Rare image shows Peter Brewer Author with his own teeth and hair. (Circa 2000)

My dad, a well seasoned real estate maestro in his own right often spoke about the great wheel of life.

He believed that, with every graceful rotation, that wheel eventually delivered an overdue reality check to one or two unsuspecting travellers who had been making their way through life with their heads buried deep inside their own fundamental orifices.

My Dad had a way with words.

More than 40 years in real estate has taught me plenty. Most of it is even publishable.

But the changing property markets we’re beginning to see across Australia brought to mind an exchange I had several summers ago. It remains a stark reminder that markets come and go. Conditions change. Buyers and sellers adapt, and Albos aren’t forever.

Yet our profession has a curious habit of forgetting its own history.

Worse still, there are always a few people who believe the lessons of history apply to everyone except them.

Where am I going with this slightly premature “I told you so”?

Not so many moons ago, I was invited by the REIQ to deliver marketing training to a group of relatively new entrants to the property profession.

I always loved delivering those sessions to a room full of newcomers with stars in their eyes, freshly ironed shirts and blouses, ambitious goals and an unwavering belief that real estate greatness and a lead role in their own episode of Selling Sunset was just one professionally filtered Instagram post away.

After each of those sessions, the students were required to complete an assessment.

Most did so successfully. One student. Let’s call him Olly passed every component, except one.

Olly’s unanswered question presented a hypothetical scenario.

Olly the agent was responsible for a property that had been on the market for six weeks. It had received 50 physical inspections and several thousand views across the property portals. Despite all that attention and some of his Snapchat wizardry, no offers had been received.

The property remained unsold.

The question asked Olly to explain, in his own words, the conversation he would have with the seller at the upcoming review meeting.

As I worked my way through his assessment, I noticed that the entire section had been left blank.

Being someone with a healthy disregard for unnecessary bureaucracy, I decided that instead of simply failing Olly, I’d pick up the blower and talk the scenario through.

We chatted.

I pointed out that he hadn’t completed the written component. I assumed he would apologise and tell me it’d been a simple oversight.

His response surprised me.

“Peter, the reason I didn’t answer it is because it’s a bullshit question.”

I paused.

“A bullshit question?”

Brisbane’s newest burgeoning real estate rockstar was happy to enlighten me.

“Yep. It’s a bullshit question. Your scenario is preposterous. In my office, our listings have five contracts on the first day and are sold within 24 hours. So there’s no point answering it. It’s not reality”

Okies I thought.

We chatted some more.

I gave the ‘Olster’ a brief history lesson about some of the markets I had worked through. Markets where listings didn’t sell in 24 hours, 24 days or, occasionally, even 24 months.

There were periods when we delivered birthday cakes to sellers whose homes had been on the market for a full year.

Our profession can have a remarkably short memory.

Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many agents I’ve heard say:

“Lord, please give me one more boom, and I promise I won’t waste it.”

And yet, when the next boom arrives, plenty of them waste it.

They confuse a rising market with personal brilliance.

They mistake being present during extraordinary conditions for having created those conditions themselves.

They start believing that every auction result is evidence of their negotiating genius, every suburb record is a tribute to their marketing prowess and every luxury car in the office car park has been personally gifted by the real estate gods.

Now we are beginning to see changes across some of the thousands of micro-markets that make up Australia’s property landscape.

Some are still firing. Some are softening. Some are changing street by street and suburb by suburb.

I don’t believe we’re about to see thousands of homes celebrating birthdays on the market. Not yet, anyway.

But there is undeniably a shift taking place.

Those who have completed a few laps of the real estate block understand that different markets require vastly different skills.

Skills that extend well beyond a phone, a laptop and a Realworks subscription.

For many agents, the order-taking environment they have enjoyed since COVID is changing.

While the Ollys of the world have been busy leasing Beamers, whitening teeth and ensuring their eyebrows achieve maximum architectural symmetry, those five offers in 24 hours days have become less predictable.

I’m not suggesting the market has completed a full 180-degree turn from sellers to buyers.

But I do have a few questions.

Do you remember the hundreds of buyer phone calls you didn’t return during the glorious years?

Do you remember the unsuccessful bidders whose messages sat unread for days?

Do you remember the uncomfortable multiple-offer negotiations where people making the biggest financial decision of their lives were treated as an administrative inconvenience?

Here’s the awkward part.

They remember you.

They remember the lack of empathy.

They remember the silence.

They remember the arrogance. Whether it was intended or merely perceived.

Most importantly, they remember how you made them feel.

And some of those disappointed buyers are now sellers.

So, when the name “Olly” pops up on their phone, what will be the first thought that goes through their mind?

Will they remember the sharp suit, the Rolex and the suburb-record Facebook posts?

Or will they remember the agent who couldn’t be bothered returning their call?

I also wonder how preposterous Olly will consider that assessment question when he is standing in Woolies, studying the reduced-price birthday cakes and preparing for a difficult six-month review with a vendor.

The good news for social media

There may be one small upside to a changing market.

We may finally be approaching a time when every second social media post from the friendly neighbourhood real estate rockstar is no longer a photo of a Rolex-adorned wrist gripping a BMW steering wheel beneath the caption:

“Another street record. #Grateful  #Humbled  #Blessed.”

Perhaps we’ll see more posts about genuine service.

Maybe even one or two about returning phone calls.

Maybe some posts about helping your Community.

Maybe even just helping the community without the posts. There’s a crazy concept for you.

So, what is the lesson in this tale?

Perhaps it’s that markets create opportunities, but they can also create illusions.

Perhaps it’s that good manners are not a prospecting strategy to switch on when listings become harder to win.

Perhaps it’s that the people you disregard today may become the clients you desperately need tomorrow.

Or perhaps the lesson is simply that no market lasts forever and neither does the reputation built on behaving as though it will.

But I’m interested in what you took from it.

Have you met an Olly during your career?

Have you ever mistaken favourable conditions for your own brilliance?

Did anything in this story deliver a small light-bulb moment?

And, most importantly, what do you think happened to Olly?

Did the great wheel of life eventually complete its rotation?

Did he become a thoughtful, skilled and empathetic agent?

Or is he now selling birthday cakes at Woolies and telling customers the use-by date is a bullshit question?

As always, I’d value your thoughts. Feedback is always a gift.

ps. If you’ve made it this far I think you deserve a copy of my Running Out Of Saturdays audiobook. The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post and to follow this link and type in the code Olly will receive a complimentary copy. You’re welcome!

Well, in my world, there’s initially lots of sobbing and tears, deep feelings of overwhelming sadness, intense helplessness, and hopelessness the likes I’ve never felt in my 63 years on this planet.

To be told that your greatest ally in life has been given the news that their magnificent life of service to their family and community is drawing to a premature inescapable end is confronting and devastating. It’s simply impossible to commit the breadth and depth of my wide ranging emotions to print. There simply aren’t sufficient words that can appropriately describe the sadness, pain, grief, fear of loss, anger…the list goes on.

And then you take a moment to stop having your own pity party. You take the time to spend 2 moons in the other person’s moccasins. You listen to the words of comfort from the one person whose words have consoled you from the very first tear you ever shed when you fell from your push bike. Warm words of wisdom from the person who made things OK when you lost your first dog. Guidance from the loving human who put your broken heart back together from the pains of first love. That reassuring voice that whispered ‘everything will be ok,’ and it was. The warm loving strength from the person whose perfectly tuned heartbeat gently rocked you to sleep when all hope in your life and your loves seemed lost.

Just as my magnificent Mum has done for the last 63 years of my life, she yet again inspires me by calmly, warmly and lovingly sharing with me that whilst she felt some sadness that her time on earth might be closing, and that it was closing well before she’d hoped it would be because she’d hoped to have been able to spend more time travelling the world with her amazing ‘First Mate’, Graham, my Mum shared that even after being given the worst news imaginable that she was at peace with her world and her Lord. Mum shared that she was thankful to have had reigned proudly, brilliantly, and lovingly as the grand matriarch to her close and extended family, and was thankful for her incredible life and for the opportunity to be a person who faithfully served her community in her time on this earth.

That my friends is courage at its finest. Those are the words, actions and the key character traits of one of the finest leaders I’ve ever had the honour to work under and alongside.

Mum’s inspiring courage, and her immediate instinct in the moment to worry more about those around her rather than to consider her own emotional pain from having been given the news that most of us would dread yet again, show that great mums like mine continue to teach us important life lessons. Even at 87.

My Mum has lived a life filled with incredible optimism. She has weathered storms that would leave others marooned on the rocks or run aground on a lost island. Her trademark Teflon coating has helped her blaze a trail for her sisters, her community, her Lord and for social justice.

Having closed my short-lived pity party down, and yet again having been inspired by my Mum’s true grit and eternal optimism, I found myself trying to understand my role in the road that lays ahead for us all.

How does a Son deal with the impending loss of his amazing Mum?

Well, in my crazy world and having been inspired by Mum’s love of all things music, parties, and community, throwing a party seemed like a perfectly appropriate ‘Brewer’ thing to do.

With time being of the essence and with my wonderful co-conspirator Tara on the team, we set about putting together a fitting shindig that would call on Mum’s community, her church, her friends and her family to come together for a day of appreciation, music, accolades, celebration, and to honour a life lived to the absolute max. Armed with a clear mission and a deep passion to give her community an opportunity to shower Mum with some much needed love we set about putting together a very special day that would hopefully give my Mum the biggest group hug ever seen and some reasons to smile at a challenging time in life..

One of the many things Mum has taught me is, ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ And so, with those words of wisdom ringing in my ears, I set about doing some ‘asking’…

The first ‘ask’ was to find a place to party. In Mum’s case, none better than the Old Shire Clerks Cottage of which she had Chaired the restoration. Tick!

Next up, we needed some entertainment to keep the spirits high and to honour Mum’s lifetime love of music. A musical career that had seen her travel far and wide as an accomplished cabaret singer. A few phone calls later and we’d acquired the services of an 18 piece showband, my wonderful nephew Mikey and his melodic Mate Seamus on guitar, and the multi talented brilliance of the amazing Laura Doolan.

And just for the hell of it, we also scored the plucking extraordinary Don Lewers for a couple of cameos on banjo.

Musical talent acquired. Tick!

Mum’s life of community service has gone largely unrecognised. I simply don’t have the space on this page to detail what Mum has achieved for her community, her church and people in times of personal crisis. And whilst Mum has been awarded by HRH Queen Elizabeth II with a Silver Jubilee Medal and been recognised by Quota as their Woman Of The Year, it was a tremendous moment to receive a call from Joan Pease MLA – Member for Lytton advising she wanted to induct my Mum into the Hall of Fame as a Bayside Great. Tick!

A bit more work, and I was reduced to ugly tears on hearing that retiring Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Philip Aspinall, had arranged for one of his Bishops to hand-deliver a letter of appreciation, love, thanks, and of faith to Mum at our event. Tick!

My own magnificent children Sam and Lauren agreed to honour their Nanna by MC’ing the afternoons festivities. A joyful, loving character building experience for them both, and a display of love and appreciation to their Nanna that has forever captured her heart. Tick!

All we needed was a gathering of people to shower my Mum, the kids Nanna Iris, and little baby Sydney Iris Brewer’s Great Grandmother with love. Tick!

And with all that organised to run like clockwork in just 2 weeks of preparation, we just needed someone we know and respect to capture the loving stories and memories on video for Mum (and family) to enjoy and reminisce on during times of reflection on Mum’s wonderful life. Thank you, Graham Werner. You nailed it. Tick!

What ensued was a day I know warmed my Mum’s heart. It was a long overdue day to honour an amazing human.

And yes, It was yet another lesson to me on what’s truly important in life. It was a graphic smack in the face with the back of a chair for me on just how many times I’d put business ahead of family. The one too many times that I’d brushed one of Mum’s kind dinner invitations aside because I was too tired, too busy, or too lazy to savour more magical moments with my Mum while I could. And so I continue to learn to be a better human because of her teachings. And I hope in some way she’s teaching us all with her dignity, optimism, and her fierce fight for her life.

There are so many stories to tell of my Mum, and I suspect there’ll be a book at some stage. But for now, please enjoy a few video and photo snippets of the day of appreciation in honour of my beautiful Mum. <3

Don’t miss Lauren’s beautiful words of love and appreciation at the 25.38 minute mark

March 14 2023:

A very warm and kind presentation to Mum of a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Wynnum Rotary Club

Address to Rotary Members by Club President

“For our newer members, a very brief history lesson.
Rotary was founded in Chicago USA in 1905 by a
gentleman by the name of Paul Harris.
A Paul Harris Fellow award (or a PHF as we
generally call it) is a highly esteemed recognition of
people who have done extraordinary things, and
these awards carry our founder’s name. A PHF is
awarded to someone who has given service above and beyond what is
considered to be the “norm”, usually for a prolonged period of time, for the benefit of the
community and the world at large. Recipients may be from within our Rotary Club members and
partners, or someone in our community.
As our members are aware, we recently started planning an event to recognise community
members with Paul Harris Fellow awards, with a presentation evening to be held later in the year.
Very early in the process of planning the Community PFH night, we received a nomination for Iris
Brewer to be recognised for her work in the community.
In view of her personal circumstances, we are presented Iris with her award last week, ahead of
the event later in the year.

Some of us are aware that Iris and her family had a successful real estate business in the Bayside
area. Via this nomination, we have also come to learn Iris has been involved in numerous
community activities and projects since the 1960’s. However Iris played crucial roles in 3
particular projects, and they are:
Meals On Wheels: Iris organised a few friends (of which some we most likely Rotarians) and her
Church to establish the first Meals on Wheels service into our local community. A vital service that
has benefited many elderly and disadvantaged citizens for many years.
Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre: Iris was one of 3 major forces behind the establishment of the
Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre. Wynnum apparently used to have an old smelly building in Tingal
Rd where the Leisure Centre now stands. Iris and her cohort saw the potential on what the site
could be used for. Again, Iris organised some friends, opened a thrift shop in Florence St called
“The Box” and raised the money to build that centre as you see it today. On opening Day, it was

completely debt free. She was an integral part of the establishment of the centre, liaising with
Council and finding the funding source.
(Iris and family, you may not be aware that our Club currently hires the area below the rear of the
Leisure Centre to store our equipment.)
The Shire Clerk’s Cottage: On the day the Leisure Centre was opened, Iris had the opportunity to
speak to the Council about the near derelict old cottage next door. The council of the day didn’t
appreciate the history of the cottage. Iris informed the council of it’s historical value, and
requested permission to restore it. Permission was duly granted with a 100 year lease for $1.00.
Iris chaired a committee to restore the cottage and the rest is history.

There are other tales about Iris’s other talents as a singer and entertainer.
One in particular, PP Eric Batten recounts the history of the Rotary Concert
Band, which had about 45 players back in its day. The Salvation Army asked
the Rotary Concert Band to play Christmas Carols in front of the Pelican’s
Nest. Rotary then asked Iris to take the microphone and lead the singing that
made the event a big success.

Iris, it is people such as yourself who are the cornerstone of community. The local Wynnum &
Manly Community has a lot to be thankful for what you have done. Call it your legacy, if you will.
Until now, most of us here in this room (and I dare say most of the local
population) had no idea of your valuable contributions to this community, and
we figure it’s time for that to change.

Thanks to Graham, Michelle and Lauren for being able to attend the meeting for
this presentation. Iris is also well known to some members of our Rotary
family – in particular Graham & Audrey Pearson, Rev Sandy & Judy Marshall,
and Eric Batten. It is lovely for you all to be here to share this moment with
Iris.
In conclusion, Iris, it’s with very great pleasure that our club now you with this award and
commemorative pin”

The End Of An Era – April 24 2023

It is with heartbreaking sadness and deep personal loss that I share that my amazing Mum, Iris Ena Brewer, passed away at 5.30am yesterday morning April 24 2023.

My Mum was an eternal optimist and tower of strength her entire life, but more so over the last 4 months as she fought an insidious cancer that had invaded her body.

Mum lived an incredible life of service. She excelled at everything she did.

Cabaret Singer, Fundraiser, Real Estate Agent, Auctioneer, Community Worker, Marriage Counsellor, Dressmaker, Photo Colourist, Church Leader…and the list goes on.

But most of all, she was my Mum. Mum has been my guiding light for my entire 63 years. Never wavering. Never questioning. She’s been there every step of the journey to dust me off, straighten me up, and point me back in the right direction.

She’s been an incredible Grandmother to Sam and Lauren instilling them with amazing values and life skills that only a Nanna can impart.

Mum left us on her terms yesterday. As the ambulance arrived to take her from her home to hospital, her Priest anointed her forehead with oil and read Psalm 6 to her. It was a warm, special moment.

Mum was pain free, at total peace, and ready to go. She spent less than less than 18 hours in hospital before her Lord called her home. There were no words left unsaid. She knew she was loved, and we knew that she loved us.

Our hearts are broken and we will miss her so very much.

A celebration of her life will be held in Wynnum at St Peter’s Church next Tuesday, May 2, at 10:30am.

A little-known fact is that Mum was a cabaret singer, musician, and recording artist. In the musical archives, I found Mum, in concert for the ABC, singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” If you’ve got 3 minutes, please take the time to enjoy her beautiful voice while viewing some snapshots of her incredible life.

Iris Brewer’s Funeral Service – St Peter’s Church – Wynnum – May 2nd 2023 – Peter’s Eulogy

Do you really know what your Customer wants/needs?

Are you 100% sure?

Do you sell something other than Kaftans?

Does One-Size really fit all?

Please indulge me for a minute while I share a quick story…

Last weekend while on my traditional fresh food market shopping spree I bought a handful of Italian sausages from a local butcher. We got into a chat and he shared with me a conversation he’d recently had with another of his local customers. In this case, the owner of a local pizzeria who was also a connoisseur of his Italian sausages, but to the tune of 20kg of the spicy specimens each and every week.

The story goes that my recently befriended purveyor of all things bovine had inquired of the the Pizza shop owner how those 20 kilos of Italy’s finest snags were served on his menu?

• Maybe, with a spicy Italian sauce on a bed of mash, and a fresh crisp mediterranean salad?

• Possibly with a serving of grilled polenta and some duck fat wedges accompanied by a medley of roasted zucchini and carrots with a hint of garlic and rosemary?

Nope. The Pizzeria man replied. “None of that”, he said.

He shared that each week he stands for 3 hours and squeezes every ounce of the brilliantly blended chorizo infused concoction out of those sausage casings so that little marbles of pepperoni, parsley, pepper, and prosciutto can adorn his famous Spicy Italian Pizza!

“The Butcher Stood with a stunned and aghast look on his face at the answer”

He replied to the Pizza Man, ‘Mate, are you fair dinkum?.. The Butcher went on with his voice almost trembling in despair, rhetorically echoing the Pizza Man’s statement back at him… “Mate are you really telling me that you spend 3 hours each week squeezing the meat out of my sausage skins?”

“Still in shock, the Butcher continued in despair”

“Mate, I spend 3 hours each week shoving 20kg of Italian sausage meat into those bloody sausage skins!”

Silence fell across their conversation for a minute, til the Butcher said, ‘Would life be easier for you if I just made 20 kilos of sausage meat for you every week and not put that meat into the skins? It’d save me 3 hours and it seems it’d save you 3 hours too?

I’ll repeat my opening question…

Do you really know what your Customer wants/needs?

Are you 100% sure?

One of my current presentations to conferences, offices and consulting clients revolves around the 4 consumer trends of Speed – Simplicity – Personalisation and Transparency.

• Speed – What are you doing to make your ‘boat’ go faster?

• Simplicity – Do your processes make you easy to do business with?

• Personalisation – Is your customer journey dictated by how you want to do business or how they want to do business? Do you nurture customer relationships or are they just a number?

• Transparency – In a world where societies cynicism is growing and we’re seeing a lack of trust in governments and corporations, are your processes transparent? Do your customers (and people) truly believe your business is 100% transparent in all that you do?

Or are you still thinking about sausages?…

Let’s chat. Peter Brewer – 0417630962 peter@peterthatpeterbrewer-com