We Didn't Put The Old Guard On Notice, We Simply Took Their Crown

From zero to number one in under 12 months, Real Estate Today has topped every major performance and credibility metric, reshaping the real estate media landscape and driving meaningful change across the industry in a remarkably short period of time.

When the publication entered the Australian market on January 6, 2025, it did so following an 18-month period of rapid growth and momentum in New Zealand. What followed exceeded even internal expectations.

Within months, Real Estate Today was no longer viewed as a new entrant, but as a defining force.

By May, independent AI analysis ranked Real Estate Today as Australia’s most influential real estate industry publication. Google AI followed several months later, identifying it as the most engaged and impactful platform in the sector. By the end of the year, LinkedIn Analytics confirmed the shift, positioning Real Estate Today as the clear benchmark for industry influence.

These outcomes were not driven by promotion or positioning alone, but by audience response, engagement depth, and sustained relevance.

The success also exposed a broader change underway within the industry.

For years, visibility in Australian real estate media had been concentrated among a small number of familiar names and networks. Coverage followed predictable patterns, often shaped by commercial relationships rather than emerging voices or lived experience.

Real Estate Today set out to challenge that model.

From the outset, the publication adopted a simple editorial philosophy, that everyone in the industry deserves a voice, a spotlight, and a platform. The result was a noticeable expansion in the range of professionals being featured, including younger agents, regional operators, innovators, and business owners who had rarely, if ever, been represented previously.

Founder Nic Fren says the industry response has been both swift and affirming.

It’s been an interesting year.

The industry has embraced us with open arms.

But Fren is quick to note that the most meaningful indicators of success have been personal rather than statistical.

I had one of our Rising Stars reach out to me in tears, he said. He had never been featured in the media before. He sent the article back to his home country to show his family. That recognition meant a great deal to him.

Similar moments emerged through the Real Estate Today Trailblazer Awards.

One finalist shared publicly that she had experienced a medically very difficult year. Being recognised as a Trailblazer lifted her spirits at a time when she needed it most. That kind of impact cannot be measured in metrics.

Fren says these stories are central to the publication’s purpose.

People have told me they tried for years to be acknowledged by other publications and could never quite break through. When they come to us, they’re seen for their contribution, not their connections.

The approach has not been universally welcomed.

Fren acknowledges that while some competitors have engaged constructively, others have been openly dismissive, even mocking the brand to shared clients. He says the team has chosen not to engage publicly, instead remaining focused on execution and growth.

The contrast, he suggests, reflects a wider transition underway in industry media.

As audiences become more discerning and less tolerant of insular narratives, influence is shifting away from legacy structures toward platforms that reflect the industry as it actually operates today.

Real Estate Today now sits firmly at the centre of that conversation, shaping discourse rather than reacting to it.

Looking ahead, Fren says the pace of expansion will continue into early next year. Planned developments include an expanded Trailblazer Awards program, the launch of a new website, the evolution of Hvana into a standalone publication, the rollout of a new app, and additional initiatives yet to be announced.

The ambition, he says, remains unchanged.

We believe the industry is capable of more openness, more recognition, and more humanity. Our role is to provide the platform for that to happen.

If this year marked a shift in the balance of influence, the year ahead may well define what the next era of real estate media looks like.