Rob: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Property Edge podcast. Today, get your crystal balls out, we’re looking five years into the future, to 2030. What does a real estate agency, your real estate agency, look like? Just think about how much has changed over the last five years. 2020 was the beginning of COVID.

Imagine how much change has happened in your workflows and the tools you use today, then push that forward another five years to 2030. Remember, AI is going to accelerate this.

On this journey today, I’m joined by real estate principal, auctioneer extraordinaire, Mr. Mark Lands from Lands Real Estate.

Mark: Thanks for having me, Rob. Appreciate it, mate. Very grateful to be here.

Rob: Really good to have you here. The last time I saw you was at the National Auctioneering Competition, watching you on stage smash it. Well done for your work there. But let’s actually hear about your work, who are you and where did you come from?

Mark: My business is Lands Real Estate. My dad started it nearly 40 years ago. I’ve been in the industry for 22 years. My wife and I have run the business ourselves for about five years now.

My journey started as a salesperson, then building an EBU and growing the team over time. When we took over the business, I had to learn to run it, grow the rent roll, and expand the team. I still feel like we’re at base camp, but I’ve really enjoyed it and am grateful for the opportunities this industry has given me.

Rob: Let’s start with a fundamental. Fast forward to 2030, what’s not going to change? What principles in real estate will still hold true then?

Mark: Clearly it’s an opinion, but I believe the connection between people will hold true. Our main role as sales agents is to build meaningful connections with people. As property managers, it’s to help and protect landlords through trust and understanding.

The people who are best at building meaningful connections, understanding people, and treating them well will continue to lead the industry.

Rob: Given that interpersonal skills won’t change, how will the people within the agency and their skill sets evolve?

Mark: We’ll need people who can accept and sustain the rapid rate of change we’re all experiencing. On the frontline, that means maintaining strong connections. Internally, it means ensuring our teams are trained to exploit new tools effectively.

Businesses that recruit with that mindset and build efficient systems will be the ones leading the charge.

Rob: That’s interesting. If we look at your platforms now, they’ll become far more important because if one agency is using a great system, everyone will want to. That increases reliance on these platforms, which also means greater exposure for business owners. You’ll probably need more tech-savvy operations managers and different structures behind the scenes, right?

Mark: Exactly. The journey has shifted from purely administrative backends to a balance of onshore and offshore administration, streamlined through automation. Automation is great, but it has variables that create risk.

As platforms evolve toward AI, we’re seeing real value in improving processes. Some agencies will use plug-and-play systems, while others, the ones who can customise and build relevant tools, will gain more leverage.

These systems will shoulder more of the load, empowering people to work more calmly and consistently. The most consistent people in this business are the ones who win.

Rob: Right now, tech is making life easier so agents and property managers can focus on more important work. But it could also increase their workload, AI might generate more leads or handle more backend tasks, creating more front-facing work.

Do you see backend staff shrinking and frontline staff growing?

Mark: Ideally, yes. For an office like ours, everyone onshore should really be qualified to work in either property management or sales. The systems we’ve built over the last few years aim to create time, starting in our PM business, so property managers can focus more on relationships.

If we can free up capacity, the question becomes: what do we dedicate that time to? Because even property managers are in sales, earning trust, fostering relationships, and serving clients.

So ideally, we’ll have more people generating revenue and fewer not generating it. But you still need strong standards and contingency plans if systems fail, that’s always the risk.

Rob: Fair point, and if you had the answer to that, you’d be monetising it!

Mark: Copy that.

Rob: If we look at what’s changed over the last five years, property management platforms have added so much value and removed so many repetitive tasks. Fast forward another five years, and that’ll evolve again.

Beyond property management, what other parts of an agent’s day will tech most impact?

Mark: From our experience, we’ve focused heavily on creating a platform where salespeople can transact a high volume of properties with fewer support staff. Those support staff are more leveraged and revenue-generating, creating new salespeople.

Our offshore team and automation handle many of the micro parts of each process. For example, when a trigger occurs, say, booking an appraisal, it sets off a workflow with delegated steps across multiple systems.

We use a workflow management platform that integrates with our CRM and Google Workspace. Each tool has strengths and weaknesses, so finding the right balance of automation is key.

AI will make that even more effective, but tech companies must ensure their APIs and integrations allow for smooth cross-platform automation.

Running a business isn’t getting simpler or cheaper, AML regulations are coming, for instance, so we must be efficient to maintain profitability. What you save in wages will likely be spent elsewhere.

For now, our responsibility with AI is to stay engaged and integrate it effectively. Understanding tools like ChatGPT means making sure our prompts are better than the consumer’s or competitor’s. That’s probably an old-school way to think, but we’re learning and chipping away.

Rob: That’s a timeless principle, those who use existing tools best benefit the most. Technology is so democratised now that, tomorrow, I could start a real estate business, use the same platforms, run ads, and compete with you. Why wouldn’t I win?

Mark: You might, but probably not! The reason is that the core of what we do is helping people through emotional journeys tied to big life changes.

Technology facilitates that, but it isn’t the business itself. At some point, you still need to sit across from someone and guide them through the process. Change is uncomfortable, especially when large sums of money are involved. That’s why this job is so intense, and why relationships and trust remain irreplaceable.

Rob: So if I’m competing with you, using the same tools but no experience, what personal qualities would help me win, and which mean you’d beat me?

Mark: Success in this business comes down to two things: skill and volume.

You need the skill to connect with people and read situations, and you need the volume, the consistency, to keep going. The barrier to entry in real estate is low, but the price of admission to perform well is high.

The people you compete with are phenomenal at what they do. Some have great skill but lack consistency, leading to fluctuating results. Those who combine both, skill and relentless volume, are the ones who consistently win.

A newer skill that’s become essential is the ability to deal with distractions. We’re constantly bombarded with notifications and messages. The ability to park those distractions and focus on what matters is critical.

Being busy doesn’t mean being productive. Fulfilment comes from productive days, doing the things that matter, even when they’re not easy.

If AI can reduce distractions and help us trust that what needs doing is being done, that’s a great outcome.

Rob: That’s really deep and cross-industry, not just real estate. Your point about AI reducing distractions and only surfacing what matters is fascinating.

Mark: Absolutely. For us, that’s what we’ve been working towards. Over the last 12 months, we’ve evolved our workflow platform. The biggest change wasn’t the backend but the interface, it now only shows people the data they need, not everything.

We’re also trying to get the team out of email and into workflows. Email is inefficient. Ideally, email should only be for outbound communication, with everything internal handled in-platform.

Rob: That’s a brilliant picture of what 2030 could look like, a system that pushes you the right volume of work, only when needed, making your life easier and more focused.

Mark: Exactly.

Rob: One last question. Let’s say Lands Real Estate goes belly-up in 2030 and you have to start again. Who do you hire first?

Mark: The first person I’d hire is someone smarter than me, someone who knows more about what I don’t know.

I’d sit down, identify my weaknesses, and find someone who complements them. I could have progressed faster in the past if I’d had the confidence to hire the right people earlier. So in 2030, that’s what I’d do, find someone consistent and capable of executing ideas better than I can.

Rob: Great answer. I challenge every principal listening to ask themselves: are you the smartest person in your business, or have you hired people who fill your gaps? That’s gold.

Mark, thank you so much for joining us.

Mark: Pleasure, Rob. Thanks for having me, very grateful.

Rob: You’ve dropped a lot of learning bombs today, and I know people will get real value from this.

For everyone listening or watching, thank you for joining us. For other episodes, head over to the Property Edge website or app, where you can also explore our research platform.

Until the next episode, bye for now.

Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity.