What’s changing in real estate? What are agencies getting wrong? And what matters more after years in the business? We asked Anna Vivash of Penny Wood Lane five questions about the market, the industry and running an agency on her own terms.
For Anna Vivash, real estate today is less about chasing volume and more about people. Better conversations with buyers. Better relationships with vendors. And a clearer idea of what success should actually look like.
As part of our ongoing Asteroid Q&A series, we caught up with Anna to get her perspective on where the industry is heading.
1
What’s changing fastest in your local market right now?
Buyer urgency is disappearing quickly at the lower end of the market, while the number of under-educated buyers is increasing.
For Anna, that puts greater importance back on something decidedly low-tech: spending time face-to-face.
“Education, trust building and qualifying buyers properly is becoming much more important. You need to spend the time with people and help them understand what’s happening.”
When information is everywhere but understanding isn’t, the role of the agent becomes less about simply facilitating a transaction and more about helping people make sense of it.
2
What do clients expect from a real estate agency today that they didn’t five years ago?
Lower fees. Or at least, a much stronger expectation that fees are negotiable.
Anna says fee pressure is worse than she has seen it before.
“Discounting has always existed, but today it feels almost expected. An easier market and newer agents using low fees to win listings has only added to that pressure.”
The problem is that while fees are being pushed down, the cost of running a good agency continues to move in the opposite direction.
For Anna, that makes the conversation about value more important than ever.
“You need to be prepared to hold your value and fight for your fee.”
3
What do you think the industry is often getting wrong?
Anna points to one of real estate’s favourite measurements: volume.
Sales numbers, rankings and leaderboards are easy to understand, but she believes they can create a very narrow definition of what a successful agent looks like.
“The industry too often defines success by sales volume alone. That can reward the wrong behaviours. We need to be more careful about who we hold up as successful and look beyond the numbers.”
It is an especially relevant question following recent high-profile disciplinary action in the industry. In April 2026, NSW Fair Trading disqualified former Ray White agent Joshua Tesolin for 10 years from involvement in the management or operation of a licensed real estate business, following findings of serious and deliberate misconduct affecting more than 100 property transactions, including underquoting and directing employees to falsify documents.
Anna’s point is broader than any one case: sales volume tells you how much someone sells. It doesn’t necessarily tell you how well they practise real estate.
4
What’s something you’ve changed your mind about since starting in real estate?
Early in a real estate career, it can be easy to chase the impressive listing.
The big house. The prestige address. The property that looks good in the portfolio.
Anna’s priorities have shifted.
“My focus now is much more on the personality of the client than the profile of the property. We can make any property look good, so I’d rather work for a good person selling a lower-value property than work for a difficult person with a mansion.”
It’s a simple change in perspective, but perhaps one that only comes with experience.
“The fancy properties come with their own challenges. These days, the person I’m working with matters much more to me.”
5
What part of running an agency do you enjoy most?
For Anna, one of the biggest benefits of running Penny Wood Lane is being able to question some of the conventions that come with running a real estate agency in the first place.
“Real estate is a lifestyle choice for us and we run things the way we see fit.”
That includes living in the rainforest and moving away from the traditional bricks-and-mortar office model.
“We don’t have physical offices anymore and it works really well for us. I enjoy the flexibility real estate offers.”
There’s also the unpredictability.
“The environment is always changing, which keeps you on your toes. And the people you meet can be really interesting and a lot of fun.”
Perhaps that’s the thread running through all five answers.
In an industry that can become preoccupied with numbers, rankings, properties and transactions, Anna keeps coming back to people.
The buyers who need more time. The vendors worth working with. The agents the industry chooses to celebrate. And ultimately, the freedom to build an agency around the kind of life you actually want to live.