Managing partner of Born Creators Group, Sive Buckley, was proud to take part at Apartments.com.au Market Insights 2026 in Redfern, hosted by Apartments.com.au.

The event brought together nearly 200 of NSW’s apartment industry leaders on 29 October. It was the second Market Insights Live event of the FY27 series, delivered in partnership with Resilience Insurance, Landchecker, Spaces x Get Parked, Urbis and Conversion Assist.

Sive Buckley, Managing Partner, joined property moguls such as Mike Bird (CEO of Apartments.com.au), Avalon Netherley (Associate Director at Fortis) and Eddie Mansour (Managing Partner at Ray White Projects) for a conversation on sales and marketing in today’s apartment market.

In a room full of NSW’s leading developers, project marketers, and agents, the panel tackled one big question: how do you sell new and off-the-plan homes when buyers are more selective than ever?

Sive brought a digital-first lens to the conversation, sharing her perspective on how property developers and real estate brands can navigate an increasingly complex and competitive marketing landscape. Her key points:

• Win the buyer journey long before the display suite. Research shows the off-the-plan buyer journey now averages around 22 months. As Sive said, “that’s longer than an elephant’s pregnancy! Buyers are researching, comparing and forming opinions across social and digital channels well before they’re ready to enquire or book an inspection”. Developers need to invest in always-on content that builds awareness, trust and consideration throughout that journey, so when buyers are finally ready to act, your project is already on their radar.
• It’s not about how many leads you generate; it’s about how many actually turn into appointments and sales. Cheap leads look great in a report, but they mean little if they don’t convert into genuine buyer interest. Developers need to look beyond cost per lead and track the entire journey, from first interaction through to enquiry, appointment, EOI, deposit and exchange. That’s how you understand what’s actually working, what’s driving sales and whether your marketing is delivering a return.
• Everything is starting to look the same. The projects that stand out are the ones with a story to tell. Buyers want to understand what makes a place different, what the lifestyle looks like and why they should care. Authentic storytelling, a strong sense of place and content that actually connects with people will always be more powerful than another campaign that looks just like everyone else’s.
• Trust sells what buyers can’t yet walk through. YouGov research tells us that 76% of people distrust a brand they feel is using AI. That’s something the property industry really needs to think about, particularly when so much of what we’re selling off the plan is CGI, renders and visualisations that can feel artificial to buyers. Balance the beautiful renders with real proof. Show the construction progress, introduce the founder, put the people behind the project front and centre, share genuine resident stories and let buyers see what’s actually happening behind the scenes. Creators and authentic third-party voices also play a big role. Ultimately, people buy from people, and building trust in a project well before completion is what keeps buyers confident.

If there’s one lesson here, it’s this: launch day is too late to start marketing. The projects that sell are the ones that have been building momentum for months, shaping awareness, generating demand and giving buyers a reason to choose a project over the hundreds of others competing for their attention.

Senior leaders from across the group came out to support Sive, with staff representing Adcreators, Endspace and Social St. alongside the Born Creators Group leadership team.

It was a fitting show of what makes the group different. Our agencies bring strategy, creative, content, social and performance under one roof, so property brands get one connected team from pre-launch to sell-out; from first render to final sale.

A big thank you to Apartments.com.au for the invitation, and to the panellists for a sharp, generous conversation.