I’m Getting Out & Getting On

Saturday, November 16th, 2024

Laud of Rae

Another deal away from the street like the one above at 39 Jordan Malvern last night.

I/we buy a lot of homes off Rae and the Tomlinsons (Hugh and James)

Why? Because a lot of the time, they have the good ones we want our clients to purchase. Rae is one of the few older than me in real estate (payback Rae), but in my opinion, she will be around for a long time.

Why is she so good? Precisely because she can be edgy one moment and sweet as pie the next; she can lift me up in the morning and kick me in the guts by lunchtime – all on the same job, all in the same 24 hours. Over the decades, she has applied those zesty emotional skills with laser-like precision as she constantly and aggressively probes me, keeping me on my toes, off my guard, making me want it to be over and hoping I’ll get a break between this deal and the next one with her – the ideal gamut for a selling agent managing a rascal buyer advocate who’s been around the traps.

Rae is a matriarch, a loving guide to her family, and an ethical representative for her clients, the sellers. She is among the top five agents I have had to compete against in buyer advocacy and work with in seller advocacy. Every time, I know it won’t be easy.

Last night culminated in another no-exception deal. Our client bought a great home pre-auction, one she really wanted, and Rae made us pay, as she almost invariably does, by lining up some stiff competition out of nowhere; after I went hard and early, she, as per her normal script, ground us through the mill and took us within a breath of second place—no cigar – via competition.

I have a lot of respect for Rae. While we don’t see eye-to-eye and are not friends, that, in many ways, is how it should be—an aloofness between foes who can have a smile afterwards, win, lose, or draw. But I am in lockstep with those who engage her because they think she will represent them well and with rigour.

Rae Tomlinson, an unheralded giant in her quaint little world of the Gascoigne and surrounds, and a real fighter who has remained a lady, a mother, and decent. Hat off to you, Rae – don’t change, just pass the hankies, please, for the next time I have to try and buy off you.

Getting Out Getting On

Mal James

Buy Sell Agent

0408 107 988

mal@james.net.au

With next week and the week after being a market summary of the year and our penultimate and ultimate Market News for 2025, I thought it only fair to burden you with something in this, the antepenultimate week, that may be peculiar and personal.

Now, I might be doing something stupid, but I am getting out of property. No, not the buying and selling of real estate—that I am locked into more than ever and happy for at least another decade or two – I am lucky I love my job.

No, I am exploring selling my family home, an area I have been in for the last 33 years. Why? It’s time to free up my mind, help my kids into a home, reduce my debt, and have the freedom to come and go as I please. The known downsides—no tax-free capital growth, security for the family, and a place to put stuff—are simply no longer important to me.

I am thinking of getting out to get on with my life.

My children are all with partners outside the family home, and my thoughts have moved from a big home for me to two of my kids who have no home, what’s wrong with me renting and moving as it goes and some more time in France or Port Fairy in the quiet months. You benefit from a home as your family grows, but as you get older, do I need that when others can’t have one? Mmmmm, I am leaning to no. I don’t need to own it anymore, and currently, it feels liberating.

We, as a family, are discussing it now and looking at the timing.

Maybe I’ll buy an acre near Warburton or long-term rent a place that can be a family gathering spot in the country whilst living in a more modest apartment in Bayside nearby, helping my kids into their own family homes possibly also around Bayside. This way, they and their kids can experience the feelings and security benefits of growing up in one or two places—not too far from the action as to make commuting stressful, nor at a price where maintaining the wherewithal to keep the roof is another building stress.

I may be crazy, but I’ve never had super, don’t believe in it, and, in fact, actively oppose it (for me). I’ve always lived a minimalist life possession-wise, except for a small golf phase that muddied the waters. Now, I feel that the whole house and asset protection thing will hold my last few decades of enjoyment back, as fear rules me.

Hey, I may be wrong, and it may all fall flat on my face. It’s not for everyone, and I’m not recommending it for you. I’m just saying what I’m exploring right now. It feels liberating.

A grey nomad, except I don’t want to give up work at all. A grey nomad, except I see my kids almost every day. A grey nomad, except I couldn’t care less about stock prices, the cost of living, and land tax.

Again, these aren’t thoughts for everyone, and if you’re thirty and thinking of kids, this isn’t something I think you should consider. But at sixty-five, somewhat healthy, and still up for it, then possibly…

Workwise, I have been handing over the management reins to Sim and Zali, reducing my ownership footprint and chucking out more costs (not employees) than Elon. I’ve found myself happier and loving the one-to-one client contact, the lack of “corporate non-event meetings”, and a freer mind not to make frivolous calls.

Meaning-wise, by freeing up ownership and gifting a lot away, I have removed a lot of fear about my future. And while someday my time will come, and possibly the few months prior will be tricky, I feel like the 20 or more years between now and then will be a lot more exciting.

See, I’m still selfish, self-centred, and self-interested. I want it good but different to you or others maybe!

Solana, Bitcoin, Ethereum can reduce poverty

This year, in addition to my full-time career in real estate, I completed a Master’s in Blockchain (with distinction) at RMIT face-to-face, graduating on December 18th.

Yes, I have crypto—Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin—but I am not here to sell you on its future. That’s up to you!

And yes, smart contracts, when combined with AI, will, within a short space of time, transform your world as much as the internet did the disco dancer of the 80s and then flummoxed us again with the iPhone in the noughties.

Finally, for those in real estate who think blockchain is as foreign as a Mongolian in Church Street, a Peruvian in Toorak Road, or an Ethiopian in Glenferrie—think again.

Blockchain is already in daily use by almost all real estate agents skilled in their craft; many are just unaware of it.

From Docusign to the Commonwealth Bank, the use of blockchain is already widespread and growing exponentially.

Which leads me to why life feels so positive and exciting right now.

And yes, I will still get a little scared as I allow the brave new world to hit me in the face, but there is so much opportunity, so many young and exciting people to connect with, and so much to do in so little time that I am even more scared not to start.

Our second business will focus on investing in crypto, blockchain, and smart contracts, with major offerings aimed at improving health for both the extremely poor and the wealthy alike.

Proof of Care is a digital coin designed to streamline and enhance the funding and delivery of medical surgeries for children in impoverished regions. Leveraging blockchain technology ensures that funds are directed, verified, and rewarded in a transparent, scalable and universally accepted measurable manner.

Unique Offering: Specifically, those in medical poverty, the local medical providers who can help, and the funders can gain $ value for the child surgery process.

Key Features:

Direct Transactions: Facilitates direct financial interactions between donors, medical providers, and patients, increasing the resources that reach those in need without intermediaries; reducing inertia and corruption, but is scalable.

Scalability: The system is designed to scale to 1,000 operations across 1,000 African hospitals at $1,000 each, totalling $1 billion annually.

Smart Contracts: Utilizes smart contracts to automate and enforce agreements, ensuring that funds are released upon the successful completion of surgeries.

Investment: Encourages investments by and in the communities supporting the children, benefiting medical providers and an ROI for funders connected with the child.

Unique Offering: During the process of the child surgery, a series of investments begin for the impoverished community that supports the child, AND the medical providers that “fix” the child AND the funders of the child (if they so choose).

Progress and Goals:

Beta Testing: Successfully completed 1,000 child surgeries in Africa.

Financial Education: Initiated financial education programs in 2024 for impoverished communities, medical workers, and investors/donors.

Self-Sustainability: Aims to become self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-sufficient by 2027.

Market Context:

Philanthropic Support: The size of the philanthropic market indicates a strong foundation of care and resources. Can move to war zones, homeless, refugees.
Scientific Systems (like Proof of Care) have delivered. Vaccines have doubled life expectancy in Tanzania in our lifetime.

Healthcare Disparities: Africa faces significant healthcare challenges, with 38 times fewer doctors, 22 times fewer nurses, and 135 times less health expenditure per capita compared to countries like Australia.

Unique Offering: Proof of Care is a scalable ongoing solution

That puts self-interest into all parts of the transaction (need, solution, delivery)
That builds trust, not reduces as the transaction progresses and
Measures success in a universally understood and accepted unit = money

Our Clear Role:

In proof of care is delivery rigour to goals delivery, investment return, and marketing of the coin.

3 Goals of proofofcare Coin:

More/better child surgery outcomes for children in medical poverty – (need)

More/better incentives for medicos to improve child surgeries (solution)

Improved sustainability of hospital networks via ongoing funding (money)

Call to Action:

For those interested in learning more about how Proof of Care can benefit both affluent and impoverished communities, or to join the waiting list for Proof of Care coins, please contact Mal at mal@james.net.au or 0408 107 988.

proofofcare.org and morechildsurgeries.com

Africa is now tax-deductible

Each month, we donate between $10,000 and $20,000 to support Melbourne’s homeless and fund surgeries for children in Africa.

Thanks to Rotary Brighton, all donations to the African Child Surgery Program are now tax-deductible.

This program started over ten years ago and has grown to fund more than 200 surgeries annually – from simple treatments like broken bones and tonsillitis to complex surgeries like amputations to halt cancer.

With just $1,000, you can change a life forever. This isn’t ongoing charity; it’s empowering people. By supporting local surgeons, we strengthen the health system and allow these children to go to school, ultimately contributing to their communities and freeing up their carer to also be productive – it has a tremendous multiplier effect.

Yes, there are challenges with inefficiencies and corruption, as in many parts of the world. However, we choose to manage these issues rather than using them as an excuse to stop helping.

This January, I’ll be on my seventh trip to Tanzania, meeting local leaders, reviewing program impacts, and providing training in Swahili and English at key hospitals.

Beyond surgeries, we’re also exploring sustainable business support for the program and using blockchain to manage the complex supply chain that is a child surgery, starting with a 15-hour bus trip for diagnosis. You’re welcome to join me to see first-hand how much this work impacts lives.

But you don’t have to leave Australia to make a difference. We’re raising $30,000 to build a new rehab wing for long-term child care, separate from the general wards. So far, we’ve raised $15,000. If you can, please consider donating $1,000 or $5,000, and I’ll show you the results when I’m there in January. You’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt from Rotary via email.

https://donations.rawcs.com.au/26-2024-25

You fill in your details on one page, followed by your payment information on the next page. Rotary is safe and secure, and a tax-deductible receipt will be sent. Rotary’s fees are 5.5%, and after that, all funds go directly to Tanzania. It works I just sent $1000.

This isn’t “my charity” – I support Child Surgeries Tanzania, administered by local professionals. I can, however, vouch for the quality of outcomes.

For more information:

See the children helped: https://morechildsurgeries.com/

Learn about our blockchain tech to improve management: https://proofofcare.org/

View our children’s hospital project: https://morechildsurgeries.com/mp1/

Please donate to help build a dedicated rehab wing, creating a safer environment for these children. I’ll check on the building’s progress during my January trip. Donations are tax-deductible: donate here.

https://donations.rawcs.com.au/26-2024-25

Mal James

0408 107 988