An online post by a real estate agent featuring a Boomer couple telling the younger generations that they just need more discipline when it comes to saving for a home, has kicked off a storm – but not only in the way you’d think.

The burning issue isn’t that the post seemed oblivious to the different economic realities of life in the 2020s, it’s that the couple are an AI generated fake.

The real estate agent behind its creation says it’s a parody. Most of the 230,000 people who viewed the post didn’t see the joke. Now the senior RE agent is saying this has opened up an important discussion about the power and potential misuse of AI.  All we are saying is, he’s a real estate agent.

This is just one of the stories that are definitely real, from Leftfield Communications.

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Domain

From cell to cellar: Pentridge Prison wine cellar hits the market for $90k
The clattering of chains has been replaced by the clinking of stemware at a notorious Melbourne jail, where cells have been converted into wine storage, and one is for sale with hopes of up to $90,000.

Paul Bangay’s legendary ‘Enchanted Garden’ estate hits the market
The former home of legendary landscaper Paul Bangay is seeking a new owner. The Victorian Woodend property, known as St Ambrose, spans 2.69 acres of grounds that became the subject of Bangay’s book, The Enchanted Garden.

Fake couple, real anger: Why a parody property post touched a national nerve
Steve and Wendy stare into the camera, a picture-perfect Australian backyard behind them. Framed by greenery and two silver barbecues, the Sydney retirees appear to be enjoying summertime – Wendy holds a glass of white wine, while Steve’s face is blushed by the sun.

‘I was raging’: Mum fires back after brutal complaint letter left by neighbour
An anonymous note left in a family’s letterbox has sparked a heated debate about neighbourhood etiquette. The letter, left to Perth mother Kate, was written by someone claiming to be a “long-suffering neighbour” fed up with what they described as constant noise from her backyard.

ABC Online

China’s ‘quirky’ fix for property crisis rewards marathon runners, AI experts and tennis players
Amid a sustained property downturn, some Chinese local governments have offered housing subsidies to marathon participants. Others have offered incentives to attract tennis players and AI experts.

Economist turns guerilla groundskeeper to save Sydney heritage building The Priory
A retired economist previously known for his media appearances turned his hand to groundskeeping to fix up a vacant heritage building in Sydney. Hunters Hill Trust is concerned the council was planning to let The Priory be given back to the state government to then be sold.

Realestate.com.au

$750 opening bid for Neighbours charity auction
While homes on Australia’s most famous cul-de-sac have sparked fierce global bidding wars, the latest piece of Neighbours history to hit the auction block isn’t bricks and mortar – it’s a notoriously unflattering portrait of Ramsay Street’s legendary busybody, Mrs Mangel.

Jen Hawkins sells controversial megamansion for $30m
The mega-mansion built at Whale Beach by the model Jen Hawkins and her builder husband, Jake Wall, has been settled at $30m, some five years into its construction.

Sam Armytage lists reno cottage for $2m+
Sam Armytage, the host of The Golden Bachelor on Channel 9, is selling her Moss Vale renovation project in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Fitzroy North ‘Barbie dream house’ is unapologetically pink
A pink Barbiecore house in Melbourne’s inner north is among a plethora of colourful homes bringing a rainbow of creativity to Victoria’s property market.

$125k Werribee South beach shack comes with ‘illegal’ catch
A Werribee South beach shack has sold for a “baffling” $125,000, but the buyer has effectively paid six figures for a shed they are not allowed to sleep in.

Paul Bangay’s ‘breathtaking’ Enchanted Garden for sale: $8m+
A regional Victorian garden estate so good it gives visitors goosebumps has hit the market for $8m-$8.8m.

As seen on TV: why this dream home is sparking conversations about affordability
One of Townsville’s most unique homes is going up for sale, two years after its time in the spotlight on Aussie television.

Crumbling Gold Coast beach shack up for sale with rare planning loophole
A crumbling Gold Coast beach shack has hit the market with an $8 million price tag and a rare town planning loophole that lets buyers bypass coastal red tape.

Expert unveils opportunity to unlock 13m empty bedrooms
While in the midst of a housing crisis, Australia has around 13 million empty bedrooms, prompting calls for a revolutionary “last homebuyer scheme” to help Boomers downsize and afford existing stock to the market. In an upcoming episode of SBS Insight, Housing BOOMERS, host Kumi Taguchi explores the debate around downsizing in Australia.

Why you cannot buy a house or contact an agent this Anzac Day
When you first start as a real estate agent, it’s drummed into you that a missed call or email can cost you thousands of dollars in missed opportunity.

Crackdown as criminals plunge Aus suburbs into darkness
A spiralling crime spree is bringing Aussie suburbs to a standstill, plunging them into darkness with power cuts, blacked-out parks and rising fear among residents.

‘This is my future’: Charlize Theron to swap Hollywood for Australia
Charlize Theron has revealed she is planning a move to Australia after falling for the country during recent filming in the Blue Mountains.

Inside Michael Jackson’s homes: from tiny bungalow to Neverland
Before the global fame and the Neverland zoo, Michael Jackson’s life began in a cramped two-bedroom bungalow in Gary, Indiana.

Kyle Sandilands moves into $14m Vaucluse home, drops price on his Hills Shire ‘Castle’
Kyle Sandilands and his family have quietly moved back into their renovated $14m home against the backdrop of his $100m+ court battle with KIIS broadcaster ARN.

Storm’s Cameron Munster and wife Bianca selling in Melbourne
NRL star Cameron Munster and wife Bianca are looking to punt their stylish Kew house with a $2.4m-$2.6m range.

AFL great Michael Conlan lists spectacular waterfront Brighton pad
Former Fitzroy Lions great and AFL Queensland chief executive Michael Conlan and wife Andrea are selling their waterfront Brighton home.

Jay Chou, Hannah Quinlivan link to Toorak mansion’s secretive sale
A Toorak mansion listed with a $45.5m-$50m range has been linked to the father of Australian-Taiwanese actor and model Hannah Quinlivan, who is married to superstar Jay Chou.

Geelong Cats Brownlow medallist Alistair Lord selling Highton home with stadium views
Brownlow medallist and former Cats premiership centreman Alistair Lord is punting a Geelong property.

Nearly a third of Queenslanders now seeking an overseas home
More than half of Australia’s next generation are ditching the dream of homeownership for a property overseas, and they’re bringing 30 per cent of Queenslanders with them.

SA residents shocked to learn of property parking rule
South Australians are getting caught out in their own front yard, copping fines of almost $100 for parking across their own driveway.

Real Commercial

Adrian Portelli teases second LMCT+ fuel station: Hopes for 100 sites
To much fanfare, billionaire Adrian Portelli opened the doors of his first petrol station to his rewards clubs members last week as part of a bid to disrupt the fuel industry. And another in Melbourne’s west may be on the way.

Billionaire Adrian Portelli reveals he uses millions in real cash as a prop
Adrian Portelli has stunned Aussies after revealing he uses up to $3m in real cash as a “prop”, a claim that left radio hosts scrambling to process it.

Pay-walled

The Australian Financial Review

‘Busiest day of the year’: Two-up drives hordes to pubs on Anzac Day
For six hours every Anzac Day, Australian gaming regulations soften just enough to allow a phenomenon to take over the nation’s hospitality sector.

Sydney 40-somethings spend nearly $1m on land for unborn grandchildren
A 1132-square-metre waterfront block overlooking Lane Cove River at 367-369 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, NSW. Sold at auction for $915,000.

The Australian

Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis sells Gold Coast pub in record $50m deal
Fresh from ordering a $1m Bugatti-beating Yangwang U9 super coupe, Roosters chairman Nick Politis has off loaded a famed Gold Coast pub for $50m to an Australian-Chinese group that owns pubs across Queensland.

The Sydney Morning Herald

These controversial ‘pop-up’ Sydney cycleways are here to stay
Sydney’s COVID-era “pop-up” bike lanes linking the inner east to the CBD are set to remain, as the City of Sydney pushes ahead with plans to make the once-temporary infrastructure permanent despite mounting opposition from residents.

Revealed: The Sydney suburbs with the most and fewest EVs
A new latte line splitting Sydney has emerged, with data revealing the areas with the highest ratios of registered electric vehicles are primarily concentrated in the east, north and inner city.

Goldman Sachs’ Australian boss closes in on $5.3m Whale Beach reno
Goldman Sachs’ local chief executive, Simon Rothery, has for years managed to keep a relatively low profile for one of the nation’s most powerful investment bankers.

Buyer settles on Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall’s $30 million mansion
The Whale Beach clifftop mansion designed and constructed by Jennifer Hawkins and her builder husband, Jake Wall, has settled for $30 million to a mystery buyer.

Landmark Sydney pub gutted without approval
A Sydney council has ordered builders to stop work and lay down tools after discovering unapproved demolition taking place inside Paddington’s much-loved Unicorn Hotel, sparking concerns over a potential loss of the iconic pub’s original heritage fabric.

Dog breeders to downsize from Mosman mansion, listing it for $35m
Helen Goyen and her husband, Stuart, both registered breeders of golden retrievers, have put their Mosman mansion on the market with a price guide of $35 million, local sources have revealed.

Holiday of a lifetime: Maria is going on a ‘golden gap year’
When 65-year-old Maria Buzzo sold her big family house to downsize into an off-the-plan apartment, she knew she’d have about 12 months to wait before the new home was ready.

The Age

Last-ditch bid to revise huge golf course housing development
A controversial housing development in Melbourne’s south-east is so flawed that rubbish trucks will not be able to fit in driveways, residents will be drowned out by aircraft passing overhead and existing neighbourhoods will be at risk of flooding, a council report warns.

McDonald’s green-lit for ‘world’s coolest street’ after fast food giant’s appeal
A 24/7 McDonald’s has been green-lit for “the world’s coolest street” after the fast-food giant won an appeal against an inner-north council, despite concerns it will hurt small businesses and tarnish the area’s “cool vibes”.

Melbourne luxury fashion doyenne’s unique home hits the market
The picturesque rural home of Melbourne’s doyenne of luxury fashion, Georgina Weir, has hit the market five months after her death with a price guide of $3.6 million to $3.96 million.

Blake had three salaries on his rental application. It wasn’t enough
Blake Cochrane, his partner and a friend were moving in together. Cochrane is a lead teacher and the other two are lawyers, so it should have been an easy application.

WA Today

Alicia was evicted without any reason. But support is growing in WA to change that
Alicia Keenan had just turned 21 when they found out they were being evicted from their Perth rental – with no reason why. Three years later, the stress of trying to find a new place to call home remains, with Keenan saying they lived in fear the same thing would happen again.

The Daily Telegraph

Australia’s ‘most haunted house’ Monte Cristo Homestead hits the market for $1.9m
Arguably Australia’s most haunted house is still on the market with a $1.9 million price tag, offering buyers the rare chance to own a property steeped in history, creepy legend and intrigue.

Paul Oppenheim and wife plan $6.5m revamp of 1930s Rose Bay mansion
Sydney rich listers Paul and Cathie Oppenheim have lodged plans for a stunning $6.5m revamp of their 1930s Rose Bay mansion, with star architect Luigi Rosselli behind it all.

Inside the new InterContinental Coogee hotel where Meghan Markle hosted wellness event
Get a sneak peek inside the luxury beachfront InterContinental Coogee featuring infinity pools and spa facilities, after hosting the Duchess of Sussex’s wellness retreat.

Fred Caterson Reserve Champions claim ‘David and Goliath’ victory over Hills Council
In a win for local conservationists, a court has ruled expert evidence about a native owl species must be heard, potentially putting the breaks on a controversial plan for multimillion-dollar rugby fields.

The Courier Mail

Clean Energy Regulator audit reveals three in four Queensland solar battery installs are substandard
Fears dodgy retailers taking advantage of a federal government scheme have put hundreds of Queensland homes at risk through unsafe solar battery installs.