Sixteen years ago, Coburg RSL was fighting for survival. Today, Melbourne’s oldest continually operating RSL is thriving, having reinvented itself as a volunteer-run community hub built around live music, events and craft beer.

Following a brief flirtation with gaming machines in the 1990s, the club, now approaching its 108th year, also proudly remains pokie-free.

Pokies have become synonymous with many larger RSLs, but Coburg is part of the majority in Victoria that operate without them. Of the state’s roughly 260 sub-branches, just over 50 have gaming machines, while more than 200 do not.

President Michael Pianta said Coburg nevertheless “punches above its weight”, opening five to six days a week and generates revenue through a regular program of live bands, dance nights, family events and weekly snooker and billiards.

“We’re not reliant on gambling revenue to survive, which is something we are collectively very proud of,” Mr Pianta told realcommercial.com.au. “We may not be as pristine as some of the very modern RSLs because we haven’t got their levels of revenue, but it also means we don’t have an obligation to gambling.”

According to a 2026 IBISWorld report, gambling remains the largest revenue stream for Australian social clubs, accounting for about 40%, or $6 billion, of annual revenue.

But with increased regulatory changes expected to constrain gaming revenue growth, the report found clubs diversifying into food, events and property are better positioned to grow non-gaming revenue and sustain profitability.

That need to diversify is reshaping the traditional RSL model.

Some, like Coburg, are building around live music and community events, while others are unlocking the value of substantial landholdings to pursue mixed-use developments, hotels and even retirement living.

Coburg RSL’s sub-branch president Michael Planta and senior vice president Darren Dwyer. Picture: Coburg RSL / Facebook

Mario Saia, managing director at HTL Corporate Advisory, said Australia was witnessing a significant evolution in the RSL’s 110-year journey.

“Where the primary focus was once to provide a place for local communities to meet, socialise and enjoy local hospitality, today, boards are increasingly thinking about how they can ensure their club not only remains relevant, but financially sustainable for the foreseeable future,” Mr Saia told realcommercial.com.au.

“But there is no one-size-fits-all model; the right strategy can depend on a club’s location, landholding, demographics, planning opportunities and what it’s actually trying to achieve.”

The diversification strategy

Landholding and development are emerging as key ways for clubs to diversify their business models, with long-held sites offering opportunities to generate new revenue and support future operations.

“Underlying property values of RSLs can be extremely significant,” said Mario Saia. “Many occupy sites that were acquired decades ago, when the surrounding suburbs looked very different. Today, those same sites can be in highly established locations with significant land value and development potential.”

HTL Property’s Mario Saia. Picture: HTL Property

Club Bondi Junction is a case in point. After years of financial struggles and dwindling membership, the club partnered with Capital Corporation to redevelop its prime Bronte Road site rather than sell up and disappear.

Completed in 2024, the $150 million mixed-use development delivered a new club, commercial retail space and luxury apartments, allowing the RSL to retain its presence in the heart of Bondi Junction. The club also retained three apartments as investments, while its commercial assets provide rental income and a new revenue stream.

“In some cases, the value of the real estate can be far greater than what you would appreciate by looking at the club purely as an operating business,” Mr Saia said.

Castle Hill RSL is taking diversification a step further. One of the most profitable clubs in Australia, it is using part of its substantial site to create a residential lifestyle community for over-55s. The approved development will deliver around 250 apartments and penthouses alongside the existing club, giving residents direct access to its dining, sport and wellness facilities.

Mr Saia pointed to Castle Hill as an example of a club pursuing a land use closely aligned with its existing role in the community.

“Seniors living is a logical fit because of the club’s established membership base and the natural relationship with a club that already provides social and community services,” he said. “It is not simply about finding another use for surplus land, but rather finding a use that complements the club’s existing proposition.”

Central Coast Leagues Club, meanwhile, is taking a broader approach to urban renewal. Its concept masterplan envisages transforming its Gosford site into a mixed-use precinct incorporating a new club, residential towers, a hotel and retail and commercial uses, alongside improved pedestrian connections and public spaces.

“This is a far more significant property strategy,” Mr Saia said, “where the club is effectively becoming part of a broader redevelopment of the precinct.”

Sydney’s Castle Hill RSL was significantly renovated and modernised in 2024. Picture: Castle Hill RSL / Facebook

Enhancing the offering

Penrith RSL offers a different model, investing in the existing venue rather than pursuing residential or mixed-use development. Its recently completed $35 million stage one redevelopment included expanded dining facilities, upgrades to the existing club and a new multi-purpose function centre.

Mr Saia said the strategy was about making the club “a stronger and more attractive destination for members and the broader community”.

For clubs undertaking major upgrades, remaining open during construction can maintain cash flow, although noise, parking and access disruptions can affect trading and the member experience.

“That temporary impact on earnings needs to be factored into how much debt the club takes on,” Mr Saia said.

“A successful development can strengthen the club financially, but the objective should be to use the property opportunity to support a sustainable club rather than simply pursue development for its own sake.”

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OPINION

Reports of a “stampede” at the opening of a Glassons store at Westfield Miranda sounded like a potential scene from Kath and Kim.

I was shocked to see the pictures of hundreds of young women, donning White Fox tracksuits and Ugg boots, storming their way up the escalators, after gathering en masse, pre-dawn, in a horde of hoodies, to muscle their way to the bargains inside.

It was like a physical, real life version of a website crashing during an online sale.

Completely bewildered by this, I showed my wife, asking if we had “reached peak stupid.”

Her response?

“What is this? Is this something I need to be stampeding for?”

And then it hit me, this was a stroke of marketing genius.

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The horde in hoodies mounts an escalator charge towards the new store. Picture: TikTok

Creating a stampede was a brilliant way to create brand awareness for a retailer.

We’ve all seen stories about 3am queues for those god awful Labubu dolls (up to $50 for a horrific soft toy); or the long lines outside cult pearl tea stores; or pop-ups of the latest fad burger store from the US.

I’m pretty sure even my GP likes to let the waiting room fill up at her practice just to create a sort of Studio 54 vibe, where if you’re not sick, you’re missing out on something super cool.

But a stampede? Outside of the annual Boxing Day sales, or the seasonal migration of bison across the North American plains, you rarely see them.

Perhaps the closest we’ve seen is the drop-in stock sales at Aldi, where all of a sudden, they might sell discount ski jackets for a weekend. I know my mother in law has put her elbows to work in a few of those sales.

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Why rely on a queue to show how in demand your products are? People waiting patiently in line does not scream urgency. But a stampede is a display of pure desperation!

Young women, with their whole lives ahead of them, prepared to risk life and limb to be first into a shopping centre retail outlet.

Labubus … horrendous. Instagram

One TikTok vlogger described being “literally bullied” in the rush, women screaming as they sprinted for the front, people falling over on the stairs and a potential broken wrist. She claimed police should have been present to stop people fighting and getting injured.

Of all the events that could attract calls for a police presence, could you ever imagine it would be this?

It’s like one of those ironic fashion T-shirts that say ‘Paris, London, Milan … Broken Hill’.

Imagine: ‘Political rally, visiting diplomat, Pope touring … opening of suburban Glassons outlet’.

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Glassons must have some pretty cool stuff, right?

Years ago I lived near a major shopping centre, which contained a Glassons. It was rare to see more than two or three people in that store at a time. My limited understanding was that Glassons sold pretty basic clothes that weren’t overly expensive. They weren’t popular enough to fill all their fitting rooms at once, let alone spark a stampede.

So what are they doing differently these days?

Engaging influencers such as Sophia Begg has helped boost Glassons’ following.

A look at their website shows … some pretty basic clothes that aren’t overly expensive. Though the models look edgy and everything links to a social media presence.

Some further digging revealed that a rebrand a little over a decade ago saw Glassons pivot towards fast fashion aimed at Gen Z shoppers. That affordable pricing, along with successful social media marketing using influencers (they have someone called Sophia Begg, who appears to be popular) and rapid inventory updates seems to have gained Glassons a cult following.

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To create a stampede, they merely needed a small tweak to mobilise that following. On this occasion, it was simply opening a store with the promise of gift vouchers and curated gift boxes for the first through the doors.

And, hey presto! A new trail of influence has been blazed.

People who knew about Glassons already are probably not surprised. People who thought they knew about Glassons now know that something has changed to make it stampede-worthy. People who had never heard of Glassons now know all about it. A retail masterclass.

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For many agents across the country, the last year has been a tough one.

Elevated home prices and mortgage rates, a lock-in effect leftover from the pandemic and limited inventory have all made homebuyers and sellers hesitant to move. The result: Agents are running low on commissions.

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Those market factors have been gradually improving in recent months and economists say that as more inventory comes to market this spring, conditions will likely pick up a bit. But for now, many buyers are still bailing out of contracts, while others remain stuck on the sidelines.

So what can agents who need some income do right now? Inman spoke with agents across the country about which lead generation strategies are working for them right now in this market, and many said it’s the human-to-human touches that are proving most fruitful.

Lean on your sphere, including other agents

Carrie McCormick | @properties

Carrie McCormick of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate and her team have been talking a lot about lead generation lately, the team leader told Inman, thanks to the current market lull. Something that always seems to provide returns in one form or another is reaching out to individuals in the team’s sphere.

McCormick said they reach out to past clients to give them an update on the market and see if they or someone they know is interested in buying or selling now.

“[We’re] just kind of utilizing our own networks of people in sphere that we know,” she said. “Educating them on the market, where pricing is, telling them why it’s a good opportunity to sell now.”

In contrast to the heyday of social media marketing, Courtney Poulos of ACME Real Estate said that a lot of people are experiencing social media fatigue today, which is leading to better responses when it comes to tried-and-true lead generation techniques.

“A lot of Realtors have pulled back from their social media posting because it’s just expensive and doesn’t actually convert,” Poulos told Inman. “So I have seen agents leaning back into relationships like investing in sphere of influence, like higher-touch campaigns, actually making phone calls, taking people out to lunch, more value-added offers … So there are more platforms that agents in my brokerage use, but I’m seeing agents use more of nurture campaigns, even for sellers, just making sure that they’re keeping in touch with more people.”

Agent-to-agent referrals are also still a reliable, lucrative way to grow an agent’s business, and can be especially helpful in places where relocations to and from feeder markets are common. That’s why being polite and professional when working with any agent on the opposite end of a deal is important — if things go well, it could turn into a referral somewhere down the line.

“That’s been huge for me,” said Deborah Phantana of Group One Sotheby’s International Realty in Boise, Idaho.

Handwritten notes

Jeffrey St. Arromand | SERHANT.

In every building where a member of SERHANT.’s Team Tricia Lee is representing a listing, the team writes letters to introduce themselves to the neighbors. The letters also describe how the team might market the neighbors’ properties if they chose the team to represent them in their next sale, Jeffrey St. Arromand — a member of the team — told Inman.

“So that way, they know that we’re there,” St. Arromand said. “And then when we do our first open houses, we do something exclusively for the neighbors so they get to see how we would sell their property. That stuff is time-consuming, but it’s a necessary evil. And I think agents just don’t do it anymore … So use that extra half an hour, get the neighbors in, have some refreshments for them and tell them a little bit about what we’re doing to separate us from any other agent that they could potentially work with.”

Open houses

Although they can feel boring at times to sit through, many agents find that open houses continue to be a good source of lead generation, including Phantana, who said it’s one of the “pillars” of her lead generation strategy.

Christine Dupont-Patz | RE/MAX of Cherry Creek

Christine Dupont-Patz, broker/co-owner of REMAX of Cherry Creek in Denver, said that having that face-to-face time with potential clients can become an advantage to agents.

“You’re meeting people that are social, you are talking to people that are out and actively looking at houses,” Dupont-Patz said. “Yes, there’s a chance they may have an agent — they may not. So it’s the aspect of getting in front of people and having that organic conversation. I can tell you numerous instances where I held the open house, and I represented someone who just came in and said, ‘This is the house I want, this is what I’ve been looking for,’ and we wrote an offer, and sometimes they even had a house to sell. So it does happen.”

Dupont-Patz also likes to experiment with non-traditional days and times for open houses, because it opens up the possibility of catching a different group of potential buyers that might otherwise not be available on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. One of the busiest open houses she ever hosted began at 9 am on a Saturday, and she said may families with younger kids showed up because they were on their way to Saturday morning activities like sports practices and birthday parties.

“And the house had been on the market for a while,” she said. “It’s not like it just came on [market].”

Prospecting

Jonathan Spears | Compass

The lead generation strategy that Jonathan Spears of the Spears Group at Compass goes back to time and again is prospecting, he told Inman. It’s one of the basics that all agents learn about when just starting out in real estate, but its effectiveness can’t be denied. Spears said he sees most agents struggle with their deal flow after busier periods when they’ve neglected that prospecting for a time.

“The best way to gain market share, whether the market is fast or slow, is identifying a farm market that you work in and understanding who’s transacting in the market and why. Why did they transact?” Spears said. “And be able to stay educated on those numbers and then stay in front of active owners in that community.”

Spears added that he stays “hyperfocused” on a specific part of the market that only includes around 100 addresses or fewer.

“If you try to serve too many people, you’re going to be a jack of all trades and a master of none,” he said.

Buyer wish lists

McCormick said that advertising her buyers’ wish lists on LinkedIn or other social media outlets can also prove fruitful. Potential sellers are often more likely to list if they know there’s a real buyer out there who wants a home that’s like theirs.

Right now, many luxury buyers that McCormick works with in Chicago are looking for the same things, which is making inventory tight. Primarily, her buyers want something that’s move-in ready with high-quality finishes located in Lincoln Park, Lakeview or the Gold Coast. But if agents advertise buyer wish lists, it’s important to be honest about it, McCormick added.

“The important thing is to have integrity doing this,” McCormick said. “Meaning, don’t just put it out there and, say, pretend like you have buyers. You really have to deliver, too. So if you get that phone call from a seller that says, ‘I’m intrigued, tell me more about your buyer,’ you really should have one ready to go, because you don’t want to hurt your reputation by saying, ‘Well, I really don’t…’”

Storytelling

At SERHANT., which has its own in-house production company, content creation is a big part of marketing and lead generation, St. Arromand pointed out to Inman. So when it comes to more modern, fresh takes on lead generation, the team focuses on storytelling through content creation on social channels and commercials on specific streaming platforms.

“We’ve seen that be effective, not just for the property that we’re listing, but also the neighborhood that you’re going to move into,” St. Arromand told Inman. “So really trying to create what the entire experience will be once you choose to move into the property … and really doubling down on that.”

The team typically focuses on two to three high-quality posts per week that provide value, rather than attempting to put something out there every single day that may not be as polished.

“We try not to do it just for the sake of having content every day, but making sure it’s something that, No. 1, reflects the brand and how it looks, and then most importantly, the messaging,” St. Arromand said. “I think the key on that, too, is everyone understands and knows the importance of content, but it’s the actual storytelling and being able to lead with the hook to capture that audience in the first five to 10 seconds.”

Staying active in interest groups

Phantana recently joined a mahjong group because the game has been trending, and a few people have already asked her about her services as an agent. Phantana said she has also long been involved in feline advocacy work. She serves on the board of directors for a local kitten rescue and is able to connect with a lot of community members that way.

Deborah Phantana | Group One Sotheby’s International Realty

“Locally here within my market, I’ve always had a lot of success and am still finding continued success with being a part of groups that have a like-minded interest,” Phantana told Inman.

Because of her involvement in the rescue, she was also asked to contribute a pet column to a local magazine with a wide distribution, and as part of that agreement, is able to advertise her real estate business in the publication as well.

Turning to AI

As more consumers gravitate toward searching for answers with AI tools instead of traditional search platforms like Google, St. Arromand said that Team Tricia Lee has also consciously tweaked its content so that the team is more likely to show up in AI search results as well.

Spears also recently leaned more into AI by creating an AI-powered real estate management platform called MyOps, which helps agents keep track of their production, clients, finances and more.

“I look at MyOps, and it shows me at a glance where my team’s at,” Spears said. “And so I know how much we sold year-to-date or month-to-date or week-to-date, and I’ve got a real-time understanding of where the business is. So I’ll start looking at my business, and then I figure out next steps, how and where the opportunities within that business that are warm, that I can go out and farm.”

Courtney Poulos | ACME Real Estate

Meanwhile, Courtney Poulos, who said she has been very disappointed so far with most AI real estate tools, finally found one that she thinks is worthwhile, and helps with lead generation. AtllasX is an AI assistant for both outbound and inbound calling with potential prospects. Agents can upload a CSV file to the platform, and the assistant will contact prospects on an agent’s behalf to do things like offer a free home valuation. Poulos also gave it a trial run on her podcast recently.

“You can choose the voice, you can choose the prompts in the script,” Poulos said. “It has some defaults in there. It’s made for real estate agents, so it already has some good defaults in there.”

“I think this could be a useful use of AI because it doesn’t cost you much and you can see the accountability without having to rely on the third party, who may or may not be doing what they say they’re doing,” Poulos added.

Going the extra mile

Dupont-Patz said she also likes to do surprising, but useful things for past clients to let them know she’s thinking of them. These methods also typically help generate a more enthusiastic response from clients.

One time when she saw a client post on social media about having a bad day, Dupont-Patz decided to buy some vodka and sparkling lemonade and drop it off at their house. “It was the sense of, ‘Life is clearly giving you lemons, so here’s some lemonade,’” she explained.

This time of year, she also tends to distribute windshield wiper fluid, which comes in handy for Colorado’s more wintery days. With the bottle of wiper fluid, she also includes a card that says something like, “I can help give you a clear view on the market.”

Email Lillian Dickerson