don't see that in themselves. Yeah, but then I've had so many people who have moved on, but they're they're now plumbers, they're electricians, they're all different things, but they've tried the industry, but it's not for them as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, Brent, thank you very much for joining us on the podcast, mate. Um, you've been a revelation, lots of insights, and really appreciate you making the way down here to join us. Where do you live?

SPEAKER_00

Mornington. Beautiful acreage? No, I love I'm on Acreage, man. I used to be on Acreage.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

In Merricks North.

SPEAKER_03

Too much maintenance?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's 61 acres. I had to sell sell it for now. I had 61 acres down there. Yeah. But yeah, we're just uh finishing a renovation in Mornington and uh moving that.

SPEAKER_03

You need an agent? Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01

All right, guys, I'll wrap that up. Thank you so much for everyone that stayed tuning into the podcast each and every week and until right into this very moment, the end of the podcast on behalf of Brent Squad. I'm Gavin, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, awesome. Thanks.