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Welcome to the Gold Coast Smart Real Estate Podcast—the ultimate guide to navigating one of Australia’s most dynamic and competitive property markets. Hosted by Brad Scott, Principal of Smart Real Estate with nearly two decades of experience, this podcast is your trusted resource for making smarter property decisions.
Whether you're buying, selling, investing, or simply wanting to stay informed, each episode delivers practical advice, innovative strategies, and expert insights tailored to the unique Gold Coast property scene. From market trends and maximising investment returns to insider tips for selling your home quickly and for top dollar, Brad covers it all.
Hit subscribe and join the community of "Smart" Gold Coast buyers and sellers transforming their real estate journeys. For more resources, visit www.smartrealestate.com.au or connect with Brad on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Your next smart move starts here!
Welcome to the Gold Coast Smart Real Estate Podcast. I'm Brad Scott, here to help you make smart moves in the Gold Coast property market. Whether you're thinking of buying, selling, or just staying updated, we deep dive into everything you need to know, from our market insights to our unique open offers method of sale.
A blend of auction and private treaty to give you the best of both worlds. Let's jump in.
Hello and welcome back to the Gold Coast Smart Real Estate Podcast. I'm your host, Adam Bell. And today we're exploring a topic that every, every seller, is going to have to consider it at some stage. And that should I go with one of the big franchise agencies or a, or a boutique firm. So to help us break it down, I'm joined by Brad Scott, the principal of Smart Real Estate, who is the owner of the boutique agency right here on the Gold Coast.
Brad, welcome.
Thanks, Adam.
Excellent. Alright, so let's break it down. You've got a choice. The big franchises have, you know, got offices all over the country owned by franchisees. Yep. And I think everyone knows who they are. And you've got your small boutique agencies like yourself. What are the key differences to start with?
Yeah, sure. So, in the real estate industry, we essentially have two groups. Yep. There's the franchise group, which, overall they make up around 35 percent of the market. Is that,
that's interesting, I thought it would have been more than that.
Yeah, no, so your, your independents, actually make up 65 percent of the entire industry.
Wow, okay. Yeah, which is something I didn't know also. No, I would
have, you've blown me away a little bit with that stat. I would have actually thought it would have been the, the other way around.
Yep, no, so there are more independent agencies in the industry than what there are franchises. And the big names we all know.
The big key difference is obviously, you've got a brand that's sort of known more nationally. Versus an independent boutique, which is probably more local. , and not as greatly known. So they're probably the two key main differences between those two.
Sure. And I guess maybe why my mindset and others might be that the stat might be that other way around is because, in any particular area, you know, whether it be Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, you, you, you see those signs so that you see that, but you, if you're only in one area, you only see that boutique agency in that particular area.
Yeah. And, and
they, look, there are. Pros and cons to, to both. So, you know, with, when you see independent boutique local firms, they're probably a little bit more specialised, a little bit more family orientated. They're probably more ingrained in the local community, I think. So, you know, we do a lot of sponsorships with, you know, the Burley Nippers Club, Service Paradise Football Club, stuff like that.
Whereas your big franchise groups are more just, nationwide. Yep. And they You
see the big colourful advertising campaigns on telly and Yeah. So,
And I think it's just, whether you're looking at a big brand or a boutique agency, it's yeah, it's just basically a choice of, yeah, choosing more personalised service I guess over, you know, a brand, so.
Absolutely. What, you know, what can boutique agencies offer, you know, to, to local buyers and sellers that maybe those, those franchise agencies can't?
Yeah, look, I mean, I think it's, mostly it's going to come down to personalised service. Sure. More care, more time, you know, your big franchise groups are very, looking at volume and turning over a lot of stock.
It's, it's, you know, it's driven as a business more so, I think, than whereas a boutique agency. Service
orientated. Yeah, it's like
we're really, like our focus is really to help people go from point A to point B. Yep. And, and sometimes that takes a little bit longer. We carry less stock levels for that reason.
And, you know, your, your larger franchise groups, you've also got to remember that. Even when you're a franchise, you are essentially an independent firm under a banner. That's what
I wanted to point to, to make here. All they've got really above and beyond is this umbrella marketing campaign, isn't it?
With brand recognition, because you're still at the end of the day, and this is what I wanted to break down with this is, it's, it's going to be more about the agent, isn't it? Because at the end of the day, it's the agent that sells your house. Now they're attached to. Yeah. It could be a, a franchise group.
It could be. An independent. Smart real estate. Yeah. But at the end of the day, it's about the person, the people, and I guess the values of their. You know, their agency. But really a big, a big brand banner across the top isn't going to make a lot of difference, is it?
No, look, it's not. And something I probably learnt a long time ago in my career.
I went and saw another principal in Victoria. And, you know, he said, Oh, what do you like real estate about? And I said, well, you know, I like marketing, and I like houses and architecture. And stuff like that and I don't mind money. And
Tell me an agent that doesn't like money.
And he, and he said, he said, well that's good.
He said, but real estate's about people, Brad. And I, and I sort of stopped and I thought, hmm. And I think that was a pivotal point in my career where I sort of looked at it and I, this was a man who's had 40, 50 odd years in real estate. Yep. And, very successful in country Victoria and, yeah, when he said that, I sort of, it sort of clicked and I went, yeah, you're right.
Like it's, real estate's not so much about the houses and the architecture and the marketing and the money, like all that comes along with it. But when you get down to the nitty gritty of what real estate is, our service and our career is really helping people get through different segments of their life.
Whether it be a first home buyer getting into that first home. Yep. Whether it be somebody who's outgrown that home and now needing to go into a bigger house.
Yep.
Or at the other end, you know, you've got retirees who've, you know, they've outlived that big family home, the kids have all left. And they're like, Brad, we really need to downsize now.
You know, we've, it's too much to maintain this property. So, that's where a real estate agent's job is to really sort of help those people go from point A to point B as stress free and as quickly as possible for the most amount of money so they can have that for the next chapter of their life.
No, look, I once heard someone say, you know, you are dealing with Probably the biggest transactions of, of most people's lives and like, you know, most will only maybe do that two or three times, you know, on, on average.
So you can, the amount of emotion tied to, to that, you know, for, for, for the. And you know, you're selling them a dream. And for the seller, you're selling them either their next dream or financial, you know, security, freedom, whatever you might want to say. So I can understand what you're saying there.
That, you know, when you look at it from that perspective, it's, it's about the people. These things are just bricks and mortar, aren't they? Yeah, at the end
of the day, we're all gonna, you know, we're all gonna leave this planet. Yep. And you can't take that bricks and mortar with you. It's all just a journey.
And, you know, it's a, a place of a lot of, importance in the job that we do. Unfortunately, real estate agents are not well liked in the community, because like you said, they think we're just about money and fast cars and Lambos and all that. And I, I think we're, We like you better than lawyers.
Yeah. I think we're just one above sex workers. Right. Really? Okay. It's the most trusted, you know, career. So, but for me, I'm really passionate about real estate and I love it. And, for me, it's, it's, it's about. I guess bringing more transparency and faith and trust in the process and it's not just about the money.
You know, and I, and I say to people, people say, Oh, you know, you're a real estate agent. And I say, well, you know, I have 10 people's keys to their house in my car. Yeah. So, you know, how many pairs of keys do you have? Yep. So you have to have a lot of trust. People have to trust you. You do. That's it. And they're going to have faith in you that they're going to transition you on this journey.
And that comes with a lot of responsibility. So, it's pretty crucial.
No, for sure. For sure. So, coming back to, you know, this is the, the, the, the boutique versus the The franchise, group discussion, do wider networks and maybe larger marketing budgets make it an impact for sellers, you know, with, with the franchise groups?
Yeah, look, I mean, I think, all being equal, if people don't know of a specific agent or a boutique agency, they just sort of go, well, who do I list with, I'll go with Ray Warren, Royal J. Hooker, or PRD, or the big brands that people have learnt over the last 50, 60 years. So, that's, I guess, why franchise groups become part of that franchise group, and their systems and stuff like that.
I think As for sellers, at the end of the day, and I say to sellers, look, it doesn't really matter whether you're with one of the big agencies or not. They will claim that they have these special databases that they all share between all the different, you know, between their network and stuff like that.
But, for us, like, you know, we've got, I think, 46, 000 buyers on our database. Wow. That we've built up over the past 20 years. And to be completely honest with you, we all work with the same buyers. So, you know, saying that, you know, you can get I
can't imagine there's a whole list of buyers out there saying, I'm only going to look at Ray White properties.
Exactly. And we're not picking on Ray White here. No, no. No, I'm
just saying buyers want the house. Exactly. And, and this is something that I think when you're selecting an agent, it doesn't matter, don't, don't get focused on where their office is. Don't get focused on what color their brand is. Get focused on that person and the method and how they're going to take you from point A to point B.
Cause at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if yellow or blue or black. It's about. You know, having faith and confidence to entrust that person to get you from point A to point B. Because, you know, you're not listening with the agency. You know, and I think I was telling you before, like, I Ask clients what's most important to them and they say, I'm like, is, is brand or the size of the agency important and it's one of the lowest things on the importance factor.
So I don't spend a lot of time talking about it, but, one little thing that some clients do have in the back of their mind is that they need to be with a local agent that's just around the corner. Right. Cause I think back in the. Seventies and the eighties, you know, that was
important back then. Yeah.
You had window shop fronts and we didn't, and well, you didn't have the internet, didn't have, didn't have the wide, you know, the availability of information and photos and all that. So that would make sense to me that yeah. That that local person would look, know the two suburbs around them. Yeah.
And real estate over the last 50 years has changed a lot.
You know, back in the 70s you had the local storefront, you wanted to buy a house, well that storefront was the internet. Yeah, you had to go look in the window. You go get the coffee and you look in the window and You know, that was your internet, that was your realestate. com. au, you know, and over time as things have developed and all these websites have come up and technology's changed, whether you're based, you know, around the corner or half an hour away or even an hour away, I've sold properties in North Queensland and I haven't stepped in, inside the front door.
It was actually up in Ely Beach, we ended up selling, about a dozen properties remotely and I didn't step in, I didn't meet the client in person, I didn't meet any of the buyers, we didn't do any physical open homes and we were selling properties for 200, 000, 300, 000 more than the franchise groups, in that local area and they couldn't understand how we were doing it or what we were doing and we ended up being market share leaders, and we didn't have an office, like, nine hours away.
So it really doesn't matter about choosing a local area expert. Look, the world's
changed. I mean, this might be a strange analogy, but I took a long time to get used to the idea of buying clothes online, that you couldn't see on yourself. You know, but it's changed, hasn't it? Yeah, the
whole The internet has changed a lot and, you know, it's, you know, and I say to sellers, I say look, you know, if I want to buy a house, okay, I'm going to look on real estate.
com. au, I'm going to look on domain, and I'm going to look in, I want to be in that suburb. I'm going to look at those properties. Now, as a buyer, do I care if it's Ray White, or Graa, or LG
Hookah, or Smart Real Estate? Like, I'm
going to look at As a buyer, you find the house and then you see the banner at the end and it doesn't matter, does it? Well,
they sort of, they look at the photos and the marketing, that's really crucial. So, you know, marketing, pricing are probably the two biggest things.
You know, you've got good videos, good media, that's going to really attract them. You know, probably the Brand is probably the last thing they care about. And for a buyer, really the, the agent and who they're calling is going to be very low importance to a buyer. Cause they're going to scroll down and say, Oh, who do I need to call?
I need to call Brad Scott at Smart Real Estate. They give me a call. They don't care where my office is, whether I'm five minutes down the road or an hour down the road,
they
give me a call. We book on a booking a time to go and show them the property and away we go. Yep.
Perfect. Tell me once we get a. a unique, you know, a more luxury property.
Yep. Is there a tendency for, for those to want to go towards a boutique agency?
Yeah. I think especially when you're sort of dealing with your higher end properties, like two to sort of, I guess, 10 million, those clientele probably want to have more personalized service, better communication. They also like to be important.
You know, like they don't want you to be one of used
to being, they're, they're high net worth individuals generally, so
I don't want to be, you know, they don't want to be like one of 20 listings that you're currently carrying.
I don't want to be just another 15 minute open home on a, on a Saturday afternoon in your list.
Yeah. They want to be special and, and it's more like, okay, well, and I say to clients like, you know, you're one of four sellers, you know, I, I say to sellers all the time, like, I think this week I've done about 15 appraisals. Okay. For people that want me to sell their homes. Yep. Now I could take on probably 12 of those.
Yep. I will select the best three or four, properties that I think I can deliver the best value and results for those clientele. Yep. And I say to sellers, as much as this is an interview for you to select an agent, this is also an interview for me. Just like you as clients, because this has got to be a two way business relationship, and as much as, you know, it's important for you guys, it's important for me, because I think if we're not going to gel, I'll say to you, look, I, I don't think I'm the right fit for, for you guys, because I don't want to be I love
that, I love that because yeah, and you know, it's best for you, it's best for them.
Yeah, and I say look it, this is, you know, we're not working against each other, we're working as a team to get the best outcome for you guys, and the buyers are kind of on the other side, you know, and it's like football, you know, and I say, you are the owner of the team, you make the final decisions, but I'm the coach.
And if I'm the coach, and I'm running this play, you pay me to win.
Yep.
You know, you want to win the grand final. So, if you're employing an agent And he's giving you feedback, giving you advice. You gotta listen to him, you know, cause he's there, you're, you're both working symbiotically together for the same outcome, you know, and you gotta have that, that faith and that trust.
And it's important as agents, like top agents, you know, I guess when you've been around for a while, you know, I haven't got time to be arguing with people and, you know, if you. If, you know, some clients that you just don't want to work with, and not all business is good business. It's different when you're starting off.
You'll, you'll take any, any person in any situation. As you get a bit more experience and results on the board, probably a little bit more selective in who you want to work with and who you can help.
Excellent. Alright, well look, to finish off, last question, what advice would you give to, to someone, you know, in, if it was important, that they're trying to decide between the two, two types of agencies, what would you say to them?
Look, I'd say, forget about the brand. Forget about the colours. Forget about the colours, forget about the agency, like, it, it really doesn't matter. You know, as I said, buyers don't care. The buyers don't care. There's, it's going to come down to the individual person that's sitting in front of you. And if there's a great agent, Ray White.
Go with them. If there's a great agent in LG Hookah, go with them. If there's a great agent at Smart Real Estate, go with them. Trust your gut. Listen to what they're saying. If they've got a great proposal, a great strategy, great marketing plan, and a way and results that's going to lead them to the best possible outcome.
Whatever the brand is, go with them.
Go with it. Yep. Fantastic. Look, I think it's clear, although there, you know, there are pros and cons with both the, the franchise agencies and, and boutique firms, the right choice really ultimately comes down to the seller's needs and goals. And as you've said, finding the right.
Person. The right fit. The right agent. It's about the person, the agent. So, but look, thanks Brad, sharing your wealth of knowledge and expertise yet again. And, to our listeners, you know, if you're looking for a boutique agency with, local expertise and tailored strategies, reach out to Brad and his team at Smart Real Estate.
I can't go on episode without mentioning the open offers method of sales. Sorry, I just can't. So if you do not know, if this is the only episode you've listened to and you haven't heard anything about that, listen to just about any one of the others. But there is one episode specifically on that topic because that definitely is a, a real pro about, about Brad's, Brad's agency, Gold Coast Smart Real Estate.
So look, thanks for tuning into the, the Gold Coast Smart Real Estate podcast. Don't forget to hit subscribe. And of course it is www. smartrealestate. com where you can com. au we can go to get more information and, and connect with Brad and his team. So, until next time, I look forward to, you joining us for more expert tips and advice.
But, uh, until then, Brad, thanks for coming in. See you on the next one.
Thanks for tuning into the Gold Coast Smart Real Estate Podcast. Remember, if you're thinking of selling, Be smart. Explore your options and consider the power of open offers method of sale to maximize your result. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
And if you found today's insights helpful, feel free to share with a friend. Until next time, happy house hunting.