December 6, 2025
Nobody Ever Got Fired For Running An EOI
“Nobody ever got fired for hiring IBM” was code for this. Pick the big, established name and you protect yourself. If the project falls over, you blame the brand. You were “safe.” You did what everyone else did. That thinking is now alive and well in high end Melbourne real estate. Only the badge has changed. Today, the safe corporate I.B.M. has been replaced by E O I.
In the flying markets of 2015/16 and 2020/21 you could get away with almost anything. Now the market is choppy, patchy and unforgiving. Yet many sellers still reach for the safe bet. They choose the agency their circle used last time, run a textbook EOI, spend a big chunk on marketing and hope. If it does not sell, or the price is ordinary, they comfort themselves with the same logic the IBM buyers used. “We did what everyone does.” The blame is shifted to the brand, the system and the market, rather than the decision to repeat a process that is clearly not working.
EOIs have become the ultimate low risk play for decision makers who are more worried about being criticised than about getting the best result. They avoid a public auction, avoid committing to a clear strategy, and avoid confronting real price feedback early. They feel safe because there is no sharp moment of truth. Yet that same safety blanket is what suffocates innovation. It stops sellers from asking harder questions, testing different ways to sell, or opening the door to ideas that might actually lift their outcome until they have already had a serious flesh wound of a failed public sale.
Seller advocacy is about flipping that script. It is about proper due diligence before you go public. It is about challenging the default “just run an EOI” response and looking at alternatives like structured off market and multi agent campaigns, where agents compete and the seller learns the true market level before burning their one big launch.
A multi-agent structure delivered the best result of the month (and it wasn’t even from us).
Different path. Better outcome. If you are thinking of selling and you feel yourself drifting toward the safe EOI because “that’s what everyone does,” it may be time to talk.
Sellers, why are so many of you not selling your homes right now?
At the end of October, Expressions of Interest Agreements sat at 29 per cent.
For every 10 EOI campaigns, seven did not sell. Sellers were spending thirty to fifty thousand dollars on marketing and ending up with one clear outcome: the entire market now knows what their property is not worth.
Today we went back and checked those failed campaigns. Since October, only about 13 per cent of the unsold homes have since sold through November. Nine out of ten failed EOIs are still sitting there in limbo. That is an awful lot of money and emotion spent on “having a go or testing the market.”
To me, the core issue is simple. There is almost no real due diligence before sellers hit the portals. A few agent appraisals, a bit of puff, a hopeful quote range and off you go.
In this market that is not a strategy. That is a roll of the dice.
Many in the market think the problem is underquoting. My observation is different around EOIs. A lot of sellers are over quoting when they hit the market. Buyers take one look at the ask, compare it to the last few sales, and move on.
There is another way to do this. We have just completed another off-market multi-agent sale, a home that sold for just over six million dollars last night. Before our clients had to decide to spend big money on a public campaign, we quietly ran a test off market. Several good agents brought their buyers in. We tried different price points. We watched the reactions, the offers and the silence. Out of that came a number that was comfortable for the buyer and comfortable for the seller. No public failure. No wasted marketing spend. No need to explain to the next agent or future buyers why the last campaign “didn’t quite get there.” Just a clean result at a price that stood up to competition.
That is what we mean by multi-agent seller advocacy. We work for you, not for any one agency. We bring in multiple agents, pit their skills against each other, and use the off-market phase to test where the real demand sits before you commit to a public campaign. If the numbers stack up, you sell off market. If they do not, we have learned something valuable and can reset without the whole world watching.
Agents claim competition can often bring the best price – we agree and that’s why we think the agents should compete for your business, but not with brochures and puffery, they should compete with buyers and offers.
James multi-agent works and when you look at the failure rate of EOI’s it’s working a helluva lot better than those that spent $50,000 for a failed public EOI.
If you are thinking of selling and you want more than hope and a big bill, let’s talk about a multi-agent off-market plan for your home.
- Multi Agent Seller Advocacy Works
Multi-Agent Seller Advocacy: Stop Guessing, Start Selling
- SALE MANAGED JAMES - MULTI AGENT ARMADALE
- UNDER CONTRACT JAMES MULTI AGENT OFF MARKET BRIGHTON
- SALE MANAGED JAMES - MULTI AGENT BRIGHTON EAST
- JAMES BUY SELL MULTI-AGENT OFF MARKET WORKS
- This Month: Four Proofs Buyer Advocacy Works
Proof Over Promises: What We Did This Month
Real Buyer Advocacy. Real Savings. Real Results.
Every week I hear:
“Mal, prove your benefit. Prove the savings. Prove the value.”
Fair enough. So here it is. No fluff. What we achieved this month for real buyers in real situations (this month)
The $300,000 Decision
The setup:
We were engaged to buy a home @ $2 million—a space we operate in often.
The client’s first instruction:
“Offer $2 million pre-auction and get it for me now.”
What we did:
We called the agent. He wasn’t open to offers. Didn’t care how motivated we were. So we didn’t push yet. We also didn’t reveal our client. We also didn’t show our hand $ wise.
What happened next:
We turned up on auction day with a clear strategy. We made a single bid.
Result:
Purchased the property for $300,000 less than our client had told us to offer pre-auction. That’s the power of restraint, strategy, and timing.
The Townhouse They Didn’t Know They Wanted
The setup:
Client was fixated on a period home in Surrey Hills. Believed that was all they could afford.
What we did:
We rated a Hawthorn townhouse. They hadn’t considered it, didn’t think it was in budget, didn’t think it would fit.
Result:
They bought it within 48 hours of us suggesting it.
They got a better location, a better home, and a better deal than they thought was possible.
Their lives have changed dramatically and it was less than they would have bid on a period home.
Speed Wins in EOI
The setup:
EOI campaign, expected to run for weeks. Our client thought the property was out of reach.
What we did:
We approached the agent directly, with honesty and clarity. We offered value to them, and in return, they opened a door.
Result:
We brought the deal forward, secured it before most other buyers even knew the rules had changed.
Other buyers were left complaining the process was too fast. We were already done.
That’s the power of timing and integrity.
Privacy as Strategy
The setup:
A high-profile buyer where exposure would kill the deal or inflate the price.
What we did:
We bought in our name to protect privacy. We made a strong but sensible offer below the bottom of the quoted range, and we moved early.
Result:
Secured the home below the range. Protected the client’s position. And again saved significant money. That’s the power of representation.
Next Steps
Let’s talk. Text us. Call. Or send us your search brief.
I’ll tell you in 10 minutes if I think we can help.
Mal James and Simone Clarke
James Buyer Advocates
- BOUGHT 99 DENHAM STREET HAWTHORN
- BOUGHT 380 BAY STREET PORT MELBOURNE
- BOUGHT 204/41A BLACK STREET BRIGHTON
- BOUGHT 156 HIGHFIELD ROAD CAMBERWELL
Correction: Last Week I stuffed up when thanking a person who helped me and one of our clients by referring. It was in fact Ezio Nania from Moneywise and you can see his company here. Good guy!
- Here's a multi-agent EOI that did sell
- Santa is asleep at the reins
These stats are GFC like – late November has been a shocker – market wise
We’re standing near the end of 2025 and, for the first time in a while, I can say we have rung the bell on a different kind of market. Not the roaring boom of years gone by, but a year that has quietly turned upwards after three pretty solid years of sliding. From 2022 through to 2024 the graph on most people’s homes was leaning one way. Down. This year we have bounced along the bottom and, in parts, started to edge back up.
That sounds neat and tidy. It has not been neat and tidy.
The story of 2025 has been volatility. Back in February the market came out like a sprinter. Bang. Opens were busy, bidding was confident and most campaigns that deserved a good result got one. Then we hit Easter and it was as if someone pulled the plug out of the wall. Energy drained away. Buyers did not disappear, they just started to limp. A bit more caution, a few more “we might just wait and see” comments, and deals that would have been straightforward in February suddenly needed more work.
Winter carried that tone on. Not a disaster. Just a trudge.
Then August and September arrived and we were off again. Bang. Some really strong results, particularly on quality homes. You could feel confidence return at opens and in the way buyers placed their bids. If you were selling something genuinely good in that window, you had the wind at your back.
And then October.
October was flat as a pancake. Same city, same houses, same people, yet a completely different mood. Clearance rates softened, campaigns that looked certain suddenly felt fragile, and we started limping again into November and now towards Christmas. That is what a turning market looks like. It is messy. It lurches forward, then stalls, then goes again.
The bigger picture though is this. We are no longer falling like we were in 2022, 2023 and 2024. We have bumped along the bottom and started to turn. For buyers and sellers that means you cannot just rely on last month’s story. You need to look at the property in front of you, the micro-moment you are in, and work out how to play that, not the one that was in the headlines six weeks ago.
If you want to talk through how this volatility affects your own home or your next purchase, give me a call at James Buyer Advocates / James Buy Sell. This is the sort of market where clear thinking really matters.
- Boroondara
Boroondara
12 auctions
Clearance: 20%
Bidderman: 0.8
HAWTHORN, 99 Denham Street
Agent: Andrew Gibbons – Marshall White
SOI: $3,000,000 – $3,300,000
Bought Before : $undisc
Bidderman: 1
HAWTHORN, 71 Mason Street
Agent: Scott Patterson – Kay & Burton
SOI: $3,100,000 – $3,400,000
Crowd: 16
Opening Bid: $3,000,000 VB
Passed in: $3,100,000
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Randall
An abbreviated preamble due to rain saw a $3,100,000 vendor bid immediately placed. The small crowd, umbrellas in hand, remained as observers only when the property passed in without a bid.
SURREY HILLS, 6 Langford Street
Agent: Kane Penhalluriack – Fletchers
SOI: $3,200,000 – $3,500,000
Crowd: 30
Opening Bid: $3,200,000 VB
Passed in: $3,350,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Jo
Auctioneer Kane Penhalluriack commenced with a $3,200,000 vendor bid, to a silent crowd, which remained that way even after the halftime break, causing a pass-in on the second vendor bid of $3,350,000.
CANTERBURY, 27 Mont Albert Road
Agent: Dale Edgecumbe – RT Edgar
SOI: $4,400,000 – $4,800,000
Crowd: 16
Opening Bid: $4,400,000 VB
Passed in: $4,500,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Randall
An indoor auction before a modest sized crowd resulted in two vendor bids.
MONT ALBERT, 22 St Georges Avenue
Agent: Scott Patterson – Kay & Burton
SOI: $3,300,000 – $3,500,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $3,300,000 VB
Passed in: $3,450,000
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Jo
Scott Patterson encouraged the 40-strong crowd with two vendor bids to try and kick things along; finally a bidder offered $3,450,000, however this wasn’t enough to get over the line, so the property was passed in.
GLEN IRIS, 11 Ferndale Road
Agent: Jesse Matthews – Marshall White
SOI: $3,200,000 – $3,500,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $3,100,000
Passed in: $3,220,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Randall
Two bidders got involved with one bid each. An open at $3,100,000 was upped by a vendor bid to $3,200,000 before a second bidder offered a $20,000 rise. With the initial bidder shaking their head a pass in soon followed.
KEW EAST, 34 Baker Avenue
Agent: Geordie Dixon – Jellis Craig
SOI: $2,800,000 – $2,950,000
Crowd: 20
Opening Bid: $2,750,000 VB
Passed in: $2,800,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Jo
Toby Parker’s two vendor bids opened this auction, however this didn’t entice any bidding activity from those present, therefore the property was passed in on a vendor bid of $2,800,000.
KEW, 19 Howard Street
Agent: James Tostevin – Marshall White
SOI: $2,910,000 – $3,200,000
Crowd: 22
Opening Bid: $3,000,000 VB
Passed in: $3,000,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Randall
Only the most curious of neighbours came out to witness the auction. It felt as though people had begun switching off for the year. One vendor bid of $3,000,000 was the sum of it
KEW, 9 Thomas Street
Agent: Mark Josem – Jellis Craig
SOI: $3,950,000 – $4,250,000
Crowd: 20
Opening Bid: $4,000,000 VB
Passed in: $4,000,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Jo
A $4,000,000 vendor bid opened this auction, with Mark Josem calling for audience participation; however this didn’t eventuate, leading to a pass-in on the initial vendor bid.
CANTERBURY, 19 Rubens Grove
Agent: Annabelle Feng – RT Edgar
SOI: $4,500,000 – $4,950,000
Crowd: 48
Opening Bid: $4,500,000
Passed in: $4,910,000
Bidderman: 3
Reporter: Randall
With the unreliable weather hanging about an indoor was held. A large crowd was comfortably accommodated for what was to become a drawn out auction.
Three bidders got involved, two vendors referrals were taken, however a reserve proved to be elusive for the bidders.
CANTERBURY, 12 Compton Street
Agent: Sophie Su – Kay & Burton
SOI: $3,500,000 – $3,800,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $3,400,000
Passed in: $3,660,000
Sold After: $undisc
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Jo
Straight out of the gate came bidder 1 with a $3,400,000 offer, followed by a second bidder – alas, bidder 2’s $3,660,000 offer was where it ended, so the property was passed in.
KEW, 92 Parkhill Road
Agent: Mark Josem – Jellis Craig
SOI: $4,500,000 – $4,850,000
Crowd: 21
Opening Bid: $4,600,000 VB
Passed in: $4,700,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Kathy
No crowd participation at 92 Parkhill today. The auction opened and then closed with two vendor bids.
- Bayside Port Phillip
Bayside
11 auctions
Clearance: 64%
Bidderman: 1.4
PORT MELBOURNE, 380 Bay Street
Agent: Arthur Apostoleros – Buxton
SOI: $2,400,000 – $2,600,000
Bought Before : $undisc
Bidderman: 1
SOUTH MELBOURNE, 87 Napier Street
Agent: Warwick Gardiner – Jellis Craig
SOI: $2,000,000 – $2,200,000
Crowd: 14
Opening Bid: $2,100,000
Passed in: $2,120,000
Sold After: $2,210,000
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Aislinn
A cool, overcast morning set the tone, where a modest crowd of 14 gathered beneath blooming trees for the Jellis Craig auction. The auctioneer led the call, opening with a vendor bid of $2,100,000. With just one active bidder stepping forward, the action was brief, ultimately passing in at $2,120,000 as neighbours and onlookers quietly dispersed. Sold after.
HAMPTON, 38 Service Street
Agent: Simone Tindall – Marshall White
SOI: $2,100,000 – $2,250,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $2,100,000
Passed in: $2,125,000
Sold After: $2,205,000
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Catherine
Just one bidder at the auction today lifts the opening vendor bid from $2,100,000 by adding $25,000 but bidding stalls there and negotiations move inside. Sold after.
ALBERT PARK, 31B Barrett Street
Agent: Nicholas Hoo – Marshall White
SOI: $2,300,000 – $2,500,000
Crowd: 20
Opening Bid: $2,300,000 VB
Passed in: $2,325,000
Sold After: $2,505,000
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Aislinn
A leafy Albert Park street set the scene for the auction, where around 20 onlookers gathered. Nicholas Hoo took charge of the call, opening with a vendor bid of $2,300,000. Despite steady interest from the crowd, only one bidder stepped forward, nudging the price to $2,325,000. With no further competition, the property was passed in. Sold after.
BRIGHTON, 1b Armfield Street
Agent: Kate Strickland – Marshall White
SOI: $3,500,000 – $3,750,000
Crowd: 15
Opening Bid: $3,400,000
Passed in: $3,400,000
Sold After: $undisc
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Catherine
No mucking around today as Stephen Smith opens the auction with a vendor on the telephone at $3,400,000. There’s only a small crowd of onlookers and so the agents and the telephone go inside to try and reach a sale price. Sold after.
BRIGHTON EAST, 23 Bright Street
Agent: Halli Moore – Buxton
SOI: $2,100,000 – $2,300,000
Crowd: 50
Opening Bid: $2,000,000
On the Market: $2,290,000
Under the Hammer: $2,310,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Catherine
A quick start to the auction with an immediate $2,000,000 bid without delay. Another bidder joins in and they go back and forward but bidder 1 shrugs off the competition with a couple of well timed larger bids and there’s hugs all round as the home is sold under the hammer.
BRIGHTON, 65 Were Street
Agent: Warwick Gardiner – Jellis Craig
SOI: $3,500,000 – $3,750,000
Crowd: 35
Opening Bid: $3,500,000
On the Market: $3,800,000
Under the Hammer: $4,230,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Catherine
The rain is tumbling down on the 35 onlookers but nothing stops Warwick Gardiner has the touch today as the sun comes out, along with two ferocious bidders who take the home from an opening vendor bid at $3,500,000 to on the market at $3,800,000 and finally sell it to indefatigable bidder 2 at $4,230,000.
MIDDLE PARK, 212 Beaconsfield Parade
Agent: James Nicolaou – James Nicolaou
SOI: $4,300,000 – $4,500,000
Crowd: 10
Opening Bid: $4,200,000
Passed in: $4,400,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Aislinn
A small but engaged crowd of around 10 gathered along Beaconsfield Parade for the auction, set against the backdrop of Middle Park’s beachfront. The action opened confidently at $4,200,000, drawing out two bidders who pushed the figure to $4,400,000. With momentum slowing and no further rises, the home was ultimately passed in
BRIGHTON, 168 Church Street
Agent: Justin Follett – Follet & Co
SOI: $4,795,000 – $4,995,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $4,500,000
Passed in: $4,625,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Catherine
Reporter: It’s stopped raining and a few Brightoneers are anxious to see the home being auctioned. James Paynter takes competition, beginning with a genuine $4,500,000 bid. Competition arrives with bidder 2 joining in, but the home is passed in at $4,625,000 and despite a further post-auction bid did not sell.
HAMPTON, 2 St Kilian Street
Agent: Nick Johnstone – Nick Johnstone Real Estate
SOI: $5,800,000 – $6,000,000
Crowd: 35
Opening Bid: $5,800,000 VB
Passed in: $5,800,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Catherine
Nick Johnstone fronts a cluster of about 35 people who have joined him for the auction, but despite his urging and the tabling of a $5,800,000 vendor bid the home is passed in without any crowd participation.
7pm reported sold but not included in the stats as sold
ALBERT PARK, 156 Kerferd Road
Agent: Ari Levin – Slater & Levin
SOI: $3,000,000 – $3,200,000
Crowd: 31
Opening Bid: $3,000,000
Passed in: $3,310,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Aislinn
A strong crowd of 31 gathered to view the 100+ year old Victorian abode. The auction kicked off with a vendor bid of $3,000,000, prompting two bidders to engage in a quick and steady back-and-forth. Big bits were made to carry the price to $3,310,000 before stalling, and with no further rises, the property was passed in
- Stonnington
Stonnington
10 auctions
Clearance: 70%
Bidderman: 1.4
PRAHRAN, 111 Charles Street
Agent: Nicholas Brooks – Marshall White
SOI: $2,200,000 – $2,420,000
Bought Before : $undisc
Bidderman: 1
MALVERN, 6 Evandale Road
Agent: Vivienne Chen – Belle Property
SOI: $2,000,000 – $2,200,000
Bought Before : $undisc
Bidderman: 1
TOORAK, 28 Selborne Road
Agent: Darren Lewenberg – Kay & Burton
SOI: $4,500,000 – $4,950,000
Crowd: 20
Opening Bid: $4,750,000 VB
Passed in: $4,760,000
Sold After: $undisc
Bidderman: 1
Reporter: Kathy
A small quiet crowd in Selborne Road today. Negotiations moved inside after passing in to a single bid.
MALVERN EAST, 43 Emo Road
Agent: Carla Fetter – Jellis Craig
SOI: $2,800,000 – $3,000,000
Crowd: 17
Opening Bid: $2,800,000 VB
On the Market: $3,070,000
Under the Hammer: $3,085,000
Bidderman: 3
Reporter: Kathy
From introduction to sold in 8 minutes! After opening with a vendor bid, Auctioneer David Sciola received bids from three bidders. Our first bidder remained steadfast, holding on to take the keys.
MALVERN EAST, 56 Paxton Street
Agent: James McCormack – Marshall White
SOI: $3,500,000 – $3,800,000
Crowd: 60
Opening Bid: $3,600,000
On the Market: $4,000,000
Under the Hammer: $4,150,000
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Ellen
The auction commenced swiftly, with an opening bid of $3,600,000 placed just moments after auctioneer James McCormack welcomed the crowd. A second bidder entered the race and the property was declared on the market for $4,000,000. The property sold under the hammer to the first bidder for $4,150,000.
MALVERN EAST, 30 Boston Avenue
Agent: John Manton – Marshall White
SOI: $2,750,000 – $3,000,000
Crowd: 36
Opening Bid: $2,800,000
On the Market: $2,925,000
Under the Hammer: $3,316,000
Bidderman: 4
Reporter: Kathy
Bidding began immediately after the auctioneer’s introduction. As one bidder bowed out another stepped forward. Ina matter of minutes it was all over with bidder 4 taking the keys.
TOORAK, 12 Sargood Street
Agent: Andrew James – Belle Property
SOI: $2,450,000 – $2,695,000
Crowd: 40
Opening Bid: $2,450,000 VB
Passed in: $2,450,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Ellen
Auctioneer Andrew James welcomed the crowd to the auction of what he described as a ‘triple A’ property. Mr James both opened and closed the bidding passing the property in on a sole vendor bid of $2,450,000.
ARMADALE, 24 St Georges Road
Agent: Bryan Moldon – McGrath
SOI: $2,750,000 – $2,950,000
Crowd: 20
Opening Bid: $2,800,000 VB
Passed in: $2,800,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Ellen
Auctioneer Alex Morgan welcomed the crowd of 20 to the auction of 24 St George’s Rd Armadale. Mr Morgan placed the sole vendor bid of $2,800,000. The property was passed in.
SOUTH YARRA, 28 Nicholson Street
Agent: James McCormack – Marshall White
SOI: $2,300,000 – $2,500,000
Crowd: 8
Opening Bid: $2,300,000 VB
Passed in: $2,300,000 VB
Bidderman: 0
Reporter: Ellen
Eight people gathered in the living area of 28 Nicholson Street, South Yarra. The property was passed in on a sole vendor bid by auctioneer James McCormack for $2,300,000.
KOOYONG, 18 Avenel Road
Agent: Justin Long – Marshall White and Philip Kingston – Gary Peer
SOI: $5,400,000 – $5,900,000
Crowd: 30
Opening Bid: $5,400,000 VB
Passed in: $5,850,000
Sold After: $undisc
Bidderman: 2
Reporter: Kathy
The two bidders today did not quite match Auctioneer Phillip Kingston’s enthusiasm. The property was passed in to bidder one and negotiations moved inside.
- The Only Volcano for the Day
But you could see it coming: Good Agent Work and an A-Grader
30 Boston Avenue, Malvern East – Plain Jane, But Quietly A-Grade
30 Boston Avenue is the kind of home that sneaks up on you. A single-level, 664sqm, no-nonsense family layout with good rear living, a well-positioned pool and no big negatives. On paper it reads “average for the area,” yet on inspection — and on the rating sheet — it does the opposite: clear flow, all on one level, light where you need it, and nothing structurally or emotionally jarring.
The James Rating comes in at 680, driven by strong Property fundamentals: clean floorplan, practical bedroom zoning, easy indoor/outdoor connection and a pool you can see from the kitchen. No standout architectural wow, but no design missteps either. Position is solid; Price (quote around $3m) aligns with what a straightforward, well-kept period home should command in this pocket. Everything fits, nothing fights.
The learning: a home doesn’t need spectacle to be A-Grade — it needs absence of faults and a calm, functional rhythm that works day after day. Plain Janes can be some of the best long-term buys.
In the spirit of Christmas, if you are a world citizen (we are all equal) and if you could make a $1,000, $10,000 or more, tax deductible deduction via Rotary link below, then we (Mal and Sim) would really appreciate it and would show you exactly where ever dollar went and the impact you made. Thank you.
- Writing here makes me nervous
Writing this makes me nervous. Because if I get it right, children like Marian may live. If I get it wrong, they may not.
Marian was found by an African outreach program. A tumour was growing inside her, untreated for years. Her father had been searching for help. She would have died without surgery.
This isn’t abstract. If you’re reading, you’re part of the decision. You can walk away, as many do when something feels too real. Or you can stay and help.
This past year, the More Child Surgeries program has changed lives. Not in theory, in reality. I’ve seen children stand upright, breathe freely, return to school because someone stepped up.
My own year didn’t start well. A personal loss was still shaking me. Work became heavy, the market unforgiving. But I’d made commitments to children overseas, and I feared I couldn’t honour them. Then I travelled again to Africa with old friends.
What I saw there reminded me: it’s not just the children who are saved. That trip reminded me those kids saved me too. Seeing real, physical change pulled me back to purpose. Slowly, the spark returned in work, in spirit, in life.
Navad is an eight-year-old boy from Kasulu who was injured in a motorcycle accident when he was fifteen months old.
He stayed home for six years without medical care, crawling, until he was found in July 2023. When we met him in his village this year, he was walking.
Many children are not forgotten because they were never noticed in the first place.
Nothing I’ve faced compares to the moment a child dies unseen and unknown, and knowing that if we didn’t help, no one else would.
This is the quiet power of staying. When you don’t walk away, you not only help the child, you grow deeper. You reconnect. You remember why you do the work. My own family and colleagues have travelled to see this firsthand. It ripples.
Corruption exists, yes. But the solution isn’t to withdraw. It’s to build better systems. That’s what is being done, through Child Surgeries Tanzania, a fully African-run NGO. They are now active in Tanzania, Ethiopia, soon Uganda. Local doctors, real-time data, shared sheets and weekly Zoom calls keep everything transparent and fast-moving.
This is no longer just an idea it’s a movement. From 500 to 1,300 surgeries in two years. 419 children this year (262 male and 157 female). From one hospital to eight. From one country to two, soon three.
A portion of our business funded this for over a decade. But in 2025, others joined: $120,000 in new donations, from people who saw and acted.
One donor gave two $25,000 contributions.
Others gave $10,000, $5,000, $1,000.
Some, instead of sending thank-you wine for “free advice,” chose simply to give.
You don’t need to solve everything. Just help one child. That ripple touches families, schools, hospitals. It lifts communities.
Your gift multiplies itself!
- The child gets to live. To be part of the village. Go to school.
- The mother (or father, or relative) who once stayed home can now work – eg earn income for family.
- The sibling who was also a carer can go to school.
- The village becomes more productive.
- Over time, whole communities shift. I have seen it!
- Money spent on surgery also strengthens hospitals:
- Strengthens kitchens, nurses, doctors who stay local – building a better health system – less charity – less foreign aid is needed.
- Young surgeons like Dr Kimaro who rise, train others, and choose to remain.
Your kindness multiplies.
When One Child Heals, Everything Changes. Most of the conditions treated are fixable: like a broken arm from playing, cleft palates, bowlegs, untreated heart conditions. Over here, they’re routine. Over there, they’re life-threatening – eg cancer is sometimes solved with amputation, tonsils with removal as no other way eg steady supply of non fake antibiotics. Fixing one changes everything.
Watch Dr Kimaro on YouTube thank Australians and marketnews readers
Australia spends over $7,000 per person annually on healthcare. Sub-Saharan Africa: less than $100.
Your dollar, if directed well, multiplies. It strengthens systems and gives children like Marian a future.
Her surgery, follow-up, and recovery in 2022, cost less than a family weekend here. She’s now a healthy young girl, living near Dodoma, Sub-Sahara.
I met her and her father this year in 2025. Every mile of the journey to see her was worth it.
If you feel moved, act.
- $1,000 covers about two surgeries — two lives changed, and a stronger system around them.
- $10,000–$50,000 can help build out a regional hospital partnership, or sustain a new hub.
- $100,000+? You’d be laying down deep roots. Your own network. Your own legacy.
Giving to others, especially to children in need, isn’t charity. It’s alignment.
It aligns your actions with your values.
It sharpens your perspective.
And yes—it makes your life feel more lived.
I am a better dad, a better negotiator, a better lover (in my eyes, some may beg to differ), because of Marian, Lob and Navad.
I truly believe that.
I am a more valuable Australian, Victorian, Melbournian, a stronger cat! because of the experiences and people and children in particular of the Sub-Sahara – they are 100% the same as your kids – 100%.
I love my family, my work and I am a citizen of the world as much as I feel I am a citizen of Brighton – but I do love Brighton and my family and my job here very much – but they have enough for basic life.
In 2026 I need to find $250,000 or more and if you’d like to help yourself, to do yourself and your family a favour and you haven’t a better idea this Christmas (if you are do something else for someone wonderful, please keeping doing that) but if you want to feel great (even come with me to Africa in January 2027 – 8th time) then I/we’d love to hear from you.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and please help I would personally appreciate that and you.
Mal James 0408 107 988 mal@james.net.au
PS how do you know your money is well spent Mal?
- Well its my money too
- From a review point of view – we feel comfortable that the medical competency is there with 59 of the 70 children reviewed being good on our seventh trip this year in 2025.
PS: How do we assess when not medically qualified?
When reviewing all children we would much prefer them to be reviewed by a doctor – but due to the tyranny of distance, time and money that has not been happening. So we follow a 3 step test
How does his or her general health appear.
Looking at the specific problem of the child (we have the before videos, you can see them on YouTube) does it on the whole seem to be been solved
What does Mum and Dad think. They are asked in Swahili and pushed a little to see if they have any issues.
Its not perfect but a lot better than not helping.
Donation Page looks like this
Receipt on email you get is this
Total Donations
We fund via % of our income every month – low-cost, high-impact, safe, local, family-permissioned, life-changing surgeries when no other satisfactory option for the child, is available to the family, due to poverty.
Trained surgeons. No one religion, no politics. No further intervention after this one magic life-changing moment.
1. Work is referred between business
2. Instead of fee, sponsor surgeries
3. Client sign up and work done
4. Paid and %$ go to child surgeries
5. %$ sits in morechildsurgeries a/c
6. Child found who needs surgery
7. Child video to morechildsurgeries
8. Agree to fund child surgery
9. Child to Diagnosis – Video
10. Child to Surgery fix – Checklist
11. Child to Village – Aftercare video
12. We Verify & Pay Medicals
This is Lobikieki above and below. I met him for the second time in 2025. He had never been to school and had been pestering me for 2 years – I gave in – he started school this year
- Click Address through to Completed James Home Rating
- We cover a lot of off-markets not up on this site
- Do you have an off-market for any of our James Buyer Advocacy clients?
| 1.8m | East Melbourne | Apartment | |
| 2m | Carnegie | to Richmond | 5 Somerset Street Richmond |
| 7m | Armadale – | Malvern Larger block and family home | Bigger yard, will reno |
| 6m | Camberwell Hawthorn | Camberwell Hawthorn | Renovation Value Add up to $2m |
| 1.2m | Caulfield | Anderson Park Area | Townhouse for single |
| 2.7m | Prahran | South Yarra, | Small home |
| 4.5m | Hawthorn | Malvern | Family Home |
| 3.2m | Mont Albert | Surrey Hills, Canterbury | Family Home |
| $5m | Near Camberwell Grammar | Canterbury, Balwyn | Modern Family Home |
If you do great – we can come and have a look. Simone 0400304111 or Mal 0408107988
Come have a look! Need a Private Inspection call Simone 0400304111 or Mal 0408107988
