Raising the Bar - QLD Property
Raising the Bar: Storytelling Excellence in Queensland Property 🎙️ Hosted by George Sourris, Legal Practice Director at Empire Legal Welcome to Raising the Bar, the podcast where we spotlight the stories, people, and practices elevating Queensland’s property industry. In each episode, host George Sourris sits down with standout professionals - from agents and developers to legal experts and innovators, to uncover the moments, mindsets, and milestones that define excellence. Because our industry deserves better. Whether you're a real estate agent, property professional, or just passionate about the Queensland market, join us as we raise the bar - one story at a time.
Episodes
In episode 17 of Raising the Bar, George Sourris from Empire Legal sits down with Emma Flatley from Acquired Buyer’s Advocacy.
Emma’s journey through Queensland real estate is seriously impressive. After starting out on the selling side, she made the move into the buyer’s agent space before it became what it is today.
Now, more than a decade into her property career, she has launched her own Brisbane buyer’s agency - Acquired Buyer’...
On episode 16 of Raising the Bar, George sits down with Rebecca Russell from Place Kangaroo Point - the agent who went from bartending and selling cosmetic holidays, to becoming the number one attraction agent in Richlands with the highest average sale price and volume in the suburb.
Rebecca’s story is wild: starting in property management, building a rent roll from scratch, switching to sales, becoming a mum and still managing...
In episode 15 of Raising the Bar, George unpacks how Thomas Metos from Metos Electrical Contracting (MEC) shifted from wiring industrial sites (think Coca-Cola) to residential electrical, niched down into smoke alarms and built a reputation on relationships, and turned picking up the phone into a superpower ☎️
From a business degree to running MEC full-time, Thomas has become the go-to for smoke alarm compliance in Brisban...
In episode 14 of Raising the Bar, George sits down with high end attraction agent Aaron Woolard from Place New Farm 😎
From White Pages cold calls to making moves in New Farm, Aaron has built one of Brisbane’s most recognisable inner-city teams 🌇
We unpack how he went from solo operator to equity partner at Place New Farm and why simple systems done well beat shortcuts every time ⚙️
We cover:
- ...
On episode 13 of Raising the Bar, we sit down with Shane Lawson from North Coast Pool Inspections. From 24 years in the police force to the go to pool safety guy for Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Northern NSW, Shane joins us to talk pools, process and playing the long game 🏊
We cover:
- Pool compliance 101 (for sellers and buyers): no-climb zones, self-closing gates, CPR charts, window restrictions, timelines, and...
John Cassimatis: longevity, leadership and lessons from 25+ years in property
On episode 12 of Raising the Bar, we sit down with John Cassimatis from Belle Property Coorparoo and West End, a Brisbane real estate veteran with 25+ years in the QLD property game 🏡
From humble beginnings to leading two high performing offices with 30+ staff, John’s built his career the same way great deals get done: do the right thing, do it...
From spanners to sold signs: Alec McEwan’s fast rise in QLD Bayside real estate 🪧
In episode 11 of Raising the Bar, George sits down with Alec McEwan from McGrath Wynnum/Manly to unpack how a mechanic from Midas Tingalpa became a top-performing Bayside real estate agent in just four years 🚀
We go over what actually moves the needle in the Queensland property market - from 4am letterbox drops to suburb records i...
From badge to brokerage: his top relationship and rapid growth hacks with Sachin Nair 👮👉🏦
In episode 10 of Raising the Bar, we sit down with Sachin Nair, co-founder of Fincode Loanmarket and former Queensland Police officer, to unpack how he went from child protection policing to building one of the fastest growing brokerages in the QLD property industry 💰
We cover:
- The brokerage journey: from side hustl...
Ethan Petrie from Ray White West End - From $100k to $2.4m: The Ethan Petrie Playbook.
This week on ep 09 of Raising the Bar, George Sourris from Empire Legal sits down with Ethan Petrie from Ray White West End.
Ethan’s one of Queensland’s youngest Chairman’s Elite real estate agents, ranking in the top 1% of the Ray White network. At just 26, he’s has sold more than 140 Brisbane properties in the past 12 months, ...
In ep 08 of Raising the Bar, we sit down with Suzana Wade from Locate Property, a seasoned property manager who knows the ins and outs of the rental market.
Suzana shares practical advice for tenants on what landlords really look for in applications and why being genuine and transparent can set you apart.
We also get candid about the real challenges property managers face every day - from managing burnout and tough tenant situations...
Our guest for ep 07 is Anthony Bartzis, founder of Southern Cross Building Inspections and a qualified architect, builder and property developer.
In this ep, we unpack what’s actually covered in a building and pest inspection, what gets missed and why first home buyers need to be asking more questions.
We talk about how long a building and pest inspection takes and what it includes, the big red flags buyers overlook and smart advice ...
Our ep 06 guest is Vass Stammes - the founder of VMS Town Planning and the creator of PropCheck.
From working on major projects like West Village, to helping everyday mum and dad developers split a block in Brisbane, Vass knows the ins and outs of Queensland town planning for property development!
George chats with Vass about how to pick a splittable block, hidden things to watch out for that can increase costs, a...
Our guest for episode 05 is Ric Medlin from The Home Buyer Helper, an experienced buyer’s agent who knows Brisbane’s south side inside out, especially the Wynnum/Manly property market.
Ric explains the ultimate buyer’s agent guide to smooth property settlements. He covers why having someone conduct your property inspections when you can’t be there is crucial, how to confidently handle building and pest inspections, and the...
Episode 04 of Raising the Bar is live. 🎙️
George sits down with auction specialist Kosma Comino to chat all things auctions - the process, the risks, and the rewards. 🏡
They cover why auctions are on the rise in QLD, the power of preparation and why Kosma believes auctions are the best path to premium results. 🪧
If you’re in property, you’ll want to hear this.
Episode 03 of Raising the Bar is live! 🎙️
George chats with Kosma Comino, once a young mechanic earning $250 a week, now one of Brisbane’s most recognised suburb specialists. 🔧➡️🏡
Kosma is a partner at LJ Hooker Property Partners (Mt Gravatt and Sunnybank Hills).
They talk backing yourself, the power of mentorship and why doing the hard yards early can pay off big time. 💪
🎧 Listen now.
Our second guest is prestige real estate agent Michael Bacon.
Starting as the youngest team member in his office, Michael used his early experience to his advantage. From selling studio apartments to high-end prestige homes, he shares insights on building momentum, backing yourself, and having the right people on the bus.
Michael is now a Director at Place Estate Agents, Kangaroo Point.
George sits down with Michael for an ...
Our first guest? George’s mum, Joanne Sourris.
She built her own law firm while raising the guy behind Empire Legal (plus two more kids) so yep, she’s got stories.
In this warm, honest and slightly iconic episode, George sits down with Joanne to chat about the QLD property world, resilience and what it’s really like being a female sole trader juggling business and family.
They cover everything from early career challenges, to a $0 ...
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