Rob: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Property Edge Podcast. Today we are looking at the other half of a transaction. So the agent handles the, the listing negotiation through the contract, and then it’s over to the conveyer to take that deal and turn it into a legal settled transfer. And of course, that part of the journey has an enormous impact on how the client, your client experiences their overall transaction. 

Joining me today is someone who knows all about this. Kylie Dillon is the CEO of Realtime Conveyancer and used to be a conveyancer herself and so understands the conveying practice inside and out. 

Welcome, Kylie. 

Kylie: Thank you. Thank you for having me. I’m really excited to be here. 

Rob: It is brilliant to have you here today and have a different perspective on real estate transactions. Before we go any further, I do need to disclose that the Land Services, and Land services are the producers of this podcast, our CEO is also on the board of the Realtime Conveyancer platform business as well. 

Now, Kylie, you used to be a conveyancer. You’re now running one of Australia’s hottest PropTech, Realtime Conveyancer. With digital settlements coming in, there was a lot of talk at the time about how conveyancing might be coming to an end. And I know real estate agents find, that their area is under pressure as well with the different portals and the different processes going on. 

Kylie: The consumers tell us that they are still not ready to remove the human element from the conveyancing process. 

They’re also not ready to let go of real estate agents or finance brokers either, which I’m sure everybody’s really happy to hear about, but they, they are starting to demand a different experience and they do want a more digital experience. So I think that we will still see that there is always going to be a manual or for some time there will be a manual element to this, but the digital transformation is, is aiming to remove that, right? 

Everybody out there at the moment in the PropTech space is trying to introduce tools that create visibility, increase efficiencies, and remove risk. They’re the three things that people really focus on because they are, I guess the, you know, the, from a consumer demand perspective, but also from running a business perspective. 

How do we increase our efficiencies and reduce our risk? There is so much risk that sits within the buying and selling process. We know that cyber crime and, you know, email fraud, cyber hacking, whatever we want to call it, is at an all time high. There are a lot of prop techs out there trying to solve, or not even prop techs, but technology as a whole that are trying to solve for that. 

We know that the hackers continue to get smarter. We have consumers that aren’t necessarily tech savvy and we also have a lot of whether it’s conveyancers lawyers, real estate agents and finance brokers who might be excellent at what they do, but they may be a one man band that works from home that doesn’t have the support that they need to make sure that they’re running a secure business. So we will find, we’ll find that there is a lot more technology around removing risks. 

We will find technology that replaces the low value, mundane, repetitive tasks. The re-keying of data, for example. I know Realtime as a whole, so when I had my conveyancing business, I was using up to 12 unintegrated systems and tools every day. Not just me, but my team as a whole. And so technology is looking to, you know, how do we remove those unintegrated systems and tools? And I know that’s obviously what we do with Realtime. We brought every one of those systems and tools into the platform so the conveyancer never has to leave it. 

Obviously there’ll be a lot more emerging platforms around VOI / AML and eSigning, and I know that we’ll probably talk to that a little bit later on. Automation is huge. I feel like, I feel like I hear that word every day. Integrated workflows is another one. Again, you know, what do, what, how do we streamline processes and how do we start thinking ahead of what the next task is going to be? So, AI and automation like I said, they’re, they’re two words that I just, I hear dozens of times every day. 

Rob: Speaking of friction points, so friction points in any transaction, , and, and the use of tech to overcome them, which, which friction points do you see in that settlement process are tech solvable and which ones are more of a human or maybe a process issue? 

Kylie: Yeah, I think obviously re-keying of data is huge and the fact that a number of people within the one office will be responsible for re-keying that very same data. So, you know, how do we, how do we produce tools that actually remove that? Because it, again, that sort of fits in the bucket for us as a low value, mundane, repetitive task, right? 

Which it’s a necessary evil, it needs to be done but it can take up huge amounts of time. Now, that very first piece of data that gets entered into the system, if it’s entered incorrectly, you can guarantee it’s going to flow the whole way through the transaction. Whether you are in the lending space, the real estate space, or the conveyancing space that is going to happen. And there’s also data that we all use, that we, that we use, that we purchase whether it’s VOI, whether it’s title searches, you know, we all, we all purchase it, we all use it, but we don’t share it, and I understand there’s a reason that we don’t share it. But again, I also understand that nationally there are different leg, different legislation and regulation and that there are instances where people can share data, but not sharing that data means more expense to the consumer as well. Right? . 

Rob: Yeah, that’s fair. So, so if you could wave your magic wand and fix one of those things, which would you choose? 

Kylie: For, for me, and I guess again, coming back to why Realtime exists, it is removing those low value, mundane, repetitive tasks so that the conveyancers can focus on the things that they really are good at, and I’m not saying that they’re not good at re-keying, they’re not, you know, good at re-keying data, but I think the role of the conveyancer is going to change over time as well, the role of the real estate agent. 

And so where is your time best spent? It’s not spent sitting, you know, at a computer rekeying the same data four or five times into four or five different platforms it’s about nurturing your client and communicating with your client and not even just your client, but all parties in this, in the transaction, right? 

It’s the, the, the networking that needs to be done to grow a business, but it’s, the communication is key. And so when the real estate agent and the finance broker and the, the bank and the conveyancer and the consumer are all singing from the same hymn sheet, they’re all communicating effectively. You end up with a really straight, generally a, you know, a seamless, straightforward transaction where everybody comes out of it happy. 

Rob: Yeah, and, and it’s brilliant that you’ve said that because one of the key themes in this podcast when we talk to people in tech or people in real estate, is always about how core to real estate is that human interaction being personable, being that trusted friend during that process, and that a lot of tech is just helping keep the automation or, or, or the frustrating low value things outta the way so that you can be your, the person of trust for your client. 

And what you’re saying here is the, is the, is the conveyancer is similar? 

Kylie: Yeah, absolutely. So when you know, you talk about the friction points, but also obviously, you know, there is the, the constant rekeying of data the unintegrated systems and tools missing contract information, so, you know, if it doesn’t, if it’s not on the contract, when the conveyancer received it again, it, it generally seems to flow through. It also doesn’t create trust. It’s a conversation that the conveyancer has to have with the consumer. The consumer wants to know why there’s information missing. The conveyancer doesn’t want to throw the real estate agent under the bus by saying, you know, there’s, there’s missing information from a contract, for example. Because again, you want every, you want the consumer to feel that they have engaged the right people in the right roles to look after them, to get them the outcome that they need. And the relationships between the conveyancers and the brokers and the conveyancers is so incredibly important and it has to be one that is really tight and trustworthy. 

Right? But if it’s not, that’s when you start to see there’s fragmentation, there’s fraction, there’s friction and there’s frustration with that lack of trust within that ecosystem. 

Rob: Well, talking about trust, you know, with the, the, the new laws coming in next year or further of those legislation coming next year with AM AML and, and the VOI stuff, you know, this invisible compliance requirement for this whole transaction. Where do you see, where do you see conveyancers is taking the lead here and taking pressure off other areas given the role they have played for many years when it comes to the legal side of things? 

Kylie: Yeah. There’s still a lot to be learned around the whole AML process and obviously, you know, we have our integration partners and we work very closely with those to make sure that they’re doing what they need to do in order for us to be able to make sure that we’ve got the best possible solution in our platform to keep our conveyancers and their clients safe. 

Because I know as a conveyancer, they don’t want to be an AML provider and I don’t want to be an, I don’t want to build AML and I don’t want to build, you know, the various solutions. So we rely heavily on our relationships with our partners to make sure that they are providing those tools. I think it is really scary. A lot of conveyancers are super nervous a little bit anxious and scared by what this actually means. And I feel like when the government are trying to find a solution, I know I speak on behalf of probably every conveyancer that is out there today, it’s, everything seems to land with the conveyancer. 

You know, if they can’t solve for it themself, the one person that has the trusted relationship is the conveyancer to the consumer is, is always trusted. And it’s where they can capture the information. Right in the heart of that settlement conveyancing process is the opportunity to capture data and information that can’t be captured anywhere else. So there is a lot that falls on the conveyancer, but yeah, there is definitely growing compliance pressure there is, you know, that we acknowledged, highlighted that, that the manual checks are inconsistent. That’s is the reason this technology is going to be brought into play. It needs to move from just a tick box compliance to a real risk managed compliance process. And I know that I’ve spoken to many conveyancers and lawyers who are talking about or considering engaging a risk compliance officer which is never something that we’ve had in our business as a whole. We’ve never had that role that’s needed to be fulfilled. It’ll be making sure that you ideas is captured securely, that it’s stored securely. And I think the AML solution or those, the AML providers will come up with the workflow that is not just consistent, but is easily auditable, which will give the conveyancer a peace of mind that they’re partnered with the right person. 

Rob: Yeah, and it seems to me we, we are chatting here at the end of November, 2025 and we still haven’t got a clear picture of what things are going look like come July next year. And so I think everyone’s putting a lot of reliance on relationships with the AML suppliers, expecting them to have the expertise and the solution that will meet all the requirements, aren’t they? 

So with, with RTC, are, are you picking one or are you hedging your bets with more than one? 

Kylie: We, we integrate with anybody, like we are not agnostic in that particular space. But we have two companies that we’ve partnered with that are reliable, trusted, well known to industry. They’ve been around for a really long time, and so they have those, they obviously have the trusted relationships, but they’ve also given us the reassurance and certainty that we need to carry on that relationship with them as they transgress from a VOI provider to a VOI / AML provider. 

Rob: And so, so your recommendation to say an agent or an agency looking for some sort of partner in this field, because they’re going to go through the same journey that you’ve gone through, is to look at tenure, is to look at that side of things. 

Kylie: Yeah, I think, you know, it’s, it’s very easy to get distracted by the new bright, shiny toy. Right? And the, and I think, you know, we saw this when electronic, signing first came into play there. All of a sudden there was, you know, we went from just one reputable national signing solution, being DocuSign to you know, obviously Adobe as well, but DocuSign was the more prominent and then there was, you know, dozens of e-sign solutions that just resurrected themselves. 

And I know we had I get pitched to all the time, I’m often getting requests from different providers. So, Hey, can I show you our solution? We’d like to partner with Realtime. What does this look like? And know, they can be really great people who have built really great products. But for us it is, well, do you know anything about conveyancing? Have you met with the conveyancers? Do you understand the industry? The fact that it’s highly compliant, highly legislated, highly regulated, and I don’t want to be having to do my due diligence on making sure whether or not your product as a startup is going to meet the needs for our consumers. 

I mean, I’ve been there myself, right? Like I know what was needed to make sure that we had a platform that was highly legislated, highly regulated, highly compliant, ticked all those boxes. So, but it’s also, you want to make sure that the tool that you are going to give your users is a tool that’s going to be around in six months time as well. 

Rob: Yeah, that’s very fair. And I think, so my, my last question to you today. It’s about conveying platforms and real estate platforms. How do you see them integrating further? What, what, what are the, , what are the good natural handoff points or, or where can they work together for the betterment of the client experience? 

Kylie: Yeah, really great. Great question. I love this question because again, there’s a lot of there’s a lot of technology out there that thinks that they can solve for a problem. That in an industry they know nothing about. And so I think for, first up, not all technology is good technology. So asking yourself whether when you’re building the technology and the people you’re partnering with, are they building technology for good? It’s a bit like how we use AI and automation. Are we doing that for good? So we ask ourselves that question all the time in every feature we build. And we’re also really, really mindful of making sure that we partner with people who stay in their lane. So, you know, it’s, like I saying, I don’t want to go off and be all of these other things. 

I don’t want to be a real estate portal. I don’t want to be an AML provider, I want to offer technology to convey, I want obviously our core platform powers conveyancing and then we have our consumer facing app. And I want those two things to do those two things really, really well and keep our conveyancing clients and their clients, them being the consumers safe. So, I think there will be, and we’ve seen this happen already. There are different portals and platforms out there that, like, how do we get into this space? But I think so long as you’re partnering with people, the aim should be to partner with people who provide the client, who is going to give the client the best possible outcome at the end, right? 

So if you are thinking around how do we, how do we give the consumer the most amazing experience that they are deserve and entitled to? At the same time, giving the, the conveyancing profession the tools that they need. And that’s where those seamless integrations should flow nicely. Like it, they should. 

That’s where we should be removing friction, right? So everyone we partner with, because again, we get these conversations all the time, we get these questions, how do we partner with Realtime? Like happy to have that conversation, but what is it that you’re trying to achieve? Oh, we don’t know. We just know that we want to integrate. 

But what do, what do you want from that integration? So I think it’s holding yourself back to your you know, coming back to your own business strategy or to your values, and do they all align? So rather than thinking, I’m going to build this and I’m going to take over that and I’m going to do X, Y, Z, because again, that happens, those conversations happen. It is about how do we give the real estate agents the best possible experience? How do we give the conveyancing in profession the best possible experience? Which all, and both of those things will ultimately lead to how does we give the consumer the best possible experience? And we know that the consumer demands are changing. 

Again, from the research that came out of the US was they want they want a better experience and they know that they’re entitled to a better experience because the fact that they’re using technology to do other things, that gives them a really good experience a seamless experience. And they’re now starting to demand that from buying and selling property. It’s like, why do I have it when I book a flight? Why do I have it when I book a hotel? Why do I have it when I get online and order something? Yet this incredibly expensive and emotional experience is still so fractured. 

Rob: Yeah, so true. And you, you consider what goes into ordering, buying, fulfilling a $40 gadget from Amazon, 

Yeah. 

happens so beautifully and seamlessly in all the notifications you receive or. Buying a million dollar property and how disjointed that is at the moment, and there’s a lot of upside potential there. 

Kylie: and you’ve used the Amazon experience or example as a really great opportunity for me to say that this is what sellers and buyers are asking for, right? They want that Buy now Amazon experience. 

What they’re looking for. And I feel like it the moment and I’ve said this previously, the moment you make the decision to throw your hat in the ring and play in this space, it is incumbent upon you to work, to work towards that goal. 

Whatever role you play in the in that whole buying and selling process. If you’re building technology and you’re in that space, that’s what you should be aiming for. 

Rob: I think that’s a brilliant place to finish there. Kylie, thank you so much for your insights today and your time. Much appreciated. 

Kylie: Thanks for having me. Like I said, I’ve talked for days on this stuff. I love it so much. I’m so passionate about it. 

Rob: And that’s what we want in, in the industry, isn’t it? Passion. Passion. Listeners, viewers, thank you for your time today and, , we do encourage you to have a look at Property Edge App for other episodes of this podcast, or of course, our research platform. 

Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity.