18/08/2026
Great crowd, fantastic speakers, and honestly one of the great industry nights - AMS was at the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales [REINSW] Strata Sundowner last week.
The takeaway across every speaker was the same: buildings that get maintenance, transparency, and capex planning right are simply in a different league. A few highlights:
🔍 Defects don’t sink you, silence does. Aidan C. from CRM Brokers shared that over half of NSW buildings have serious defects - but the real issue for owners are the people that hide it, not the ones that disclose it. Good records turn a red flag into a manageable risk and potentially better premiums.
💰 “Later” always costs more. Paul Morton from Lannock Strata Finance was blunt: strata work costs roughly double every few years. Deferring a job doesn’t save money, it just adds stress, scope creep, and a bigger bill down the track.
🤝 Trust is the real currency. Sam Reece from Australian Apartment Advocacy stole the show with her take on harmony between owners, committees, and managers — proving that even the best numbers won’t get works approved if people don’t trust the process behind them.
Same conclusion, three different angles:
proper maintenance, transparent reporting, and real capex forecasting aren’t nice-to-haves - they’re what gets buildings better insurance terms, cheaper finance, and owners who actually say yes.
It’s the work AMS does on the ground every day, and it was great to spend an evening with a room full of people who get it.
More of these, please - Real Estate Institute of New South Wales [REINSW], Australian Apartment Advocacy, you know how to put on a good one.
Great to attend with Marion Facilities Management, always fantastic company! 🏢
