The final stop on our regional tour, recorded live at REIWA CONNECT. Jess and Shane sit down with Elliot Briers, Sales Manager at Kalgoorlie Metro Property Group, and he showed us exactly why he's one of WA's top agents.

In this ep: 

• Growing up with a builder dad and Kal's #1 agent for a mum
• Why he sells cashflow, not capital-growth dreams
• The Eastern States investors who started the fire while locals watched on
• Trades shortages when the mines pay $40/hr more
• The locals who can't afford to leave town, even after doubling their money
• Plus the best steak in Kal and the tour everyone queues for (it's not the Super Pit).

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​Recorded live at REIWA Connect, we sat down with Lara Sadowski and Warwick Neville from Geraldton Property Team for a snapshot of one of regional WA's most talked-about markets.

Geraldton's median house price has jumped from $350K pre-COVID to around $650K, and Lara and Warwick unpack exactly how it happened. From east coast investors buying sight unseen during lockdown to buyer's agent calls going from almost none to 60 a week​ to where we sit now.

In this episode:

• The 0.2% vacancy rate and what it means for renters and investors
• First home buyer reality: what $650K gets you and why bank of mum and dad is doing heavy lifting
• Build costs jumping from $1,200 to $3,000 per square metre
• The two-geared market: why $750K-$850K is the sweet spot while million-plus listings stall
• ​Why Warwick says the market is at 11:59 on the property clock ​and their best advice for buyers and sellers over the next 12 months

Plus the all-important verdicts on Geraldton's best coffee, pub meal and the mystery roadhouse pie.

​Jordan James is the director of Realmark Karratha and one of Australia's only FIFO real estate agents. With two offices 1,200km apart and 8 years in the Karratha market, Jordan gives us some insight at what it takes to operate in the Pilbara.

We discuss boom-bust cycles, the "Pilbara tax," why 95% of his rent roll is leased to mining companies, how COVID changed his entire staffing model, and what investors need to know before chasing an 11% yield in the Pilbara. 

Recorded live at REWA's CONNECT event.

We're kicking off a special short series recorded live at REIWA's CONNECT Conference, where we took the opportunity to sit down with some of the speakers and attendees we wouldn't normally get access to.

First up: Mat Steinwede.

If you were at CONNECT, you saw the reaction he got - and the reason why was clear within the first five minutes of his keynote. Vulnerable, honest, and genuinely generous with his experience.

In this episode we cover:

• How his "why" has shifted across 25+ years in the industry
• Why he believes prospecting is still the non-negotiable foundation of any real estate career
• What burnout at the peak of his career looked like, and the habits that turned things around
• How he thinks about building a team, giving people runway, and letting go of the ego that can hold that back
• A John McGrath quote that reframed how he sees success entirely

​Ellie Hill from Centurion Real Estate joins Jess and Shane to talk about why she focused on building her personal brand before she had built her business. From running a dress hire company to cracking real estate in her first couple of years, Ellie's approach has been anything but traditional.

She's made serious noise on social media and in this episode she's open about why it works, what it doesn't do for you, and why followers and traction are two very different things.

Shane puts his coaching hat on as they dig into the realities of growing a business, knowing when it's time to bring on a team member, and why "I don't know" might be the most underrated phrase in real estate.

A good one for new agents finding their feet, and a solid reminder for the experienced ones too.

This week Jess and Shane sit down with Nicola Fleet from Mint Real Estate — the number one agent in Bicton and Attadale, and someone who's been quietly building one of the most service-focused businesses in Perth for over a decade.

Nicola shares how she fell into real estate (spoiler: it wasn't the plan), why she's always capped herself at four or five listings at a time, and what that kind of intentional restraint actually looks like when you're the top agent in your area.

The conversation gets into the shift in buyer behaviour post-COVID - less communication, more DocuSign, and what that means for agents who built their business on relationships. They also dig into community give back, with Nicola having donated close to $80,000 in commission to her sellers' chosen charities since 2019.

And with the WA market showing signs of change, Shane and Nicola weigh in on what's coming - longer days on market, more realistic sellers, and why the agents who coasted through the boom might be in for a rude awakening.

On this episode we're joined by two of Perth's most experienced operators. Theo Kouroulis spent 25+ years building Paragon Property alongside Nick Zounis before merging with Edison. Pasquale Cianfagna was on the other side of that deal as Edison's director.

Together they cover what alignment in a partnership really means, why ego quietly kills businesses and why doing what you said you'd do is still the most underrated business strategy around.

If you're thinking about going out on your own, looking for a business partner, or trying to build something worth keeping — this one's for you.

Kareena Ballard needs very little introduction in WA real estate.

From starting her career in nursing to building Jones Ballard alongside her son Adrian, Kareena has shaped the industry at both a business and leadership level. She’s the first female President of REIWA and the Real Estate Institute of Australia, and recently had the Kareena Ballard Achievement Award announced in her honour.

In this episode we discuss career pivots, leadership and what really matters whether you’re just starting out or well into your career and wondering what’s next.

If you’re in real estate for the long haul, this one’s worth a listen.

We hit episode 100 and brought back a familiar voice to mark the milestone.

Mark Grogan from O’Neil Real Estate joins Jess and Shane for his third appearance on The Crunch to talk all things Perth property as we head into 2026.

We cover:
• Why 2026 already feels like “the 13th month of 2025”
• Buyer behaviour in a low stock, high-pressure market
• The reality of subject to sale offers and why they’re no longer the ugly cousin
• How stock shortages are changing the way people buy and sell
• What’s really going on with agents in a market where listings are scarce but competition is brutal
• Why some sellers might be leaving money on the table by selling too fast
• The impact of investor activity, interstate buyers and shifting suburb perceptions

This is an episode worth tuning into/.

In this episode of The Crunch, we’re joined again by REIWA President Suzanne Brown to unpack what actually played out across WA real estate in 2025 and what agents and property managers should be watching as we head into 2026.

Suzanne breaks down the real market drivers behind the headlines, where the pressure points showed up for sales and property management, and what surprised even those closest to the industry. We also look ahead to 2026, covering expectations around supply, demand, regulation, and where agents should be focusing their energy as conditions continue to shift.