After 40-odd years in the property industry, I can’t recall a bigger divide than the one I’ve seen emerging over the last two years. It’s not about land supply or headworks charges this time — it’s about technology. And on the Fraser Coast, the property world now has two clear camps: the Luddites and the Technophiles.
On one side, you’ve got the Luddites: the “we’ve always done it this way” crowd. They shuffle their papers, sharpen their pencils, and mutter darkly about the dangers of change. AI? “Too risky.” Digital tools? “Not accurate.” ChatGPT? “That’s cheating!” Their answer to progress is to double down on tradition — even if it means their systems creak louder than an old fax machine on dial-up.
Then there are the Technophiles. This camp straps in like it’s a drag race at 100 miles an hour, grabbing every new app, AI tool, and platform that promises to make business faster, smarter, or more efficient. To them, ChatGPT isn’t a threat, it’s one of the greatest efficiency tools in decades. These folks are building workflows, generating insights, and finding ways to do in minutes what used to take days.
The fun part? We’ve seen this movie before. Back in the early 1800s, the Luddites smashed the new textile machines to save their jobs. But history wasn’t on their side — technology marched on, and the world left them behind.
So here’s the big question for the Fraser Coast property industry — from agents and lawyers to planners, surveyors, and builders: which camp will you pitch your tent in? Because like it or not, the future isn’t waiting.
And if history’s any guide… we all know what happened to the Luddites.
